The Illusionists (Chicago)

We loved it. We took our daughter for her birthday. She was amazed. We all laughed thru the entire performance. The adult jokes were just far enough over the kids' head to where I wasn't even the slightest bit uncomfortable. No "omg, cover your ears" moments☺ My only complaint is the card tricks. I loathe card tricks, but everyone else seemed to enjoy them and our daughter was completely baffled.

I really enjoyed the show. It was extremely entertaining and they had awesome music and graphics to boot. Great audience participation! All around fun show.

I enjoyed the show. I went with my niece to celebrate my birthday. It was a good variety of different types of magical acts and illusions. I thought the flamboyant host/magician was awesome!! He added a lot of flavor to the show. He was very funny and friendly...socializing with the audience during intermission. Overall, I had a great time!

This is a show made up of a bunch of acts - do not think you are going to a play! Our kids (11&14) LOVED it! It is all about magic and illusion - gives them a sense of wonder. VERY FUN - a bit expensive...but fun!

Good entertainment, but there was a lot of talking and not as much magic as we would have liked. Having many illusionists, each with his own specialty, makes for a varied show, and we enjoyed it. One routine, "Russian Roulette", went on forever, had no real magic (it was a version of the shell game), and should be dropped altogether. On the other hand, the sleight-of-hand demonstration by Yu Ho-Jin was the best we've ever seen.

Let's face... Magic shows can sometimes take themselves a little bit too seriously. That's why I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of humor in the Illusionists. Don't get me wrong there were some serious magic parts of the show, which were great. What made the show truly great was the depth. Each performer offered something different. While I'm sure each could do a full 2-hour show, the fact that you got to see so much variety made the show so entertaining. Dan Sperry was as dark as you can get, while Jeff Hobson was a light as you can get. Great range in the show.

Starting with the venue seating map--I would have had much better seats if I selected the balcony and paid much less for them. I ended up in the second to last row on the main floor and did not have a good view. The show itself was lagging. The illusionist's involved the audience which was good but the individual illusionists did way more 'talking' than amazing us. A couple of the illusionist were more concerned with innuendo and flamboyant behavior than 'family entertainment'. If I hadn't paid so much for our seats, we would have walked out. It's a shame that the hype was no where near the actual show. We were very disappointed with the content.

Very enjoyable evening. The show was the perfect length.

The show was aweosome and I couldn't stop laughing! If you love magic shows this is one to go see! Great to do when looking for something different to do in Chicago!

We loved "The Illusionists"!! A great variety of acts/skills to entertain us. Would recommend them to everyone.

I was entertained from the first moments until the very end. They displayed super showmanship, humor and true talent of their craft. We were in the 2nd row of the balcony, which combined with the large video screen, were excellent seats.

Cheesy Las Vegas style show with underwhelming "illusions" -- glitzy updates of stock-in-trade tricks (sawing a person in half, underwater lock-picking escape, etc.)

The magic was great, the comedy was even better! This was a very entertaining show. A must see for all ages.

IT WAS A GREAT SHOW FOR ADULTS AND CHILDREN..LOTS OF MIND BOGGLING THINGS GOING ON! THEY ALSO GET THE AUDIENCE INVOLVED!

Great show. Went with daughter and mother on a girl's trip we all enjoyed the show

The show did not live up to what we expected based on the TV advertising.

I try to see as many magic shows as I can and this show was one of the very best that I have ever seen. All of the acts were excellent. There was a good variety were they all had their own special type of magic, from comedy to very mystifying magic,all of it entertaining. Some magicians did 2 different acts. Jeff Hobson stood out to me,his magic was strong and his comedy was like a comedy club comic. A big over head video screen also enhanced the show

A well done show. They are all masters of their craft. A few of the jokes aren't appropriate for very small children but they will love the magic.

terrific show, kept you entertained from start to finish, lots of audience interaction, overall a fun, fun show

magic was wonderful. staging was great. musuc TOOOOOOOO loud and too much for the size of the acts.

This was not at all what I had expected. Geared much more towards children. Wouldn't recommend for adults.

This had to be one of the best Magic shows I have ever seen. I'm on the brink of believing it's real.

