The Girl Who Handcuffed Houdini

See it if You enjoy immersive theater, Prohibition-era stories, magic.

Don't see it if You don't like immersive theater and have no interest in Prohibition, speakeasies, or magic. Also if you dislike nudity.

Also I'm baffled by the negative reviews. I reviewed both Speakeasy Dollhouse: The Bloody Beginning and the Illuminati Ball, both Cynthia Von Buhler productions. Of the three, this is the most tightly scripted and plot-driven of the three.

The addition of "handlers"--people who move you from scene to scene--greatly enhances flow and clarity.

Pearls Daily is outstanding as Minky Woodcock, a strong, funny, sexy, and zany private detective. As with other Von Buhler productions, you are assigned to a character. Houdini, deftly played by Vincent Cinque (Pig King in Illuminati Ball) looks quite like Houdini and his charisma nicely complements Daily's screwball comedic presence.
Smaller players new to Von Buhler's team enhance the overall effect. The seance, and storyline about Minky's nemesis (a Canadian "spiritualist") is less compelling than the rest of the show.
But this play, based on Von Buhler's graphic novel, is clever, entertaining, and well-executed.... Read more Read less

See it if You like immersive experiences. Different segments are of different quality. Fun overall story.

Don't see it if Not the tightest direction/choreography of the different scenes.

Also It was cute but needed to be tighter. Saw in early previews.
Reading the comic book really helps comprehension.... Read more Read less

See it if You enjoy immersive/interactive theater. Good concept and there are some fun parts like the seance scene.

Don't see it if The execution was not always the best. Uneven performances and some scenes were not as interesting as others.

Also The venue was not the best. The best scenes took place in the non traditional and more intimate settings, such as the rooms above the theater.... Read more Read less

See it if You enjoy "immersive" theatre, although this wasn't super immersive. You have an interest in Houdini and the drama surrounding his death.

Don't see it if You want to know what is happening all the time.

Also You're assigned a character to follow and often don't see other characters, so certain group scenes are confusing. There's too many people in tight spaces and it's easy to lose your chaperone.... Read more Read less

See it if A great concept but a flawed execution of an immersive show (and I LOVE immersive). Odd group movement and choppy story cause a miss.

Don't see it if You don’t like to walk around a building to see a show. You don’t like interacting with cast members. Or are uncomfortable with nudity.