For years, Chung Ling Soo couldn’t speak English. Then somebody shot him. Behind the robes, make-up and carefully constructed identity was William Robinson from New York, a magician who turned himself into perhaps his greatest illusion. But in 1918, at the Wood Green Empire, one tiny mechanical failure made something on his stage horribly real.
Tag: Theatre History
The Great Lafayette – The Magician Who Died Twice
In 1911, the Great Lafayette died in a catastrophic fire at Edinburgh’s Empire Palace Theatre. His body was recovered, identified and cremated. There was just one problem: three days later, they found Lafayette again. The extraordinary true story of a master illusionist, a mistaken corpse, a beloved dog named Beauty and one final macabre disappearing act.
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The Golden Age of Magic – When Conjurors Became Superstars
In the late nineteenth century, London’s Golden Age of Magic emerged, transforming magicians into celebrated entertainers. Figures like Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin and John Nevil Maskelyne utilized technology and theatrical techniques to captivate audiences. The rise of Spiritualism also inspired magicians, fostering a collision between entertainment and belief. Magic became a respected art form, paving the way for its future.
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The Night London Rioted Over a Man in a Bottle
In January 1749, Londoners packed the Haymarket to witness an apparently impossible feat: a man climbing into an ordinary wine bottle. The performer never appeared. The audience did, however – and when they realised the trick had already been played on them, things got spectacularly out of hand.
