Western Canada, don't miss your chance to catch
Champions of Magic -- Chasing the Unbelievable
in May!
Last week, we made the trek to the FirstOntario Concert Hall in Hamilton.
- This was our first trip to FirstOntario Concert Hall.
- It is a lovely theatre with 2 levels of balconies and a seating capacity of just over 2000.
-
There is a 6 level parking garage across from the theatre (be prepared to
pay event pricing!) and quite a few surface lots within easy walking
distance.
- The theatre staff were super helpful, professional, and generally fabulous!
- The show is about approximately 2 hours in length, including a 15 minute intermission.
- As always with this show we are genuinely afraid of posting spoilers. The less you know going in, the more you'll enjoy it!
FirstOntario Concert Hall, Hamilton ON
On with the show...
Note to parents of young children: The music can be very loud at times throughout the show. There are also smoke and fog machines involved. Forewarned is forearmed.
There's a videographer on hand to capture close-up miracles and project them on a big screen so everyone can see!
It is always a treat to see
Champions of Magic!
Pre-show vibes
-
There were plenty of children in the audience. Many people in the
audience had seen the show at least once before. Some of the
children brought their own RL/GL props! (IYKYK.)
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They've added spectacular lightwalls upstage which add to the ambience of
the set.
-
Liberty Larsen,
Fernando Velasco,
Richard Young and Sam Strange
all do what they do very well!
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The show is very different from the ones we've seen previously*. There
are significant changes in both the cast, and the structure of the
production.
*Toronto 2018, Oshawa 2019, Kitchener 2022, and Toronto 2023 -
For those who have enjoyed the shows they've presented in the past, not to
worry! They have retained some of their cornerstone
crowd-pleasers!
-
Some of the new segments are bound be become future cornerstone
crowd-pleasers!
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Significant parts of the show consist of imaginative narrative brought to
life through full ensemble numbers.
-
There are also plenty of moments for each of the acts to shine as solo
performers.
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There was LOTS audience participation with both children and adults!
By our count, 13 volunteers were involved. Many of the volunteers were
able to do so from the comfort of their seats. A lucky few were
brought on stage for a fully immersive show experience!
Some notes on volunteer handling. (Regular readers will recall that we pay close attention to the treatment of audience volunteers.) We were particularly impressed when:
- Velasco went searching for a child to bring on stage. The first kid he asked, declined. Velasco didn't miss a beat and quickly found someone else. Additionally, Velasco informed the selected volunteer in advance what was going to happen, and then asked for her consent to continue. We think more kids were interested in helping out after that. They got the sense that they weren't going to be pressured into doing something they didn't want to do.
- At one point Young and Strange also required two children to volunteer. These kids were also treated with respect and weren't talked down to in any way. In fact, Strange broke character for a brief moment and instantly put the boys at ease. It was as if he manifested the same child wrangling superpowers gifted to elementary school teachers, and parents of young children. This segment of the the show ends with the volunteers receiving tremendous audience applause!
Well done team!
- The show was visually stunning!
Whether you're new to magic or are a professional magician, there's something for everyone!
-
Larsen showcased talents we'd not previously seen in a Champions of Magic
show. She has a very creative style that delivers personal and
refreshing takes on some classics of magic. As an added bonus for
magicians, she spent a little bit of time talking about her magical
family. This provided a springboard for captivating and organic
storytelling, punctuated with magical effects.
-
Velasco succeeded in breathtaking, heart-stopping stunts both large and
small. In addition to having the audience on the edge if their seats,
he also performed some head-scratching miracles at a smaller scale. It
will surprise you not, that one of this escape artist's effects conjures the
name Harry Houdini.
- Young and Strange are always delightful! Even when (and in some cases especially when) they are bickering, they are very compelling. One can't help but get caught up in the fun they are having! Both individually, and together as a double act, they consistently deliver impressive sleight of hand, laugh out loud comedy, and a truly exhilarating exhibition of grand illusion. Since we last saw them in 2023 they've introduced some pieces of magic that were both very impressive and thoroughly entertaining. They get bonus points for mentioning Canadian born magician Dai Vernon. Additionally we were treated to video clips featuring Siegfried & Roy, and David Copperfield. (It goes without saying that Young's homage to David Copperfield Easter egg is still in the show.)
The magic is excellent.
Most importantly, the show is wonderfully entertaining.
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The acts and the scripts are a work in progress and continue to be
thoughtfully curated, updated, and revised. (Bonus points for
inserting both current affairs and localized content!)
-
This was our fifth time seeing Champions of Magic and we enjoyed it every
bit as much as the previous incarnations.
We highly recommend it!
(Even if you've seen it before.)
Final bows with Sam Strange, Liberty Larsen, Fernando Velasco, and Richard Young
Post-show vibes
Disclosure: We were guests at this show. The opinions expressed above are entirely our own. We did not receive compensation for the writing or the publishing of this article.
With thanks to Champions of Magic for the tickets.
Don't take our word for it, see what others are saying in the April 3rd
Instagram post by Champions of Magic:
This is the fifth in a series of interviews leading up to the
