Houdini: The Other Side of Magic

The Jerusalem Ballet welcomes you to explore the laboratory of the legendary illusionist Harry Houdini—a place where the laws of gravity disappear, and miracles become reality. What lies behind the curtain? Lift it and find yourself immersed in the mesmerizing world of the dance work choreographed by the company's Artistic Director Nadya Timofeyeva Houdini: The Other Side

Everyone has another side—especially someone like Harry Houdini, born Erik Weisz, the son of a scholarly rabbi from Budapest and a necktie cutter from New York. He walked through walls, was buried alive, escaped handcuffs with ease, plunged beneath the ice in nailed-shut crates, broke free from Chinese Water Torture Cells, and escaped from any prison—except his own. His life, filled with incredible feats and unimaginable escapes, was an endless quest for freedom—an escape that ultimately proved to be an illusion. The illusion of an illusionist. Perhaps this was because he himself had been torn from the current of the history into which he was born.

                                         Photo by Ravit Ziv

“This ballet is not about a magician,” emphasizes Nadya Timofeyeva. “It’s not a circus show, though it certainly includes some of Houdini’s most famous tricks. It’s a psychological journey into the ‘other side’ of Houdini—his inner world. It’s an exploration of how a man who constantly risked his life could find himself trapped by his own chains. Houdini was so convinced he was a demigod that he ignored a fatal blow to his stomach—the moment that led to his ruptured appendix, which developed into peritonitis within a week. If you constantly flirt with death, you might miss the moment when real danger comes for you.”

Houdini: The Other Side tells the story of a man who created his own myth. It’s about the Exodus as an eternal companion of the Jewish people. About the inner exodus of a rebel, his perpetual struggle against chains—both physical and metaphorical—and the endless process of breaking free from a closed circle. The circle, a key element of the set design, transforms into the Red Sea that the Jews crossed during the Exodus, into gates to another world, and into a reflection of our inner journey and personal transformations. It can become a cradle, a séance table used by spiritualists (against whom Houdini fiercely fought), and even a stage for their infernal dances, which are also present in this ballet. Nadya Timofeyeva delves into Houdini’s inner world through the prism of his biography and family ties.

                                      Photo by Ravit Ziv

“I was fascinated by how someone from a strictly religious Jewish family chose such a radically different path and became an extraordinary magician,” the choreographer admits. “Work on the production began long before the tragic events of October 7, but those events deeply affected our perception of the theme of Exodus. The Houdini family’s escape from Hungary to America, his constant fight for freedom—it all resonates with what we’ve experienced ourselves. It’s like an inner journey each of us takes, striving to transcend our personal egos.”

At times, Houdini: The Other Side feels like a portal to the supernatural. This sensation begins right from the opening scene, where the magician is... born from a puppet. The puppet-Houdini hangs upside down in the dim light, locked in a straitjacket. It twitches, struggles, breaks free—or does it?

                                      Photo by Ravit Ziv

Nadya Timofeyeva’s compassionate and captivating choreography shifts the focus from mere tricks and illusions to the profound personal drama unfolding in a confined space. Here, the stage is not just a setting but a metaphor for Houdini’s inner labyrinth. (Set and costume design by Inna Polonskaya.) In this fog-shrouded labyrinth of time, Houdini appears as a symbolic crossroads of destinies—a complex pattern of shadows and light. Even the chains become intricate designs, weaving and unraveling like the dancers themselves, who pull the titular character across the stage as if they were horses drawing Apollo’s chariot.

This ballet encompasses classical and neoclassical dance, modern, contemporary, tap, pantomime, and dramatic performance. It even captures the mood of Eminem’s recent hit single “Houdini,” which, much like Houdini himself, keeps people restless. Incidentally, Houdini died in Detroit, the rapper’s hometown. A twist of fate? Or a subtle connection between the legendary illusionist and modern myths? Is Houdini a myth or a man?

                                       Photo by Ravit Ziv

Either way, Houdini: The Other Side is a true ballet masterpiece—from its choreography to its music, costumes, and masks, from every dancer to every ballerina, where every step is a stroke of imagination and fantasy.

Do you want to see the impossible? Come and see for yourself.

Tickets