A century after his death, Budapest circus revives Houdini’s daring escapes

The Circus of Budapest premiered a production inspired by Harry Houdini's famous escapes, a century after his death. The show recreates his 1912 water escape and blends theatre, dance, and acrobatics. Director Laszlo Magacs called Houdini 'the first influencer in the world.'

The Circus of Budapest premiered a new production on Friday celebrating Harry Houdini, the legendary escape artist, a century after his death. The show recreates some of his most famous feats, including the 1912 water escape in which he was lowered upside down into a tank with his feet locked in stocks. The production is not a biographical account but rather, according to the Circus's website, 'a journey through the borderlands between life and death, remembrance and letting go, and the very nature of time.' The show imagines Houdini suspended between life and death, with his wife pleading with Persephone, the queen of the underworld in Greek mythology, for his return. Director Laszlo Magacs told Reuters that 'someone who is doing escape pieces is always playing with death' and called Houdini 'the first influencer in the world' for his genius in self-promotion. Houdini was born Erik Weisz into a Hungarian Jewish family in 1874 and emigrated to the United States, where he became renowned for defying locks, chains, and seemingly impossible traps.