THE GIRL WHO HANDCUFFED HOUDINI THE NEW IMMERSIVE THEATRE EXPERIENCE BY SPEAKEASY DOLLHOUSE BASED ON A NOIR COMIC BOOK SERIES

July 03, 2018

THE GIRL WHO HANDCUFFED HOUDINI THE NEW IMMERSIVE THEATRE EXPERIENCE BY SPEAKEASY DOLLHOUSE BASED ON A NOIR COMIC BOOK SERIES

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©Cynthia von Buhler 2018

THE GIRL WHO HANDCUFFED HOUDINI,

a new immersive theatre experience from Speakeasy Dollhouse

to premiere October 5

Based on author/artist Cynthia von Buhler’s noir comic book series and graphic novel
exploring death of famed illusionist, the immersive production will unfold
in historic East Village theatre, speakeasy, and townhouse

New York, NY (August 1, 2018) – New York audiences will be transported back to 1926 to experience a world of mysterious speakeasies, backstage intrigue, and hotel room affairs as they unravel the untimely death of legendary illusionist Harry Houdini in The Girl Who Handcuffed Harry Houdini, the new immersive theatrical production from playwright and director Cynthia von Buhler and her production company, Speakeasy Dollhouse.

Based on von Buhler’s popular comic series of the same title, which will be published as a hardcover graphic novel by Hard Case Crime/Titan Comics on August 22, 2018, The Girl Who Handcuffed Houdini follows private investigator Minky Woodcock as she uncovers secrets surrounding the final days of the world-famous escape artist. Woodcock’s investigation leads her to cross paths with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who believes Houdini is not merely a magician but has supernatural powers, and Bess Houdini, who suspects her husband is cheating on her.

The play will unfold throughout three floors of a historic East Village townhouse which today houses William Barnacle Tavern -- formerly Sheib’s Place, a speakeasy where the New York City Council drank during Prohibition -- and the 199-seat Theatre 80 Saint Marks. Von Buhler, who is also the production’s set designer, will transform the townhouse into a Prohibition-era time capsule.

Audience members choose between being a spiritualist (believes in ghosts), a pragmatist (believes in science) or one of Houdini's favored guests (wishes ghosts were real, but doubts highly that they are and dislikes people who lie about it for profit) and will be assigned a character to follow and then experience events through that character’s point of view. They might find themselves assisting the magician’s rehearsal backstage, sipping absinthe in a speakeasy, spying on an affair in a hotel room, witnessing an attempted murder, attending a séance, visiting Houdini in his hospital room, or viewing his body in the morgue.

Replete with incredible magic tricks and authentic recreations of spiritualist demonstrations such as séances, tarot readings, and spirit photography, the production offers up a meticulously detailed slice of Houdini history, including a performance of his iconic Water Torture Chamber act, which VIP ticket holders will be invited onstage to inspect. Audience members are encouraged to come back again to follow other key players and see alternate facets of what actually led to Houdini’s fateful death. Evidence is revealed, but the truth is left up to the theatergoer to decide.

Von Buhler is the creator behind 2016's acclaimed Illuminati Ball, running for three years, a one-of-a-kind immersive experience that brought audiences from Manhattan to a secluded Connecticut hunting lodge, where they enjoyed a sumptuous soiree and interactive performance inspired by a legendary Surrealist soiree hosted by the Baron and Baroness de Rothschild in 1972. Von Buhler's other immersive plays include Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic (2015), an exploration of the death of Ziegfeld Girl and silent film star Olive Thomas staged at a long-hidden Broadway theater uncovered in Times Square, and The Brothers Booth (2014), an investigation of the Lincoln assassination staged at his assassin’s brother’s mansion on Gramercy Park.

In 2011 von Buhler created Speakeasy Dollhouse in order to explore the murder of her own Italian immigrant grandfather, a speakeasy owner named Frank Spano, who was shot and killed on a New York City street in 1935. Long haunted by the mystery of his death, von Buhler obtained news articles, autopsy reports, police records, and court documents, and recreated the crime scene in an elaborate dollhouse diorama. The show spawned The Bloody Beginning, which quickly became a hot underground theater ticket and went on to run for five years.

“The twenties were a time when freedom roared, especially for women, who chose to keep their war-time jobs, drank booze, bobbed their hair, threw away their corsets, and finally won the right to vote," said von Buhler. "The Girl Who Handcuffed Houdini revels in this era of loosening gender roles and free-flowing (yet illegal) liquor, and Minky Woodcock will transport audiences into a time capsule where they can live fully in her world.”

Houdini’s final tour took place in October of 1926, during which he died on Halloween night; his funeral was held on November 4th. The Girl Who Handcuffed Houdini, which follows the magician’s final days and the incidents leading up to them, is set to run during these same months.

Starring Pearls Daily (burlesque star and actress who recently appeared on Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) as Minky Woodcock, Vincent Cinque (the star of The Illuminati Ball and Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic) as Harry Houdini and Robyn Adele Anderson (singer from Postmodern Jukebox) as Bess Houdini.

