What is Beyond Smoke and Mirrors?

First, a little history is in order. A number of years ago, a small group of entertainers and friends got together and began meeting to help each other with performance pieces that each of them were working on. It began very informally, as a way to flush out ideas and fraternize with like minded individuals who could challenge each other. Out of this group, four of the performers (John, Scott, Nelson and myself) created a show where they could put the magic, illusions, comedy and juggling they were working on in front of real live audiences. The Nashville based show was aptly titled Music City Magic. What made Music City Magic such a hit was that the performers were able to create and hone original material that had never been seen before. Audiences responded well to hilarious comedy, larger than life characters, and genuine mysteries. Music City Magic ran on and off at different venues, including Miss Marple’s Dinner Theater and Opry Mills Mall, for several years. Ultimately, the four principle performers got busy with their own projects and Music City Magic went on hiatus.

In July 2010, I got a phone call from Nelson (a friend and fellow founder of Music City Magic). He mentioned that there was a possibility of being able to either revive Music City Magic or create a brand, new experience. Basically, John had an opportunity to bring a show to a venue in downtown Nashville and he was interested in getting the “band” (and I use that term in jest:) back together. After a few phone calls and emails were exchanged, it became obvious that all the original parties were onboard and excited to have the opportunity to perform together again.

Upon reflection, we decided that we weren’t really interested in creating the same experience as the original Music City Magic with this new opportunity. None of the creators wanted this just to be another magic show. We wanted to change things up a bit. We were still interested in creating original illusions, comedy, etc, but we also wanted to incorporate other variety entertainers as well. We wanted to do strange things in our performances. Things like eating razor blades and stopping time. We wanted to warp the minds of those in attendance. Beyond Smoke and Mirrors is that child. I believe it will prove to be a cross between a cozy, Victorian parlour performance and an over the top circus side show. And we want you to experience it firsthand.

Beyond Smoke and Mirrors debut performance is Monday night, October 4th at McFadden’s on 2nd Avenue in downtown Nashville. Enjoy the video below to get a tease of what to expect, then find us online. We’ll be posting ticket discounts and weekly drink specials on our Facebook page and our Twitter feed.



And if you’re intrigued by now, buy your tickets to the opening night of Beyond Smoke and Mirrors here. We can’t wait to show you what we have planned!