IT'S MAGIC! Coming to Harris Center, 3/29
By: Tyler Peterson Mar. 04, 2015
Harris Center for the Arts audiences have fallen in love with It's Magic!, proven by consecutive years of sold-out performances and added performances. Now this show returns to Folsom with an exciting all-new lineup!
It's Magic! is in its 59th year; each season presenting the world's top magic and variety performers in a production designed for the entire family. Stars from all corners of the globe including Las Vegas, Europe, Asia and Hollywood's Magic Castle dazzle audiences with their amazing acts. The Los Angeles Times calls It's Magic! "...a must for magic buffs of all ages!"
It's Magic! has two performances on Sunday, March 29, 2015 at 2 pm and 6 pm. Tickets are priced at $21-$34; Premium $45. Tickets are available online at www.harriscenter.net or from the Harris Center Ticket Office at 916-608-6888 from 10 am to 6 pm, Monday through Saturday, and two hours before show time. Parking is included in the price of the ticket. Harris Center is located on the west side of Folsom Lake College campus in Folsom, CA, facing East Bidwell Street.
This live stage show is unique in that it features many of the top professional magicians worldwide, with each act carefully selected to represent the variety of the art of magic. Many of these performers are internationally recognized award-winners, direct from exotic showrooms around the world as well as Hollywood's famous Magic Castle. Parents who came to see It's Magic! as youngsters are now bringing their children and grandchildren to see this amazing line-up of famous magicians.
The tradition of an all-star magic show started in 1956 when two young entrepreneurs, Milt Larsen and Oliver Berliner, produced a show called Hocus Pocus '56 at the magnificent (now demolished) Carthay Circle Theater in West Los Angeles. The following year, the show was renamed It's Magic! and moved to the 1300 seat Wilshire Ebell Theater in Los Angeles' swank Hancock Park area.
At first, the shows played for a very limited time only. However, as the number of fans grew, the number of performances was expanded. The success of It's Magic! proved there was a genuine interest in the ancient art form of magic. This, in turn, gave Larsen the idea of forming a full-time private club for magicians and magic enthusiasts. Thus was born the Magic Castle, which opened its doors in 1963. Many credit this show as the spark that rekindled the resurgence of the art of magic in America.
In 1965 Milt produced It's Magic! as a solo venture with his brother Bill as Associate Producer. It's Magic! then moved to the Variety Arts Theater in downtown Los Angeles in 1977 and played annually until the mideighties. Since its inception, Southern California audiences were treated to such legendary magicians as Harry Blackstone (senior and junior), John Calvert, Senor Wences, Richiardi, Chang, Mark Wilson, Frakson, Tenkai and Dai Vernon. The show also provided the springboard for newcomers like Lance Burton, Mark Kalin, Shimada, The Pendragons and Harry Anderson, all of whom have since become stars.
This year's lineup features magicians Danny Cole, who was named the Rising Star of Magic by World Magic Awards (1999), Mystina, a British magician who incorporates dancing and gymnatics in her breathtaking illusions, and Tom Ogden, a family friendly magician who has performed for celebrities and politicians from Johnny Depp to President Ronald Reagan. Also featured are Alex Ramon, the first magician to grace The Greatest Show on Earth Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey presents Zing Zang Zoom, juggling extraordinaire Dan Raspyni, and more - each carefully selected to show the many nuances and artfulness of magic.
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