Also starring: Lord Kat (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle), Delysia La Chatte (Nurse La Chatte), Luka Fric (Bennie Woodcock), E. James Ford (J. Gordon Whitehead), Veronica Varlow (Mina Crandon aka Margery of Boston), Rolls Andre (Doctor Kretzka), Ryan Salvato (Sam Smiley), Celeste Hudson (Lady Marler), Mat Leonard (Jim Collins), Tess Richie (Lady Doyle), Tony Noto (Bernard Ernst Esquire), Cliff Fuller (Butler), and Will Davis (Jack Price), Jesse Long (Cop)/Gretchen Knapp (Cop) and Sidney Morss (Madam Marcia).

Cynthia von Buhler is the creator, co-producer, writer, directorial consultant, art director, music director, set designer and puppet designer. PJ Mead is the co-producer and business manager. Vincent Cinque is the co-producer and director. Robyn Skye is the stage production manager. Jon Bremner is the production designer. Delysia La Chatte is the choreographer. Produced by Speakeasy Dollhouse.

When:

Wednesday – Saturday, September 26 – November 10, 2018

Opening Night (Press Book Release Party): October 5, 2018

Previews: September 26 - October 4, 2018

Time:

7PM – 9:30PM

Where:

Theatre 80, 80 St. Marks Place, Manhattan, NY 10003

Phone:

Speakeasy Dollhouse: (646) 221-5239 (text only), pj@speakeasydollhouse.com

Cost:

$100 (Regular Admission – Spiritualist or Pragmatist)

$200 (VIP – The Magician’s Favored Guests - Harry Houdini, Minky Woodcock or Margery of
Boston)

All full price tickets include a copy of the hardcover graphic novel signed by the
director/author/illustrator Cynthia von Buhler.

Tickets/information: MinkyWoodcock.com/theater

###

PLAYBILL

Starring

Pearls Daily (Minky Woodcock)

Vincent Cinque (Harry Houdini)

Robyn Adele Anderson (Bess Houdini)

Lord Kat (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Luka Fric (Bennie Woodcock)

E. James Ford (J. Gordon Whitehead)

Delysia La Chatte (Nurse La Chatte)

Veronica Varlow (Margery of Boston)
Rolls Andre (Dr. Kretzka)
Ryan Salvato (Sam Smiley)
Celeste Hudson (Lady Marler)
Mat Leonard (Jim Collins)
Tess Richie (Lady Doyle)
Tony Noto (Bernard Ernst Esquire)
Will Davis (Jack Price)

Anna Stefanic (Pianist, Bellhop Usher)
Cliff Fuller (Butler)
Sidney Morss (Madame Marcia)
Jesse Long/Gretchen Knapp (Cop)

Cynthia von Buhler (Stunt Double)

Production

Cynthia von Buhler (Creator, Producer, Writer, Directorial Consultant, Art Director, Set Designer, Music Director, Puppet Designer)
PJ Mead (Co-Producer and Business Manager)
Vincent Cinque (Co-Producer and Director)
Robyn Skye (Production Stage Manager)
Jon Bremner (Production Designer)

Delysia La Chatte (Choreographer)
Alex Moore (Lighting/Sound Board Programmer and Operator)
Elizabeth Spindler (Assistant Stage Manager)
Macie Barnes (Head Production Assistant)
Wren Mitchell, Savannah Herms, Elianys Sanchez (Production Assistants)

Roberto Garcia and Cornelius Flynn (Set Construction)

Richard Sherry (Water Torture Chamber Builder)

Music

Feels Like I'm Drowning (Houdini Mix) Robyn Adele Anderson

Seance Mix Sxip Shirey

Rosabelle, That Old Black Magic and Love, Your Magic Spell is Everywhere

Anna Stefanic

That Old Black Magic and Love, Your Magic Spell is Everywhere
Celeste Hudson and Will Davis

Masculine Women and Feminine Men and A Good Man Is Hard To Find
Luka Fric and Anna Stefanic

Cast and Crew

Cynthia von Buhler (Producer, Writer, Directorial Consultant, Art Director, Set Designer, Music Director, Stunt Double) is a critically-acclaimed author/illustrator, seasoned playwright, internationally-exhibiting artist, and an award-winning performer who has written and produced six immersive plays with her company Speakeasy Dollhouse. Her sculptures appeared on NBC's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, she was a recurring character on Discovery Channel’s Oddities — and she has collaborated on projects with Steven Spielberg, Neil Gaiman, Clive Barker, Martha Stewart and Amanda Palmer. www.cynthiavonbuhler.com

Pearls Daily (Minky Woodcock) is an actress, dancer and burlesque performer. She won Miss Coney Island 2019 and recently appeared on the television series, Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. She was a dancer and actress in Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic. www.pearlsdaily.com

Vincent Cinque (Director, Harry Houdini) is an actor and singer. He starred as The Pig King in The Illuminati Ball, Jack Pickford in Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic and John Guerrieri in The Bloody Beginning. www.vincentcinque.com

Robyn Adele Anderson (Bess Houdini) is an actress, a lead singer in the band Postmodern Jukebox and a pin-up model. She was a dancer and actress in Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic.

