About the work
Houdini is a musical about the escape artist Harry Houdini, with book and direction by Federico Bellone and music by Giovanni Maria Lori; choreography is by Gillian Bruce and the magic by Paolo Carta. Under the title The Impossible Man it was shown in two English-language previews at the Teatro Sociale in Como in April 2025. LETSGO and beon. Entertainment opened the Spanish-language version, Houdini, un musical mágico, at the Teatro Calderón in Madrid in October 2025, with Pablo Puyol in the title role.
Plot
The piece tells Houdini's life story, moving between the day of his last performance in 1926 and episodes from his past. It shows the artist torn between methodical discipline, fears and obsessions.
Cultural significance
The staging combines musical theatre with more than twenty large-scale illusions performed live, including a new version of Houdini's Chinese Water Torture Cell. The score draws on echoes of Houdini's Hungarian origins.