Long before pop culture’s current fascination with magic and illusion, there was one Canadian magician who set the standard for decades. Ted Outerbridge has charmed audiences with his illusions and tricks since 1982 and his current Magical Odyssey Tour will transform audiences back to the Golden Age of magic from the years 1880 to 1930.
He brings that tour to the 519 when he visits the Chrysler Theatre in Windsor on Saturday, October 20.
The Magical Odyssey Tour features a stunning routine he calls The Incredible Shrinking Woman, where he’ll shrink his long-time wife and partner Marion to about a foot in size.
“We’ve always been intrigued by Alice in Wonderland and The Shrinking Potion in the book,” Ted explains in an interview with 519 Magazine. “We’ve discovered that if you read the book really closely and if you read between the lines, you can crack the code for the Shrinking Potion. We’ve done that and Marion is going to shrink during this show. She will become the Incredible Shrinking Woman and shrink down to about 12 inches tall and then she’ll get restored to her regular height again. If all goes well, if we mix the potion properly, it’s going to be quite the experience.”
Along with the shrinking act, Ted will explore many of the popular illusions of the era, including magic routines mastered by legends like Howard Thurston and Harry Kellar. He’s planning on sawing some Marion’s body parts off while audience members hold them and he’s added a reworked version of the dancing handkerchief that involves it dancing around in the audience.
His fascination with magic began at the age of seven when a man pulled a trick on him.
“I was eating spaghetti at the age of seven,” he remembers. “A man walked up to me and pulled an egg out of my ear and I was totally blown away. I thought it would be fine if I could make other people experience that wonder that I had experienced. So, I went to the school library and I started learning tricks. By the age of 12 I was actually a birthday party magician in my neighborhood. My friends who had paper routes became jealous of me. I could earn the same money they were making all week in a 30-minute show. When that happened, I knew I hit the big time.”
When Ted and Marion visit Windsor they’ll be performing a very interactive show where members of the audience will be able to check out the props and become part of the show itself. He visits the Chrysler Theatre in Windsor on Saturday, October 20. Tickets start at $20 at chryslertheatre.com.
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