Mia Victoria Preisser (Nurse LaChatte, Choreographer)

Mia is an actress, dancer and designer. She is the resident actor/choreographer for Speakeasy Dollhouse. She is noted for her critically acclaimed performance as Josephine Baker in Speakeasy Dollhouse’s Ziegfeld’s Midnight Frolic at Liberty Theater in Times Square.

Veronica Varlow is an international burlesque performer and real-life “Love Witch.” She is a confidence and sensuality coach, featured on a triple Emmy Award Winning season of MTV's MADE. She performed thirteen world tours with musician Emilie Autumn, and leads women's retreats and Witch Camp in Woodstock, NY, and internationally in Morocco and Mexico. www.lovewitch.com

Tess Richie (Lady Doyle and Bess Houdini understudy) is an actress, singer, writer, and director. Tess is thrilled to be returning to Speakeasy Dollhouse after playing the starring role of Olive Thomas in Ziegfeld's Midnight Frolic. www.TessRichie.com

Celeste Hudson has been an actor in many Speakeasy Dollhouse shows. She is a singer, dancer, and teaching artist who has performed at Radio City Music Hall, Joe’s Pub, The Signature, 54 Below, The PIT, Westchester Broadway Theatre and other similar venues. CelesteHudson.com

Cliff Fuller (Butler)

Cliff is a writer and genderqueer performer also known as Mx. Tiffany Leigh. This is their third production with Speakeasy Dollhouse after The Bloody Beginning and The Illuminati Ball. They host Match Game NYC, a monthly live game show in Manhattan.

Mat Leonard (Jim Collins) is a New York-based actor. He has appeared in Netflix’s Orange is the New Black as CO Miller, off-Broadway as Stefan in Sex Tips for Straight Women from a Gay Man, and regionally as Spike in Shakespeare and Company’s production of Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike.

Luka Fric (Bennie Woodcock), a Slovenian actor and singer, appeared in Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic (Liberty Theatre), The Illuminati Ball (The Weylin), La Traviata (Riverside Theatre), Mad About The Boy (13th Street Repertory Theatre), and The Music of Sir Karl Jenkins (Carnegie Hall). His film credits include It Gets Better? (2016) for which he received Best Supporting Actor nominations at The International Filmmaker’s Festival in Nice and Berlin. www.lukafric.com

Ryan Salvato (Sam Smiley) is an actor, illustrator, juggler, and artist. As well as playing Sam Smiley in The Girl Who Handcuffed Houdini, he is currently playing The Mad Hatter in Madhattersbus.

E. James Ford is an actor, writer, designer, and storyteller. He recently appeared on the television show Gotham and was a regular on the SyFy show Pioneer One. He has also appeared in The Bloody Beginning and The Brothers Booth.

Rolls Andre (Dr. Kretzka) has appeared in the Assembly's Seagullmachine, Pipeline Theatre's Beardo by Dave Malloy and Jason Craig, The Beyonce by Eliza Bent produced by Adjusted Realists and Sibyl Kempson's Let Us All Praise Susan Sontag. He made his film debut in the Matthews Brother's upcoming Lost Holiday.

Will Davis (Jack Price) is an actor and musician. You can also hear him performing with his band Cardboard Rocketship.

Lord Kat (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Lord Kat is an actor and model. He starred as Magistrate Hulon Capshaw in The Bloody Beginning, Mark Twain in The Brothers Booth, and Florenz Ziegfeld in Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic. He modeled for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Benedict Woodcock II in the comic book series Minky Woodcock, The Girl Who Handcuffed Houdini by Titan Comics.

Anthony Noto (Bernard M. L. Ernst Esq.) is an actor and writer. He recently portrayed Satan in The Last Days of Judas Iscariot and produced his short play, Nutella, at the Hudson Guild Theatre.

Sidney Morss is and actor and stand-up comic. She’s performed at Eastville Comedy Club, Comedy Room Room, and produces a podcast, Cohabitation.

PJ Mead (Company Manager, Co-Producer, Madame Marcia Understudy) began working with Speakeasy Dollhouse in 2013 as the Company Manager. She previously worked at Signature Theater, The New Group, and TheaterWorks.

Jon Bremner has designed and engineered for over a hundred productions across the US and most recently was one of three video supervisors for Dear Evan Hansen. He is currently designing video for She Kills Monsters at the Trinity School of NYC, while also serving as the resident DM for student campaigns. Jon holds a degree in theatre design from Fordham University and is the founder of Lucid Studios NYC.

Robyn Sky is a production manager, stage manager and performance artist. They most recently served as the production manager for Puffs at the former Elektra Theatre, and can be seen at various venues in NYC instructing and performing “shibari” performance art.