Absolutely loved it. There were many mind-boggling illusions performed, and "The Trickster" made me laugh out loud with his hilarious bits. There was lots of audience participation, especially from the orchestra right section -- so sit there if you want a chance to get involved in the fun.

I normally don't write reviews, but this is a great show for adults or children. Very entertaining!!! The illusions were top notch, as if they came straight from a Las Vegas big budget show and it will leave you scratching your head on how they pulled them off. Jeff Hobson aka "The Trickster" was my favorite, he demonstrated true showmanship from a bygone era. He was hilarious and you can tell that he truly enjoys his craft and loves to entertain the audience. The show had great special effects and there is is even a Houdini replicated escape! I highly, highly recommend this show!!!

Definitely worth the cost of the ticket !!!! Never saw some of these illusions previously.

Magician Dan Sperry ruined this event. He does a "Goth" magic act that seems to be about threatening to harm animals and drinking baby's urine. It's disgusting. Except for him, the show would have been very good.

Overall the show was enjoyable, however, there were several aspects that fell flat. The sound was absolutely terrible. At points, certain performers were impossible to understand (fast talking anti-conjuror, in particular). A couple tricks were downright bad (russian roulette, for example). The audience participation seemed very staged, and there's a lot of it. Too much for a "broadway" show. For me the best performance was the comedic magician.

It was fun to see magic on stage again! It's been too long! This show brings a cast of several magicians together, each with their own "speciality" in the world of magic. The magician that stood out was Ju Ho-Chin. His card manipulation is something NOT to be missed. It is beautiful and perplexing. The other magicians are great, too! Jeff Hobson acts throughout most of the show as the MC. He is great in pulling the crowd in with his humor, and fun magic! Dan Sperry is a lot of fun, especially when he opens the 2nd act. He gets it as he looks at the crowd and applauds back at us and says, "yeeeeaaaah! Magic show!" and then launches into a trick that involves an audience member who may, or may not, end up with glass in his/her hand. (also....don't miss his "short" movie during the intermission!) Lots and lots of fun! Family friendly although the "little ones" might be overwhelmed or slightly scared by the loud music, flashes, and lights!

Awesome show! Never a dull moment. Great fun with our adult children.

Excellent show! The show was very fast pace and the illusionists all really had unique talents that were quite thrilling to watch. The use of audience in the acts added a very nice touch and made the magic all that more fun to figure out "how did they do it?"

This was the best show ever. This show was worth every dollar. Me and my son was really amazed. Planning on attending the event every year.

We attended opening night at Chicago's Cadillac Palace Theater (my husband, 8-year-old son, & I). We were familiar with a couple of the magicians in the troupe, but others were new to us. We expected a Vegas-style magic show, but were blown away by the performances we saw. Each magician has a distinctly different personality and performance style, and the flow from one to the next was seamless. By interchanging the various styles, there was never a point where the audience got "bored" by having the same personality for two hours. Each of the magicians recruited at least one audience member for each trick, so the show truly was interactive. At intermission, the audience was given a choice of exiting to the lobby for refreshments or staying in their seats. Those who remained in their seats were treated to a video performance by one of the magicians. Each trick performed was strong and well-executed. There were a couple of tricks performed that we had seen other magicians do previously, or we knew the "secret" to the trick, but that in no way diminished the entertainment value of the performances we saw. I would HIGHLY recommend going to see this show, whether it be in Chicago or in one of the other upcoming cities. DEFINITELY a great time for audience members of all ages.

I took my son who loves magic. I wish I had known about this show sooner and been able to get better seats, but even so the show was fun. I'm thankful they had large screens displaying the show so all could see. Loved the variety of the different performers.

The Illusionists was simply an amazing show that was great for our family. We were on the edge of our seats for each act. It was entertaining all the way to the end.

