Today I begin an exploration into the rich history of Magic Theaters. They begin in the 1800s and continue to modern times. In fact, this is especially significant considering how many venues are opening or are open today. Once again, the magic theater concept is hot, maybe more so than ever before.
But to begin we must go back to Paris France and the theatre at the Palais Royale, the theatre of Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin. This is where he presented his show Sorieee Fantastique! This was an evening of magic, filled with everything from sleight of hand demonstrations, incredible automatons, stage illusions, even one of the earliest versions of mind reading.
The theatre itself was located at No164 Galerie Valois at the Palais Royale. The location was reconfigured to be a theater including a proscenium. The venue sat around 200 people. To attend a performance the ticket prices were expensive, this likely added to the exclusivity of the program and to the fact that this was a tiny venue compared to other live performance venues, Opera Houses, Amphitheaters and the like.
By his own account, the opening performance was a disaster. Nerves got the best of Robert-Houdin. But in no time, the show is going well and he was a Parisian sensation.
The stage setting made it appear like a drawing room of the time. It was decorated in the Louis XV style with walls painted white with gold trim. Chandeliers hung down from the ceiling as well as other candelabras positioned about the stage to provide light and mood to the setting.
Robert Houdin in the past has been called The Father of Modern Magic. Modern for the 19th Century for sure. He took magic from the streets and put it into a more formal setting a theater. Also in his case, he built his own venue which allowed him to do things that he might not always been able to do as a traveling performer.
Of course, one of his most famous effects was the Fantastic Blooming Orange Tree. This has been depicted in videos and in movies and recreated by a number of magicians over the years. It was a mechanical tree which was full of green leaves. Then tiny flowers would appear, then these gave way to tiny oranges which grew into larger oranges, some of which were removed and tossed to members of the audience. The the finale, two butterflies were seen to rise from the leaves of the bushes and in between them was a previously borrowed handkerchief.
The Ethereal Suspension was one of the first stage illusions. This was the precursor to the Broom Suspension. What is often forgotten about this illusion was the bonus balancing effect built into the props. In presentation, there is a bench, and on the bench is mounted a cane. Then his son stands next to the cane with his arm touching the tip of the cane. Then he is lifted and remains suspended in the air when Robert-Houdin lets go. THEN, he removes one set of legs from the bench and despite what looks like an impossible situation, the boy remains perfectly suspended along with the benches. The phenomenon was attributed to the effects of ether, at least that was the presentational slant it was given.
His son played another important part of the show. They presented the Second Sight Routine together. This was an early version of mind reading.
But those are only three of many many wonderful effects presented. Probably my favorite, is the The Crystal Cashbox, also known as the Crystal Casket. This wonderful mystery started with borrowing 8 coins and placing them inside a crystal vase. In the distance was another crystal vase. The coins would travel from one vase to the other, one by one audibly. Then all the coins were gathered together. A small glass/crystal cashbox was suspended by two ribbons and pushed so it swung back and forth. Upon Robert-Houdin's command, the coins vanished and reappeared audibly and visibly inside the cashbox!
Another favorite from his show would be The Artist's Portfolio. Im not sure why I am so enamored with this, but I am. It involves a large folded artists portfolio. It is displayed and then placed on to stands so it stays upright and open. Robert-Houdin reaches inside and produces a Large Quantity of items all far too big to fit inside there, like pots and pans full of food, a birds cage, ladies fancy hats and more. Then when the audience was sure that he had produced all that could be done, he opted it one more time and produced his niece, a living human being! It reads so incredibly. I really would like to see it performed. There is a video of it being done, but I think it's possibly more an artists recreation of what it might look like.
One thing I have noticed is that it doesn't appear that Robert-Houdin brought any spectators up on the stage to help him. He did interact with the audience, but never on the stage. The theatre ran from 1845-1852. I seven year run. Then it moved to another location. Robert Houdin performed the opening performance was done by Robert-Houdin, then it was handed off to another performer, Hamilton, who had purchased the theatre.
The second location at No 8 Boulevard de italiens, remained there until 1924 when the building was eventually torn down. But there was a period when it was leased by George Mellies, the magician and later pioneer movie maker who invented many of the early movie special effects. He transformed the theatre into a movie studio and used camera tricks to accomplish his special tricks that he once did on the stage. For a time, the Robert Houdin with Mellies flourished in Paris. When movies caught his interest, all magic ceased and the theater was repurposed.
