I still remember doing my very first theatre show almost ten years ago. No big
crew, no real plan—just a bunch of us figuring it out as we went, and a room
full of friends and family who believed in me way before anyone else did.
Fast
forward to now… and I’m going on tour. Like, actual cross-Canada,
coast-to-coast tour.
The team’s a little bigger now, the vision’s a
little stronger—and we couldn’t be more excited to bring this to life.
This
is an independently produced tour, built show by show, city by city. And now
we’re taking it across the country.
My first memory of magic is on my fifth birthday, at the Magic Castle, on
stage with the one and only – Ireland’s Largest Leprechaun, Mister Billy
McComb. I believe he did the vanishing birdcage that day. He eventually got
me on stage as a volunteer and I was in heaven. I thought he was the bees
knees. And as I got older, he just got funnier and funnier. One of my
favorites ever. Rest in peace, Billy.
Other than your family, who were the first professional magicians you
remember seeing?
I was lucky enough to see the Siegfried and Roy show as a young kid,
and that show was truly mesmerizing, larger than life. It felt like being
in another world. I remember the electricity in the room. It was thrilling
and kinetic, and they were so graceful. They seemed to have walked onto
the stage from the clouds.
By what mechanisms did you begin learning magic?
I learned magic at Magic Camp as a kid (that’s right, folks!) in Idyllwild,
California. I also learned from dear family friends, and from books.
Liberty Larsen
Who inspires you that is not a magician?
Outside of
magic, I’m inspired by Joanna Newsom, Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen (two
very special Canadians who almost dated!), Jesca Hoop, Martha Graham,
Charlie Kaufman, Michel Gondry, Peter Brook, Carmen Amaya, Kate Bush,
Harry Nilsson, Tom Waits, Remedios Varo, Robert Moss, on and on… I love
people who make worlds out of their dreams and stubbornly insist on living
inside them.
Who inspires you magically?
I’m inspired by Rob Zabrecky, Michael Carbonaro, Jared Kopf,
Voronin, The Swedish Monkey Opera, Renรฉ Lavand (rest in peace) and many
other gems.
In addition to performing magic, we understand that you are also a
musician. Have you studied anything else magic-adjacent? How have these
studies informed your magic performance?
Though I can’t say I’ve officially studied art, film or photography, I’ve
definitely been influenced by my own rogue education in all of those realms.
Everything that inspires, everything that lights up the circuitry,
everything that gives goosebumps, can translate into magic, I think.
I
draw from music more than anything else, because I look to magic to create
strong feelings. I’m not really drawn to cerebral stuff, or puzzles, it’s
not how my mind is wired. I can appreciate them but they don’t motivate me
to get on stage.
On stage, I don’t want to be clever. I want to
feel connected to people When I’m in an audience, I want to feel like the
performer is cracking my heart open like a walnut, and melting me. So, I
look to music for how to do that, because that’s how I’m wired. So I often
sing, because it’s a quick cheat to shift things from intellect into
feeling. But even when I’m not singing, the same elements of music – rhythm
and pacing, tone and resonance, harmonics and dissonance, dynamics and flow
– all these things go into good theater, and satisfying magic.
What, if anything, makes you nervous about joining the Champions
family?
Giant theaters! Exciting, but not something I’m used to. I’ve
performed in a lot of very small, cabaret style venues. This is a whole
different ball of wax.
What are you most looking forward to about joining the Champions of
Magic family?
The adventure of it! I love the electrical current that’s running
through this project. It’s got a strong pulse. It seems like I’m hopping
on a train that’s changing platforms and going to a whole new dimension.
This is such a fantastic group of people, and it’s an ambitious risk we’re
all taking together, which is a truly exciting challenge.
If you could go back in time to study (magic or otherwise) under
anybody, who would you choose to be your mentor?
I think I would go back in time and study dance with Martha Graham. I devoured
her autobiography and am so inspired by the way she lived her life. She was a
genuinely magical person, and a profound teacher. I feel like what she taught
could translate beyond dance into just about anything. She taught people how
to be deeply in their bodies, truly themselves and radically open to their own
source of inspiration.
Liberty Larsen
If you could prevent other performers performing an effect forever, what
would it be?