Colin Cloud (The Deductionist) was the most amazing of the group. His time on stage left us scratching our heads; how did he do that? Jeff Hobson (The Trickster) was actually the Emcee. He also performed a few tricks and has a wit about him that kept the audience entertained and the show moving along. Andrew Basso simply can hold his breath for a long, long time. Immersed in a tank of water, there was no doubt that he would get out before he could no longer hold his breath. Kevin James (The Inventor) blew the audience away when he sawed a man in half with a chainsaw. Once you've seen it though, it becomes sort of Vaudvillian. An Ha Lim (The Manipulator) does card tricks. His first is simply thousands of cards, appearing from nowhere and dropping to the floor. His second leaves you wondering how what you just saw can happen. The guy with the crossbow and a sound-triggered ear-piece and laser sight makes it look more dangerous than it really is. All in all, a very entertaining afternoon.

The show ended up being a lot more funny than what I was expecting. I thought that it was going to be mostly tricks and so forth but there was a very good balance between wonder, laughter, and amusement. I would definitely recommend for someone to go see this, it was very well thought out.

My husband and I took our grandsons and we were all pretty disappointed in the show. Most of it was very lame. We have seen better acts on America's Got talent. My grandsons are 16, 15, and 14 and it was even too juvenile for them. Can't believe this was on Broadway.

"The Trickster", with his fast-paced humor and quick delivery was amusing. "The Deductionist" was entertaining, as his delivery kept the audience wondering how he was coming up with random information. However, the rest of the show was a poor representation of illusions that have been seen time and again. The set-up for an illusion either makes, or breaks, an illusion. The lack of any kind of proper set-up and showmanship made the illusions cheap awkward attempts to "trick" the audience into thinking that something "magical" happened. It didn't. The reaction of audience members around me were awkward moments of, "Should we clap now?" I've seen these "illusions" done live by Penn and Teller, David Copperfield, and Criss Angel. I suggest that these "Illlusionists" do the same so that they see the proper way of performing, I repeat, PERFORMING, illusions that awe audiences, even though they have seen them many times before.

One of the best shows we have seen!! The MC was great, super entertaining, funny and a really good magician. The show always kept us on our toes asnd intrigued. Changing it up from the daredevil to the mindreader to mind blowing close up magic and more, I highly rexumrbd it got kids and adults...a true family show where everyone will leave wanting more.

The host was hilarious! Truly amazed at all the talent!

Skill level and routines no where near Broadway quality of they mean the Broadway in NYC. Angry that I wasted that time. I'll do much more research in the future. I've seen much better at community venues.

This show was an awesome show. It was an all ages show and entertaining. My kids ages 10 and 7 were amazed. Highly recommend it.

I had a lot of second thought while planning and attending this event. I thought, How good can they be? Is it worth the cost? If I sit in front, is that too close? Well, all my fears about spending too much or sitting too close were washed away. This show was absolutely INCREDIBLE. All acts were entertaining, some a little scary, but all terrific. I loved the mind reader, and escape artist, but all were really great acts. I guy actually got cut in half with a chain saw. and get pup back together.

This was the first magic show that I attended live. I have been a lover of magic for years but never had the opportunity to see it live. It was a great first show. Funny, entertaining and just the right amount of time. The host was WONDERFUL and all the acts were great. It's a must see and worth the money. The only reason I didn't give a five stars is because I could have gotten my tickets cheaper had I know there isn't really any limited view...all good seats.

Great show. A lot of the acts are ok and entertaining enough but "The Trickster" is the host and all of his performances are extremely good. I would have paid to just see him.

not so good............ only had 6 performers, commercials and program said 7.

Go see this you won't regret it. Bery entertaining.

I expected more and better illusions. This seemed like an act I would see on a cruise ship.

The show was excellent. The whole family loved it. It was very original and funny. The performers were spot on. We highly recommend this show.

Great show. Went with ladies to celebrate a 40th birthday and had a blast!

Such a great show! Entertaining from start to finish!

The Illusionists Show was totally amazing, however, I was a little "ticked off" when one of the illusionists did not perform, nor was there anything said about the reason why. Normally Broadway shows will have an announcement made prior to the show that someone is being played by someone else, there is a small slip of paper in the program they hand out, or there is a sign on an easel upon entry. Non of this was done, and the Illusionist that wasn't there was one of the ones I was totally psyched up to see!!

