Houdini Musical inches closer

[CraigMitchell]

https://www.playbill.com/article/broadw ... aura-osnes

The bio-musical Houdini, previously titled The Impossible Man, recently held a cross-continental virtual development reading starring Tony nominees Ramin Karimloo and Laura Osnes.

Directed by Federico Bellone, Houdini is set during the last show of the magician’s life in 1926 as his story is told through flashbacks to his life, loves, and rise to fame. Karimloo (Les Misérables, Anastasia) played Harry Houdini in the private reading with Laura Osnes (Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella, Bandstand) as Bess Houdini.

“This reading has been an astonishing dream, especially for the period we’re living in right now,” says Bellone. “The creative collaboration gave us a definitive idea about how to bring this show to life on stage, presenting to our audience both the spectacle of Houdini's magic and the strong emotional arc of the characters.”

Houdini is produced by Karl Sydow (The Last Ship) with casting by Tara Rubin Casting and Foresight Theatrical as general manager. The book writer, composer and complete design team will be announced soon.

[Tom Moore]

Unlikely this will hit the stage - there's a lot of key jobs still with no creatives attached; I'll bet it's a complete coincidence that a producer is suddenly having development readings (which are a device for getting investors to fund further development of a show / employ producers) at the same time as 2 Hollywood studio's are very publicly developing Houdini based product.....

[CraigMitchell]

Hi Tom

Do you have any insights on the Disney project ? Magic consultant et al ?

[Tom Moore]

It's a project that has been doing the circles for years so no, no definitive answers. That said movies don't use magic consultants in the same way live shows do (it's MUCH cheaper to CGI stuff) so you're more likely to see someone like the original author (Bill Kalush) having a general tonal consulting role and lots of CGI rather than anyone getting down and dirty staging original real magic sequences

[CraigMitchell]

Instagram account now live - https://www.instagram.com/houdinimagicalnewmusical/ - with renderings of the "illusion workshop" stage set

Further renderings here - https://www.houdinibroadwaymusical.com/ ... ounds.html

"Houdini is a New Broadway Bound Musical, based on the true story of Harry Houdini, the most famous magician and showman of all time, by Producer Karl Sydow (The Last Ship starring Sting, Dance of Death starring Ian McKellen, Red Joan starring Judi Dench) and Director Federico Bellone (new production of Disney and Cameron Mackintosh's Mary Poppins in Milan, West End Revival of Dirty Dancing). The storytelling in the piece takes inspiration from modern TV Shows, where the narrative bounces between past and present, while the music, broadway style, is influenced by Houdini’s Hungarian origins. The show includes more than 20 Stage Illusions, some never presented before, as a new appearance of an elephant on stage and a brand new take on the classical Chinese Water Torture Cell."