RETURNING: DEATH & HARRY HOUDINI at THE HOUSE THEATRE OF CHICAGO 5/12-7/24

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THE HOUSE THEATRE OF CHICAGO ANNOUNCES THE RETURN OF THE AWARD-WINNING, CROWD-AWING 

DEATH & HARRY HOUDINI, 

FILLED WITH “MAGIC OF THE VERY HIGHEST ORDER,” 

MAY 12 – JULY 24 

All images by Michael Brosilow

Pictured: Johnny Arena as The Ringmaster (center) with Ensemble (clockwise from top) Shawn Pfautsch, Marika Mashburn, Tommy Rapley, Trista Smith, Carolyn Defrin

“We give you magic! We give you mystery! We give you Death and Harry Houdini!” 

Here at ChiIL Mama, this is one of our top favorite shows of all time! DEATH & HARRY HOUDINI is oh SO highly recommended! Do book your tickets ASAP, as the run will undoubtedly sell out. 

BLAST FROM THE PAST: Several years back, before a revival of Death & Harry Houdini, we had the great pleasure of interviewing Dennis Watkins in his lovely home filled with show posters and retro magic tricks from his grandfather's stash. Check out our original video interview right here:

The production previously ran to great acclaim and sold out houses in Chicago and Miami from January through August 2012 and again in the summer of 2013, The House is thrilled to bring back this dynamic and magic-filled production. 

The House Theatre of Chicago Company Member and Professional Magician Dennis Watkins Reprises His Stunning Portrayal of the Late, Great Harry Houdini

“Magic of the very highest order!,” declared Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune.  

“Soar[ing] on Dennis Watkins’ brilliance as a genuine magician” and “ingeniously written and directed by Nathan Allen,” (Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun-Times), Death & Harry Houdini leads viewers through the events of history’s most famous magician’s life told with “high energy and lack of artifice in a loose, buzzy blend of traditional storytelling, music and spectacle,” (Kris Vire, Time Out Chicago). 

The House Theatre of Chicago is proud to announce the return of the first play to ever grace its stage, the magic-filled thrill show and crowd favorite Death & Harry Houdini, written and directed by The House Theatre of Chicago Artistic Director Nathan Allen and starring Company Member and professional magician Dennis Watkins as Harry Houdini. Filled with stunning magic, poignant dialogue and original music, Death & Harry Houdini presents the story of history’s most famous magician and his life-long war against Death. 

The production runs from May 12 – July 24 at the Chopin Theatre’s Upstairs Theater, 1543 W. Division St. Previews are Thursday, May 12 – Sunday, May 15 at 7:30 p.m. Regular performances are Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Additional performances on Wednesdays at 7:30pm in July. Preview tickets are $30 and regular run tickets range from $45 - 59. $15 same-day tickets for students and industry professionals are available for all dates, seats permitting. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit www.thehousetheatre.com or call 773.769.3832. 

“We’re the Houdini brothers. Forget about the others!”

Pictured: Dennis Watkins as Harry Houdini (left) and Shawn Pfautsch as Theo (Right) with Ensemble (LtoR, Top Row) Trista Smith, Carolyn Defrin, Tommy Rapley, (LtoR bottom row) Marika Mashburn and Abu Ansari. 

Beginning with the untimely passing of Harry’s father, the show travels through his first tent shows with his younger brother Theo, meeting his wife Bess and the beginning of his journey towards fame on the Vaudeville circuit. All the while, Harry feels Death close on his heels and he won’t rest until he’s conquered him once and for all. Harry will walk on broken glass, swallow razor blades and risk his life in the Water Torture Cell, but will he pull off an escape from Death? Marvel with fellow audience members as Houdini battles Death once more. 

Returning to the cast and joining Dennis Watkins as Harry Houdini are House Company Members Carolyn Defrin (Bess), Shawn Pfaustch (Theo), Tommy Rapley (Death), Marika Mashburn (Cecilia), and Johnny Arena (Ringmaster). Guest artists Rashad Hall and Julia Merchant join the ensemble.  

The Design Team includes House Company members: Nathan Allen (director/playwright), Collette Pollard (scenic designer), Lee Keenan (costume design), Ben Wilhelm (light designer), Kevin O’Donnell (sound designer/composer) and Brian DesGranges (stage management), with guest artist Harrison Adams (co-sound design). 

