Magician Matthew Pomeroy says Now You See Me Live show will bring Hollywood to Perth

It may not feature an A-list cast or intercontinental chase sequences, but magician Matthew Pomeroy says those attending Now You See Me Live at Crown Perth Theatre this month will feel like they’ve just stepped onto the set of a Hollywood film.

Inspired by the screen series sharing its name, Pomeroy — who stars as one of the Four Horsemen — insists audiences will be hanging off their seats as quickly as they’ve sat down in them.

In other words, don’t be late.

“You really feel like you’re watching a movie in the opening of the show,” he told PerthNow.

“You have an escape that is literally mind blowing, somebody hanging from the ceiling doing an escape which could just be a show on its own.

“Fireworks go off, and then you get an object on stage which should not be able to fit on that stage under any circumstances. You get a full costume change, amazing card magic... and this is in the first three minutes.”

The high-octane production has been on tour in Australia, and will be unveiled to Perth for the first time on January 23, running until February 1.

Featuring an international quartet of magicians and stunt pros, audiences will be introduced to Italian illusionist Andrew Basso, Canadian escape artist Gabriella Lester, Spanish prodigy Pablo Canovas, and British mind reader and sleight-of-hand specialist, Pomeroy.

Creative Producer Simon Painter said locals may not actually believe what they’re seeing, even if it’s unfolding just metres away.

“Now You See Me Live will make the impossible possible in front of your very eyes. Perth’s incredible Four Horsemen will push the boundaries of stage magic to the absolute edge and we can’t wait for WA audiences to experience this incredible feat!” he said.

Residing in Las Vegas, Pomeroy typically performs alongside stage partner Natasha Lamb as part of The Conjurors, and said the quality of magicians in the entertainment hub is unmatched.

“You can walk up and down the strip and in one night see Penn and Teller, Chris Angel, David Copperfield, and David Blaine,” he said.

With his intense 400-show per year schedule, the Brit said things do, occasionally, go wrong. But as a professional, he must either shelter the audience from his mishaps, or run with them.

Pomeroy revealed his stage partner has “come out of an illusion with her hair on fire”, admitting he once tore his tear duct off during a live performance.

Invited regularly to perform at gala events and red carpets, the quick-handed wildcard has wowed even the greatest showman in Hugh Jackman, dazzled Sacha Baron Cohen, and flexed his spellbinding skills to the Harry Potter cast.

However, he said his greatest audiences form two demographics that couldn’t be more different.

“When you get a child that’s never seen magic before, like a little six or seven-year-old who’s at their first magic show, or the opposite of that, somebody who’s 95 and has loved magic their whole life, that’s just as special and just as amazing, and it fills us with the same kind of same thrill,” Pomeroy said.

Now You See Me Live runs from January 25 to February 1 at Crown Theatre Perth.

Images are from previous performances and for illustration purposes only. Cast and acts featured are subject to change.