Broadway-Bound HOUDINI: A MAGICAL MUSICAL Will Embark on U.S. Tour in 2028; Watch the Trailer

A new Broadway-bound musical about Harry Houdini will launch in 2028. HOUDINI: A Magical Musical will launch a U.S. tour following international engagements.  From the creative team behind the latest reimagined international production of Phantom, which opened starring Ramin Karimloo, the Broadway-bound musical will embark on tour prior to a limited Broadway engagement. The announcement coincides with the 100th anniversary of Houdini’s death on Halloween, October 31, 1926.

Watch the trailer for the musical above!

HOUDINI: A Magical Musical just won the award for Best New Musical at the PTMs, the Spanish equivalent of the American Tony Awards, following its open-ended run in Madrid, Spain.

Houdini promised his wife before his death 100 years ago that he would return if he could. Now the greatest magician in the world will return from the afterlife in this new musical, written and directed by Federico Bellone (Dirty Dancing in London’s West End), that combines his true story, with more than 20 spectacular illusions, including never-before-seen creations such as the new appearance of an elephant and a new interpretation of the legendary Chinese Water Torture Cell. 

The international sensation about the most famous illusionist and showman of all time follows the great magician’s last show in Detroit, with a thrilling story that bounces between the events on the stage, the backstage that night and specific flashbacks of his past. Casting and tour dates to be announced at a later date. Bond Theatrical is the theatrical touring agency.

HOUDINI: A Magical Musical features original music by Giovanni Lori (Excalibur, Three Steps Over Heaven), influenced by the magician’s Hungarian origins, along with magic and illusions created by Paolo Carta (Mary Poppins, Ghost, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory in Europe) and choreography by Gillian Bruce (latest Phantom).

“We would be thrilled to have the tour begin in Detroit, where Houdini gave his final performance at the now-demolished Garrick Theatre, before disappearing for the last time 100 years ago,” said Writer and Director Federico Bellone. “And it it’s also interesting that Houdini’s final Broadway performance was in 1926 as well!”

The musical premiered in Italy in English with an American cast led by Broadway leading man Ryan Silverman. It then continued with an open-ended engagement in Madrid, featuring a Spanish cast.

“In a world where people struggle for recognition — especially on social media — without seeing the cost that pursuit can have on those they love most, this story feels more relevant than ever,” said the Producers of LetsGo, the team behind projects including Disney’s Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas Light Trail in New York.

Biographies

Federico Bellone (Writer/Director). International theater director, set designer, playwright, composer and executive producer, awarded with a special mention from the President of the Italian Republic. International reimagined productions and/or West End:  Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, Houdini, Dirty Dancing, The Addams Family, Ghost, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Bodyguard and Sugar. National reimagined productions: The Prince of Egypt, Cabaret, Anastasia, Bailo Bailo, Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s Mary Poppins, Fame, West Side Story, An American in Paris, Disney’s Newsies, Sunset Boulevard, Titanic, Flashdance,  eight time Academy Award winner Alan Menken Piano Concert, High School Musical, Little Shop of Horrors, Grease, and Annie. Former Artistic Director at Stage Entertainment (Nazionale and Brancaccio Theaters).

GIOVANNI LORI (Composer) has worked as a conductor under some of Broadway’s leading music directors, including Ted Sperling, Patrick Vaccariello, Mark Hummel, and Peter Howard. He is the composer of new musicals such as Excalibur and Three Steps Over Heaven, as well as an arranger of songs for Måneskin and Robbie Williams. As a music director, his work spans from opera—including Madama Butterfly at the Puccini Festival—to musical theater, including the new international production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera and Nine at the renowned Folies Bergère in Paris. He is also a composer for Italy’s leading television network.

PAOLO CARTA (Magic/Illusions) is an internationally renowned illusionist who has created original illusions for major musical theater productions, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Ghost, Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s Mary Poppins, The Prince of Egypt, and many others. He is currently the Artistic Director of Italy’s first theme park and has collaborated with some of the world’s leading illusionists, including Arturo Brachetti.

GILLIAN BRUCE (Choreography). London-born Bruce is an internationally experienced choreographer. Her extensive musical theater credits include Dirty Dancing in London’s West End and internationally, as well as new productions of The Phantom of the Opera, Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s Mary Poppins, Newsies, High School Musical, and Cabaret. Her work has been staged at prestigious theaters around the world, including Teatro alla Scala in Milan.

LETSGO (Producer), led by its CEO, Iñaki Fernandez, is a leading entertainment company specializing in the creation, production, promotion, and international development of live shows and immersive experiences. Founded in 2009, the company has grown from its roots in Madrid into an international entertainment group, with projects reaching audiences across Europe, Latin America, the United States, and Asia. Among its international productions are reimagined versions of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, Dirty Dancing, Cabaret, and Ghost, along with new large-scale immersive experiences such as Tim Burton’s The Labyrinth, created in collaboration with Tim Burton; Jurassic World; Squid Game; and Disney’s The Nightmare Before Christmas Light Trail in New York, produced in collaboration with Jeffrey Seller, as well as Black Mirror at The Shed in NYC.

For more information, please visit www.houdinimagicalmusical.com.