It was entertaining but I thought some parts were boring and slow not broadway material

Worth every penny you basically get a comedy show and an awesome magic show in one, had me laughing and in awe the whole time, highly recommend checking it out!

Conjurer was a no show and that was very disappointing especially no said anything and just let the crowd figure it out. They should have explained and offer something for the lack of one of the magicians. Good fun, pricey based on what you got.

The trickster is hilariously funny! He is worth the ticket all by himself. The deductionist is also amazing. Great for kids.

Entertaining and highly professional show great for an all-family audience. Humor mixed in with very professional, classy magic feats. Overhead screen made it easy to see the details from any seat in the house.

I felt we overpaid for what we experienced. I was entertained to the point that I would have expected at a family theme park or cruse ship, but not to the level of a good magician. Some of the magic was literally birthday party tricks and the pushing of the magic kits for sale in the lobby was over the top. I can't say I'd recommend this show.

Loved all the individual gentlemen performing.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Everyone was wonderful, especially the Trickster, but where was Dan Sperry, the Anti-Conjurer! He was the bizarre magician I'd come to see and he was not there. This was very disappointing, but I was not disappointed in the performances of the other illusionists.

Amazing show with some of the most prossional magicians in the world.

All the magic tricks were standard nothing over the top.

Great show. VERY entertaining Would love to see again-highly recommend

This show was entertaining from the start to the finish. The MC, nicknamed the trickster, was very funny. The magic and Daredevil type stunts had us on the edge of our seats. I would recommend this show to anyone from the ages of 5 to 95 years old.

Show was great. 7 different magicians. Got to see a little bit of everything. Would have liked to see a bit more from the escapist and daredevil acts. Korean card guy is amazing, seen youtube videos many times of this but never gets old.

the illusionists were top rate. Great audience interactivity with fabulous illusions. Great time and great seats. sit as close as you can for the best experience!! would definetly see it again! purchase the suite package!

The event was engaging, funny, and included a variety of illusions and magic. A fun night out.

The title of this review says it all; I thought this was a captivating and very enjoyable show. The performers were all amazingly talented illusionists and gave fantastic displays of their skills. If you are even a little interested in magic, see this show.

I loved the show! It was a lot of fun. The trickster was my all time favorite, he definitely kept the crowd involved the entire show. Would definitely recommend to a friend.

This show is worth every penny. Jeff Hobson will have you rolling from laughter most of the time. All the acts are phenomenal. There is never a dull moment in this show.

Yes, we got the cheaper tickets but you should still feel like you're present at the show. Sitting on the balcony you felt ignored and extremely distant from what was going on. Some magic parts were impressive while others were just wasting time and not very exciting. First time I've even went to a show were I didn't feel like I got my money worth.

The entire show was amazing. Each performer captured our attention in a different way. I highly recommend seeing this show!

Excellent performances, especially Colin Cloud, the host, the crossbow performance, pretty much everything.

This show was sent to me through email as something I may like so I took a chance for my teenage son's birthday. Anything was better than another Chicago sport's team loss. The show was funny, engaging, and well, magical. The "down" side was the magicians have been on t.v. before so I've seen some of the acts but that was not a deal breaker. Fun for the whole family although a little adult humor made it PG but not too bad.

Great show very entertaining. Would recommend the show for all ages.

We were in Chicago for a few days and took decided to take in a show! The illusionist was the choice of the pick to entertain us and it did!!

My friends and I had a great time at this modern day magical show. This is a must see. Folks in the Chicagoland, book your tickets now while they are here in town this week! FANTASTIC, MAGICAL, MESMERIZING!!!!

fantastic show with inexplicable tricks. magicians were also funny and very entertaining! great audience interaction. suitable for most ages. the emcee (the trickster, jeff hobson) was a standout performer, very quick-witted, funny, engaging. another highlight was the deductionist (colin cloud) - completely mind-boggling!!

A lot of fun and amazement. Well worth the ticket price.

