MAGIC SHOW REVIEWS

BWW Review:
MAGIC MONDAY Brings Astonishing Magicians
to the Santa Monica Playhouse

by Shari Barrett for Broadwayworld.com Los-Angeles  |  Apr. 10, 2019

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Albie Selznick, a lifetime Magic Castle member and the creator and performer behind the acclaimed theatrical magic show Smoke and Mirrors, brings his signature MAGIC MONDAY back to the Santa Monica Playhouse every Monday evening through the end of August. Every week delivers a fresh lineup of world-class, award-winning magicians and standout variety acts drawn from The Magic Castle,America's Got Talent, Penn & Teller: Fool Us, Masters of Illusion, and Wizard Wars, promising a memorable season of show-stopping feats that range from sleight of hand and interactive parlor magic to jaw-dropping illusions.

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Every week, the evening opens at 7:30pm with a first entertainer on the outdoor patio before the 8pm show begins inside the Playhouse's main stage theater. Fill out a raffle ticket for a chance to win passes to the Magic Castle. Shows welcome all audiences, are suggested for ages 8 and up, and run roughly 75 minutes...

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Magician & actor Albie Selznick

Photo by Courtnay Robbins Bragagnolo

Magic Missionary

Santa Monica’s Albie Selznick carries the illusionist’s torch

by Evan Henerson for The Argonaut

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Ever since that birthday party where a magician sawed a lady in half and pulled live rabbits from her stomach, your kid has been begging for more. But you don’t know anyone at the members-only club of clubs, The Magic Castle, and a Vegas trip isn’t in the budget. The YouTube clips and TV specials have lost their spark. You want real magic, and you want to see it live.

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Longtime actor-magician Albie Selznick understands that gap, and he has found a way to close it: by handing a group of his magical friends a stage where they can sharpen their best routines and test brand-new illusions.

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Beginning May 2, a rotating roster of more than 20 illusionists takes the Santa Monica Playhouse stage for the second edition of Magic Monday. Selznick and producer Michelle Grant have booked eight May and June dates, hoping the variety show grows into a long-running engagement with a different set of magicians each night...

Magic Monday Comes Back This May to the Santa Monica Playhouse

by BWW News Desk for Broadway World Los Angeles

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Feel the rush of live magic and mesmerizing illusions with a rotating cast of master magicians each week at the Magic Monday cabaret, held at the Santa Monica Playhouse from May 2 through June 27.

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Brought to you by the same team and star, Albie Selznick, behind the theatrical hit Smoke and Mirrors, this weekly variety show stands apart in Los Angeles for its accessibility and entertainment value. Everyone is welcome to watch top-tier sleight of hand, the newest mind-bending acts and astonishing feats in an intimate room that puts magic right in front of you, with a rotating lineup of celebrated magicians seen on TV and at popular venues around the world.

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Following the success of last year's Magic Monday run at the Odyssey Theatre, this eagerly awaited series returns to the Santa Monica Playhouse for eight performances. Each show brings a different lineup of world-renowned magicians, so every night offers a one-of-a-kind evening of magical entertainment...

Imaginary childhood companion Trix helps Albie escape his fear box

Photo by Michelle Grant

Review: A Grand Transformation Act in the Magic Show 'Smoke and Mirrors'

Critics Choice

by Philip Brandes for Los Angeles Times

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What frightens you the most? By asking the audience that question right at the start of his “Smoke and Mirrors” theatrical magic show at the Promenade Playhouse in Santa Monica, Albie Selznick sets the evening’s central theme: conquering fear as the driving force behind remarkable achievement.

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As an actor-magician, Selznick carries strong credentials in both worlds — he belongs to NoHo’s the Road Theatre company (which co-produced this show) and holds a lifetime membership at the Magic Castle in Hollywood — though it is mainly his time in the latter role that fuels this 90-minute semi-autobiographical story, weaving together feats of illusion and sleight of hand.

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Without giving away too much of the surprise, it is fair to say right away that the magic tricks — from transforming objects and levitation to demonstrations of telepathic powers — are top notch...

'Smoke and Mirrors' creator has a gift for magic

by Evan Henerson for Jewish Journal

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Someday writer-actor Albie Selznick may call his magic-infused theatrical performance "Smoke and Mirrors" complete, but audiences shouldn't count on it. Since Selznick describes himself as a perfectionist and a workaholic — and since there are always new illusions to master — "Smoke and Mirrors" will likely keep evolving for as long as its creator is willing to tinker. 

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"It has been a constant rewriting, working, rewriting, working,” he said. “It’s just never good enough. I keep seeing ways it could be better. But I feel like this is the closest it has ever been to being as good as it can be."

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Flawed or not, the autobiographical show has won over audiences and critics alike, picking up Critic’s Choice honors from the Los Angeles Times and L.A. Weekly...