ABOUT NATHAN ALLEN, writer and director

Nathan Allen founded The House Theatre of Chicago with friends in the year 2001 and continues to lead the company as Artistic Director. Writing and directing credits include Death & Harry Houdini, The Sparrow, Rose and the Rime, and The Hammer Trinity (The Iron Stag King, The Crownless King, and The Excelsior King.) He also wrote and starred in The Valentine Trilogy (San Valentino and The Melancholy Kid, Curse of the Crying Heart, and Valentine Victorious) and directed The Magnificents by Dennis Watkins, with whom he created the weekly magic show, The Magic Parlour. Nathan's work has been seen on the stages of The House, The Steppenwolf Merle Reskin Garage Theatre, The Arsht Center of Miami, The Stoneham Theatre in Boston, Strawdog Theatre, The Neo-Futurarium, Collaboraction, and The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. Nathan has received acknowledgements from the Joseph Jefferson Awards, The Orgie Awards, and The American College Theatre Festival.  He has been named an Associate Artist at The Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami, and received the Emerging Leader Award from his alma mater, Southern Methodist University.

ABOUT DENNIS WATKINS, actor and magician

Dennis Watkins, a third-generation world-class magician, works as a corporate entertainer, mentalist, and event speaker, and is also a classically trained actor, playwright and director. A founding company member with The House Theater of Chicago, Watkins has played Harry Houdini in every production of Death & Harry Houdini, winning a Joseph Jefferson Award for Artistic Specialization in Magic Design for the 2012 production.  Dennis has worked as a writer, director and/or actor on over 20 productions with The House Theater of Chicago since 2001, including the long-running The Magic Parlour playing at the The Palmer House, a Hilton Hotel. He has also worked with Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Lookingglass Theatre Company, Writers Theatre, Next Theatre, Court Theatre, Vittum Theater, Roadworks Productions, Uma Productions, Live Bait Theatre and Strawdog Theatre Company, among others.

ABOUT THE HOUSE THEATRE OF CHICAGO
The House is Chicago's premier home for intimate, original works of epic story and stagecraft. Founded and led by Artistic Director Nathan Allen and driven by an interdisciplinary ensemble of Chicago’s next generation of great storytellers, The House aims to become a laboratory and platform for the evolution of the American theatre as an inclusive and popular artform.

The House was founded in 2001 by a group of friends to explore connections between Community and Storytelling through a unique theatrical experience. Since becoming eligible in 2004, The House has been nominated for 60 Joseph Jefferson Awards (21 wins), became the first recipient of Broadway in Chicago’s Emerging Theater Award in 2007, and was awarded a 2014 National Theatre Company Grant by the American Theatre Wing, founder of the Tony Awards. Now in its 14th year of original work, The House continues its mission to unite Chicago in the spirit of Community through amazing feats of Storytelling.

The Water Torture Cell -One of Houdini’s most famous escapes, performed with audience on all sides

Pictured: Dennis Watkins as Houdini 

ACT OUT OPENING: The Magnificents at The House Theatre #originalvideointerview

Dennis Watkins speaks with ChiIL Live Shows on his multigenerational, magical family history and the art of being Harry Houdini. We published this interview with Dennis Watkins, back during The House Theatre's latest remount of smash hit, Death and Harry Houdini. It was our great pleasure to be invited to Dennis' lovely northside home.  His passion for magic extends from the stage to his after hours, where he surrounds himself with vintage magic props that have been in the family, collector posters of renowned magicians, and even a Houdini coffee table volume.   Check out our mini photo tour of "the magician's lair" here. We got a rare peek into the home of magic man, Dennis Watkins, star of Death and Harry Houdini, The House Theatre's smash, sell out hit. His love of magic goes beyond his roles in Magic Parlour and Death and Harry Houdini. He's a 3rd generation magician whose home decor includes vintage tricks from his Grandfather's shop and sweet magic show posters, for his own endeavors and others. A big show banner from The House Theatre's first incarnation of Death and Harry Houdini 10 years ago, hangs just inside his front door. AN AMBITIOUS ALL-NEW PRODUCTION OF THE MAGNIFICENTS REUNITES TEAM FROM DEATH AND HARRY HOUDINI Dennis Watkins’ personal script is led anew by Artistic Director Nathan Allen

The House Theatre of Chicago creates the magical world of a by-gone era in The Magnificents. This vivid and deeply personal play by Company Member Dennis Watkins begins performances January 18, 2013 at The Chopin Theatre (1543 W. Division St). The Magnificents will run through March 10. ChiIL Mama/ChiIL Live Shows will be there for the press opening with the kids (9 & 11) this Sunday, and we'll have a full review up shortly thereafter.   We're all beyond excited and can NOT wait to see this show!

