BESS - THE OTHER HOUDINI
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 The World Premiere of this
startling and magical new play ran Sept, Oct and Nov 2023
at the Grove Theatre, Eastbourne
and Upstairs at the Gatehouse, Highgate
winning four star reviews and raves from audiences


Magic, intrigue, spiritualism, history, heartbreak and love are interwoven in this wonderful and insightful play by playwright Christine Foster


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‘Christine Foster's fascinating play has huge heart and deserves to be
a huge hit.’ 

Aline Waites - Remote Goat

A gripping drama and an intriguing and  illuminating production -
Judi Herman, Jewish Renaissance 

‘The astonishing Pip Henderson is a simply extraordinary performer, protean, kinetic, and unstoppable… Henderson brings Bess vividly to life.’

‘As a nurse with an eye for celebrities, Gwenneth Holmes twinkles delightfully and she also provides a scene-stealing cameo as Bess’s sister May’.

Louis Mazzini-London Theatre 1 

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‘The play is truly gripping and includes an entertaining variety of magic tricks, under the supervision of master magician Paul Zenon’.

‘At the centre of this new work is Bess played by Pip Henderson with extraordinary clarity. In the calm moments there is a gentleness to the performance but when the character veers into mania the effect is startling, every move, every twitch, those darting eyes… this is a portrayal of real intensity.‘
www.thelatest.co.uk - Andrew Kay 

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Maps to theatres
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​​Audience comments on BESS – THE OTHER HOUDINI:
"We were riveted!" "Such a cracking script so deeply emotional and moving!" "The performers are outstanding, and Bess - incredible." "I didn’t even want an interval,
I just wanted it to go on." "Everyone should see it!"

Was their Perfect Marriage their Greatest Illusion?

It is 1929, the height of the Spiritualist frenzy. Houdini, the world’s first Superstar, has been dead two years - yet surely if anyone can break through from the Other Side, it’s Harry.
​When his beloved wife, Bess, hints that he already has, she is accused of
rigging the séance.
Broke, broken and hounded by the Press, she flees to a private sanitarium.
Does she really believe her husband can reach out to her from the Beyond, or,
​haunted by her own hallucinations,
can she even tell the difference?
And most important of all, can she survive Life after Harry?
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Escape Artists Theatre Company is proud to premiere the compelling true story of Harry Houdini's widow.

What is it like to live in fear every day of your life as your husband is buried alive, manacled, flung into icy rivers, or dangled upside down ten stories in the air in a strait jacket? Bess’ mental health was constantly stretched to the limit while he was alive - what will happen now he is gone?


The play follows Bess through frantic hallucinations and illusions as she grapples with the question of how she can possibly face Life After Harry - and the even more serious problem: Why should she even try?
 
The two act play is cinematic and flows freely on a single set with three actors playing multiple parts. The production includes integrated magical effects guided by Gold Star Member of the Magic Circle, Paul Zenon.
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Houdini Quotes

"An old trick well done is better than a new trick with no effect."

"What the eyes see, the ear hears, and the mind believes."

"A magician is only an actor - an actor pretending to be a magician."

"Never tell the audience how good you are, they will find out soon enough for themselves."

"I always have in my mind that next year I must do something greater, something more wonderful."



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