Theater News

Harry Houdini Musical The Impossible Man Being Developed

Previews are planned for Detroit in 2021, with sights on Broadway and the West End.

Producer Karl Sydow (The Last Ship) and director Federico Bellone (Dirty Dancing) have announced the development of a new musical, The Impossible Man, based on the true story of illusionist and showman Harry Houdini.

Bringing together an international creative team, The Impossible Man will feature over 20 stage illusions and a score influenced by the Hungarian folk music of Houdini's birthplace.

Check out a teaser trailer below:

Following successful readings and recording sessions in London, the show will see workshops in 2020, with full-scale previews planned for Detroit (the location of Houdini's last stunt) in 2021 and sights on Broadway and the West End.

The show is described as follows: "Budapest-born Houdini moved to America as a child where, from a young age, he would marvel audiences; first as a trapeze artist before making a name for himself in the US and on European tours as an escapologist and stunt daredevil. The Impossible Man is set during the last show of the great magician's life in the autumn of 1926 and through a series of flashbacks, we experience his life, loves and rise to fame."