Houdini magic show at Edmonton Fringe amazes with escapes and illusions
Winnipeg performer Brett Oddly brings legendary magician's life and tricks to Stage 2, with card illusions building to a strait-jacket escape.
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Brett Oddly's tribute to Harry Houdini at the Edmonton Fringe brings a traditional magic show grounded in the legendary magician's life and lore.
Oddly, a performer from Winnipeg, structures the show loosely around a Canadian tour Houdini undertook in the early 20th century. The material supplies historical context for why Houdini still dominates the public imagination more than a century later—a testament, Oddly notes, to the magician's impressive publicity skills.
The show builds from card tricks to increasingly ambitious illusions, each designed to intrigue and mystify. Without spoiling the effects, Oddly demonstrates genuine skill in both the technical execution and the theatrical presentation. The pièce de résistance is a strait-jacket escape that will make audiences wince as he puts parts of his body at risk for their amusement.
If you saw similar tricks on television in the 1960s and '70s, Oddly's versions will feel familiar in the best way—a reminder that some illusions endure because they work. For those encountering these classics for the first time, the show delivers both entertainment and genuine amazement.
Houdini runs at Stage 2, The Backstage Theatre, 10330 84 Ave.
Before you go
Where is the Houdini magic show at Edmonton Fringe?
The show runs at Stage 2, The Backstage Theatre, located at 10330 84 Ave in Edmonton.
Who performs in this Houdini tribute?
Brett Oddly, a performer from Winnipeg, presents the show.