I read a truly terrible “gag” in an antique magic book about having
your Thanksgiving turkey get up and walk off the table. It involved using a
real chicken, plucked, and doing some terrible things to force it to be
still, and painting it brown as if it was roasted. I would outlaw that
turkey trick, punishable by tarring and feathering.
If you could only perform one effect for the rest of your life, what
would it be?
I am not sure I could ever be up to that challenge. But if I could
shapeshift into a bird while singing, and land one someone’s shoulder,
maybe deliver a secret message that only they would understand and that
would inspire a huge gasp, it would be that.
What’s your go-to Karaoke song?
“Get it While You Can” by Janis Joplin. Not because of the lyrics,
necessarily, but because her emotional range is just so great to sing.
What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think about
performing in Canada?
From the October 31st Instagram post by Young Hollywood, Liberty Larsen, and Fernando Velasco (one of her Champions of Magic co-stars) are interviewed about the Magic Castle:
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
I just learned that, “The first reference to throwing rotten
vegetables at bad stage acts came in an 1883 New York Times article after
John Ritchie was hit with a barrage of tomatoes and rotten eggs by an
unpleasant audience in New York. A large tomato thrown from the gallery
struck him square between the eyes and he fell t the floor just as several
bad eggs dropped upon his head.” The more you know…!
Thank you Liberty, for making the time to answer our questions!
[As an aside, we encourage you to go and see a show at this fabulous 500 seat
theatre. It's approximately 25 minutes west of Toronto's western
border. The facilities are modern and spacious. On the lower
level, it appears that all seats have amazing sight lines. (We didn't
venture up to the balcony.) The seats are a little bit wider than
standard theatre seats, which makes them very comfortable! Parking is free and
plentiful.]
[Additionally, this is the first magic show we've been
to where there's been an ASL interpreter available. The interpreter was
easily seen and unobtrusive. They did not distract from the show.
There appeared to be quite a few folks in the audience fluent in sign
language. I'm sure the service was well appreciated!]
Here are some random thoughts that came to mind while watching Ted and Marion share some
fascinating stories about their current home and the individuals who had
previously lived there:
The tone of the show was nicely set with a carefully curated period piece
soundtrack which included "All That Jazz," "It Don't Mean a Thing," and
Glenn Miller ("In the Mood" we think.)
The show was a BRAND NEW SHOW with very little overlap with their previous
show "Outerbridge Clockwork Mysteries." (Sadly there was no way to work the disco ball jacket that Marion
painstakingly created for Ted, into the new show.)
We were tremendously lucky to be at a show where illusionist technician
Shenna Dunn came out of retirement! Her grace and talent at the beginning
of the show made for a delightful opener!
This show is extraordinarily creatively satisfying. It is very clear that a lot of
time and thought has been put into tying all of the visuals into the theme
of the show. Just about every item on stage looked like it was part of an
historical play. The smallest details were considered; from the
shape of the centre spot, to the use of golf clubs in lieu of a typically
used magic prop, and of course the fabulous costumes created by Marion. Well
done Ted and Marion!
This show is a masterclass in organically driven story telling. The premise
of the show is based on historical events. The compelling
narrative is highlighted with creatively re-imagined, and expertly
executed magical effects.
All illusions, big and small, were masterfully performed.
The story telling is equally as important and entertaining as the magic and
illusions.
There is a nice ratio of grand illusion, intimate magic, and mentalism.
Marion has upped her game with fantastically executed magic!
(On top of sharing her superb dance and quick change talents.)
Kudos to Ted and Marion for going out of their way to right some wrongs for previous owners of the Keyhole house!
We counted 14 volunteers. Sitting at the back of the theatre provides little to no protection from being selected as a volunteer!
While this is certainly a family-friendly show, this is NOT a show aimed at
children. There are some mature themes involved. And the wee one
behind us found the "sรฉance" portion of the show a little bit
frightening.
The evening was a marvelous blend of historical story telling, mixed with masterful performances!
Possibly the only magic show based entirely on a slice of Canadian history.
Disclosure: KOP and I 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.
We're back on the road in just over 4 weeks, with a LOT of new magic! As in...
basically a whole new show. So anything can happen. But in the immortal words
of Harry Houdini "If at first you don't succeed, try it three nights later in
Ottawa".
The cat's out of the bag. 