Does EVERYTHING that is presented as entertainment have to be sexual anymore,? I was disappointed that the humor had to reply on sexual innuendo for laughs instead of creativity. There were a lot of children and students in the audience who are getting a constant diet of sexual exposure from everywhere in our culture and then we wonder as a society where so many problems - that stem from our preocupation with sex and addictions - have come from. I loved the 'magic' but was disappointed that once again, entertainment took the easy way to humor, ultimately at our own expense.

Half the acts were wonderful and fun like the Korean who won the magicians contest. One was disgusting and took too much time-the guy from Minnesota in the Skeleton suit, just awful. The rest were hokey and quite dull and uninteresting or very very average (the Houdini wannabe for example). The emcee was ok but made it like vaudeville not a magic show. A very forgettable evening. And disappointing.

This had to be the best show I have ever been too! That includes even David Copperfield. These guys are for people like me who are bored by plays, opera's, etc. People who are looking for something that lets you know that your heart is still beating! Finally, something for us, that need to be kept on the edge of their seat and love it! I have told everyone that would listen to me, about how fantastic this show was. I believe . . . they were all jealous. I could just tell by the look on their face's. A few asked when they would be back in town. Can't wait for the next adventure with this guys!

The show was spectacular and hilarious! There was great interactivity with the audience ptovifing multiple opportunities for audience members to come on stage, even children. Most of the magic tricks are impossible to determine how they are done.

I had seen all the real amazing stuff online already, but they were still pretty amazing

The show was filled with fluff with only a few decent acts. Not worth seeing, especially for the price.

Everything was Perfect. The Entertainers were top notch!!! We were stunned by all the tricks and Laughed at all the jokes it was a great memorable night!

One of the best shows I have ever had the pleasure of watching. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the show and wished it was much longer than 2 hours. I was mesmerized and awe-inspired and I would watch this show again in a heartbeat.

Took my teenage grandsons, they loved it, thought the cast was great and funny. They were unsure of going but afterwards thanked me.

The first half of the illusionist was average and deserved a rating of 3 stars. The second half was out of this world (tricks, audience involvement and humor) and rated 5 stars. Combined its a good show. I don't want to list any spoilers but I took my family ages 5/8/11 and 4 adults - and we all enjoyed the show. Plenty for kids & adults. Glad the they saved the best half for last.

Even though parts were somewhat "cheesy" and a tad slow after intermission it was well worth the time away on a weekend to see this show. "The Trickster" was hilarious and the remainder of the cast were amazing!

This was seriously the best show ever! The Illusionists were funny, talented, and all around inviting. The seats we got were comfortable and we were still able to see everything because they have a nice big screen to give you close up action. It was so much fun, and I would even go see it again!

We took our two sons, 9 and 13 to the show. All four of us had a great time. It's worth it to sit in on the floor as there is a lot of audience participation that comes from the floor section. Most of the acts are broadcast on a large LED screen so all seats have a good view of the performance. All of the performers are truly gifted. Because there are seven of them, there is a nice variety of illusions performed.

I thought the show was very entertaining. It's good for all ages despite there was a little language. I did purchase seats in row B, very close. Great viewing as expected but I had a problem with the sound. When you are that close you get two audio sources, the front of house/PA and the stage monitors. What happens is they are delivered about half second off of one another. It made it VERY difficult to hear the dialogue throughout the entire show. That was a serious problem and I had no recourse but to not hear much of the dialogue.

Great Performance. Worth every penny!!!! It was great how they choose people from the audience to participate in the show. The tricks and illusions were top notch and the live band was great too.

These performers are true "magicians". With close up cameras on them at all times it was still impossible to figure out how they were able to fool us, but we loved being fooled.

We took our 13 and 15 year old. They could not stop thanking us. Audience interaction was very fun.

Most magic show start out amazing and becomes extraordinary. This one does the opposite.

Took our three grandchildren ranging in age from 8 to 15 and they had many fun laughs, even though some of the adult humor was over their head/s. They were paraphrasing some of the lines and recalling some of acts today, some three+ days after their experience at the production. Thanks for the memories!

The Houdini act was amazing and audience ineraction was the best

No way worth the price , not enough illusions, so much wasted filler . 20minutes for one unsuccessful bag trick . What a joke of a show not a magic show.