Feats of magic and mind-reading by two internationally-recognized performers have attracted capacity crowds to an upcoming show at the Gibsons Heritage Playhouse on Nov. 5.
A second performance of L’IMPOSSIBLE: An Evening of Magic and Mind Reading has been added on Nov. 6 to accommodate high demand for entertainment by illusionist Bro Gilbert and mentalist Eric Samuels. Both artists live on the Sunshine Coast while working alongside some of the biggest names in professional prestidigitation.
Proceeds will benefit the Heritage Playhouse, which is operated by the non-profit Gibsons Landing Heritage Society.
“I’m relatively new to the Sunshine Coast,” said Samuels, “but Bro has been here pretty much all of his life. He had been telling me about [the Heritage Playhouse] since I moved here about three years ago. It’s such a gorgeous venue. Given the types of venues I get to perform in when I’m travelling, to have something like that in my own backyard is just wonderful.”
Following a career in radio broadcasting, Samuels pivoted into work as a performance consultant, public speaker and mentalist. His MIND GAMES stage show has toured internationally.
Samuels’s television appearances include a mid-2019 cameo on Penn & Teller: Fool Us, in which his coup of mental manipulation earned praise from the marquee magicians for its writing and showmanship.
“I take a lot of pride in making sure what I do is not about me showing off,” said Samuels. “Instead, it’s about the audience — their hopes and their dreams. A lot of what I do on stage is really about memories and aspirations of audience members, sharing those if they’re comfortable doing that.”
Bro Gilbert has worked as a creative consultant and writer for magicians including Criss Angel and Keith Barry. He has provided his services to performers seen on television programs such as Penn & Teller’s nine-season series as well as America’s Got Talent.
As the digital sales manager for an international vendor of magic effects and puzzles, Gilbert frequently takes a hands-on approach to his craft by collaborating with others to devise new tricks.
The presence of top tier magicians in Gibsons hints that the town carries outsize magnetism in the wizarding world. The truth, according to Samuels, is that “ending up on the Sunshine Coast was just a bizarre set of circumstances.” While preparing to upgrade his home in White Rock, looming obstructions by monster houses prompted a search for a more neighbourly community.
Samuels had never before met Gilbert, a longtime Gibsons resident. “We just hit it off and started working with each other on some ideas,” he said. “He had never really done keynotes and that’s something that I specialize in. I also have a line of products that I market to mentalists and he helped me with that because he has tremendous expertise in depth on that side of the game. We just naturally became friends and professional supporters of each other’s work.”
In 2021, Samuels received the Dan Blackwood Award from the Psychic Entertainers Organization for his outstanding contributions to the art of mentalism. Another Gibsons-based practitioner and noted authority on the subject, Doug Dyment, received the prize this year.
While the first L’IMPOSSIBLE show is for adults only, the family-friendly Nov. 6 performance is open to attendees aged eight and up. Tickets are available online ($29) and may be available at the door ($35) while supplies last. Browse to heritageplayhouse.com for details and sales.