ABOUT THE PLAY First staged in 2007, The Magnificents is writer Dennis Watkins’ homage to his grandfather, Ed Watkins, the iconic and pioneering American illusionist who trained Dennis at a young age in the arts of prestidigitation and showmanship. The House and playwright Dennis Watkins revisit this deeply personal script with renewed vision and expanded skill including aerial circus arts and the poignant, magic-based storytelling witnessed in Death and Harry Houdini. Artistic Director Nathan Allen now steps fully into the 2013 development of the play as its Director. Company Member Tommy Rapley revisits his role as the Boy, performing astounding magical feats all designed by Watkins. In addition to writing and designing magic, Watkins (last seen as Harry Houdini) will star in the play. An extraordinary family, The Magnificents, delights in bringing magical entertainment to the crowds. But time has taken its toll on the family as our aging magician quietly accepts a wayward young boy as his protégé, imparting far more than the tricks up his sleeve. This touching story of what we must pass on before we can let go is told with spectacular classic magic, including Robert Houdin's legendary Blooming Orange Tree illusion. This is a delicate feast for the heart and senses. ABOUT THE ARTISTS THE MAGNIFICENTS is written by Dennis Watkins who also designs magic for the production. Watkins received a Joseph Jefferson Award earlier this year for his Magic Design of Death and Harry Houdini. The new production is directed by Nathan Allen and features original music by Kevin O’Donnell. Dennis Watkins will star in the role of the Old Man, and Company Member Tommy Rapley (also well known at The House for his extensive work as a director and choreographer) will revisit his role as the Boy, learning and performing extraordinary magic throughout the story. Company Member Michael E. Smith also returns to the cast in the role of Chase, the family’s clown. Guests artists include Lucy Carapetyan (Rose and the Rime, Lofty Deeds) in the role of Honeydew who will be flying through the Chopin on aerial silks, Jeff Trainor (company member with Barrel of Monkeys) appears as the strong man Harley, and Tien Doman (company member with The Hypocrites) rounds out the cast as Rosie, wife to the Old Man and mother-figure to the traveling troupe. Company Member Lee Keenan brings us all inside the creaking and crumbling tent with an intimate scenic and lighting design. With seating on two sides, audiences are in full view of the illusions and one another. Costume Designer Melissa Torchia (The Iron Stag King: Part One) crafts a darkly playful world where the on-stage and off-stage lives of The Magnificents’ troupe is blurred. Video Designer Jack Mayer’s (HBO’s Single Long) creations reveal the secret past of the traveling show and invite the audience even closer to many magic tricks. Company Member and Composer Kevin O’Donnell fills the space with a haunting score. Join The House for an extraordinarily magical production, The Magnificents.

Story and Magic by Dennis Watkins Directed by Nathan Allen January 18 – March 10, 2013 PREVIEWS: January 18 – 26, 2013 at 7:30pm REGULAR RUN: January 31 – March 10, 2013 SHOWTIMES: Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 7:30pm ADDITIONAL SHOWS: 2/16, 2/23, 3/2, 3/3, 3/9, 3/10 all at 3:00pm LOCATION: The Chopin Theatre Upstairs Theatre (1543 W. Division St., Chicago, IL) TICKETS: All tickets are $25 at www.thehousetheatre.com or by phone at 773.769.3832, $10 Student and Industry rush tickets available at all performances. Tickets are now on sale. ARTISTS Featuring: Company Members Dennis Watkins, Tommy Rapley, and Michael E. Smith with guest artists Lucy Carapetyan, Tien Doman, and Jeff Trainor. Production Team: Lee Keenan (Scenic and Lighting), Melissa Torchia (Costumes), Kevin O’Donnell (Composer), Jack Mayer (Video), Nathan Allen (Director) and Amanda Frechette (Stage Management).

ABOUT THE HOUSE THEATRE OF CHICAGO The House is Chicago's premier home for original works of physical and spectacle storytelling. Founded and led by Artistic Director Nathan Allen and driven by an interdisciplinary ensemble of Chicago’s next generation of great storytellers, The House aims to become a laboratory and platform for the evolution of the American theatre as an inclusive and popular artform.

The House was founded in 2001 by a group of friends to explore connections between Community and Storytelling through a unique theatrical experience. In 2002 The House was hailed by the Chicago press as “The Next Big Thing.” In early 2007, following dozens of world premiere productions, and national attention from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, Variety, and American Theatre Magazine, The House achieved even greater success with “The Sparrow,” which Chicago Tribune theater critic Chris Jones called, “Among the very best original theater pieces I’ve ever seen.”

Since becoming eligible in 2004, The House has been nominated for 56 Joseph Jefferson Awards (19 wins) and became the first recipient of Broadway in Chicago’s Emerging Theater Award in 2007. Now entering its 11th year of original work, The House continues its mission to unite Chicago in the spirit of Community through amazing feats of Storytelling.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT www.THEHOUSETHEATRE.com