Seven of the world’s greatest magicians are spending the holiday season on Broadway

It’s safe to say that Broadway isn’t what it used to be. Truly original musicals are harder to come by since the advent of the jukebox formula. Revivals of time-tested classics have virtually replaced daring new plays. No, the Broadway of yesteryear is nothing like the Broadway of today. Which is why The Illusionists — Witness the Impossible, now at the Marquis Theatre for a holiday season run, is so fascinating. The Illusionists, you see, is a throwback to the bygone days of vaudeville, the dominant form of theatrical entertainment at the turn of the last century. Instead of jugglers, tap dancers, singers, and ventriloquists, here we have seven of the contemporary era’s best, well, illusionists. When they say these guys are the best in their very specific fields, they truly are, combining an extraordinary amount of showmanship with actual expertise to create thoroughly enjoyable results. Take Andrew Basso, an Italian-born escapologist. Basso risks his life nightly to perform the Houdini-created Water Torture Cell. He is handcuffed and manacled, placed inside what’s essentially a padlocked fish tank, and must unlock himself and escape while holding his breath. Of course, despite the ominous music (performed live on stage by a band called Z), Basso performs the trick with the greatest of ease. It’s a scary-intense thing to watch, especially for the claustrophobics among us. The sweat drips down our backs, though he emerges without a single bead of perspiration anywhere on his body.