Albie Selznick in "Smoke and Mirrors"
A father dies. And a young boy looks outside himself to cope with the sudden emptiness he faces. He dabbles in stamp collecting, then coin collecting. He finally lands on magic, being taught some of his first skills by a very young Steve Spillman (who later, as Steve Spill, co-founded Magicopolis in Santa Monica).
“It was a way for me to escape into something else that wasn’t my reality, because my reality was really sad.”
“It’s also something you can get good at by yourself,“ continues Albie Selznick, referring to magic and creating illusions. Selznick credits magic in helping him survive the loss of his father at a young age. This “way in” to magic is not unusual, according to Selznick, “I’ve since found out that that’s really common for kids, especially little boys, who have lost parents.” Later in life, Selznick turned to acting, which kept him performing but flexing different muscles.
Selznick’s passion for magic and theatrical storytelling has transformed his Smoke and Mirrors from a simple staged monologue into a full-blown theatrical event at Santa Monica Playhouse, with giant floating heads, trained birds, Houdini homages and a completely original final illusion. It’s one man’s story told through lots of magic, a rabbit and a little bit of scary…just in time for Halloween.
Albie Selznick
Selznick calls the Road Theatre Company in North Hollywood his second home, where he has performed in many productions as a company member. Sitting down on the comfy couches with Selznick and one of his co-directors, Bettina Zacar, feels more like tail-gating than talking shop. In worn-out jeans and a t-shirt, Selznick is as nimble in spirit as he is with banter. This man would run the tight-rope…never walk. But it doesn’t feel reckless, it feels refreshingly ambitious.
“Nothing stands in my way, I just keep going,” Selznick laughs.
This energy has fueled Selznick’s long career of live performance. He was co-founder of The Mums, a popular circus/theater trio of the ’80s/’90s. A critic in the LA Times wrote that “The Mums do for the arts of juggling and magic what Elvis did for rock and roll,” and LA Weekly put them on its cover in their heyday, calling them “The Best Performance Troupe in LA.”
The multi-award-winning Mums opened for rock bands such as Devo, Berlin, and Duran Duran, while their plays were produced across Los Angeles, directed by Tim Robbins and Paul Sand among others. The Mums will perform a much anticipated reunion show at Hollywood’s “Academy of Magical Arts,” the Magic Castle, next April.
As an actor, Selznick has appeared on many Los Angeles stages and at South Coast Repertory. He had recurring roles on several television shows (most recently The Young and the Restless and Southland). But an exercise in Larry Moss’ acting class inspired Selznick to write the first monologues that would eventually become Smoke and Mirrors. “I have always wanted to do a show about why someone would want to get into magic,” says Selznick of his life story that inspired the writing.
Albie Selznick in "Smoke and Mirrors"
He then met fellow actor and Road company member Zacar, who was cultivating small works for off-night performances at the Road and needed material. That was a year ago. Zacar sits attentively with us, hair swept up in work-mode, a calm steady presence balancing Selznick’s effusive energy. “I was looking at real life stories…and that was our first working relationship.”
Zacar, also a skilled (though “nonperforming”) illusionist,has created visual effects for past Road productions. She continued developing the project with Selznick over the last year. “My grandfather used to teach us little magic tricks and card tricks,” says Zacar. She not only directs but also played a key role in designing the sound and lights. The tight collaboration between writer-performer and director is clear as they relay the steps in a year-long development process.
Selznick’s friend, Olya Petrakova, from the Artel Theater, saw the first short monologues with just a touch of magic and suggested Zacar and Selznick present the show last summer at the Hollywood Fringe. The rigid schedule of the Fringe tested their performance mettle and the mechanics of the show, which included building their final illusion in the parking lot for a quick 15-minute load-in between shows. Audience feedback from the Fringe pointed toward incorporating more seamless magic into the storytelling, bringing the narrative more clearly to the forefront.
After the Fringe, a workshop staging at Theatre Unlimited in North Hollywood was mounted to continue developing the script. There were no critics and no one who previously knew Selznick or the show. The team worked purely off what each audience gave them as feedback and made changes accordingly. What emerged was a different show every night, with new pages and new cues. “But by the time [the workshop] was over,” Selznick continues, “We had a full show.”
Albie Selznick
The magic and story were finally fused together into one “hero’s journey.” It tells the story of Selznick coming to magic after the death of his father, then learning the seven steps along the way to face his fears and become a Grand Illusionist. The show is promoted to ages 12 and up, but Selznick promises, “It’s not a kiddie show….and it can get a little scary. Spooky by the end.”
The current incarnation of Smoke and Mirrors at the Santa Monica Playhouse is the official premiere. Paul Millet (co-artistic director of Unbound Productions) joins the team as a co-director to provide “another set of eyes” for the complicated task of managing illusions and story on stage. The show now pulls out all the stops with special video design by Jay Lee (ScreamHQ), pre-show magic in the courtyard and the perfected grand finale illusion which is a unique creation between Selznick and his team. Most important, the show’s creators believe the story has become fully integrated with the magic.
Selznick combines his performance talents in what he hopes will inspire others through a fully realized story. “This is something I can do” he says. “I can’t cure cancer.”
According to Selznick, we all have a hole or grief in our life that we carry around. But it’s different for everyone. “I miss that I don’t have a dad, that I have that hole to fill….and sometimes I still get very sad,” he says. “Magic is how I deal with mine.”
Zacar adds, “One thing I like about this play is that it is filled with magic but there is a story everyone can identify with….We all feel isolated. We all feel like we’re not fitting in somewhere.”
The loneliness of magic is not lost on Selznick. “I’m practicing a lot right now….it’s isolating by its very nature.” But he also relates the thrill of perfecting an illusion for the very first time. Or the first audible “wow” or gasp an audience might emit in response. He grins. “There’s no better feeling in the world,”
Smoke and Mirrors, presented by Disappearing Inc. Opens Saturday, October 29. Plays Sat. 7 pm and 10 pm; Sun. 7 pm. Through December 11. Tickets: $30. Santa Monica Playhouse, 1211 Fourth Street, Santa Monica. 800-595-4849. www.smokeandmirrors.me or www.tix.com.
***All Smoke and Mirrors production photos by Michelle Grant
Amy Tofte is a Los Angeles playwright who received her MFA in Writing for Performance from CalArts (California Institute of the Arts). She has seen her work produced all over the country and at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. She is a founding member of Fierce Backbone in Los Angeles (a theater dedicated to all levels of play development) and a proud member of the Dramatists Guild of America.
