Friday, October 4, 2013

Hippodrome dedicates Houdini plaque

A plaque commemorating Houdini's historic performances at the Hippodrome Theater in London was dedicated yesterday at what is now The Hippodrome Casino. The casino recently converted the historic space and restored many of its classic features.

Actress Evanna Lynch and cast members from Houdini The Play were on hand for the dedication. Evanna plays Bess in the stage production currently at the Windsor Theatre Royal through October 5th (she also starred in a few movies about another famous wizard named Harry).

Also part of the dedication ceremony were a pair of authentic Houdini handcuffs on loan from The Magic Circle in London. The cuffs are said to be valued at £15,000.

Of course, the London Hippodrome was the site of Houdini's famous Mirror Handcuff Challenge escape on March 17, 1904. The plaque commemorates that escape and also includes Houdini's famous quote: "My brain is the key that sets me free."

Below are photos of Evanna with Simon Thomas, CEO of the Hippodrome Casino, and fellow cast member Jamie Nichols who plays Harry in Houdini The Play.

Hippodrome CEO Simon Thomas gets a lock on Evanna Lynch.

The Houdinis return to the Hippodrome (houdinitheplay on Instagram).

Thanks to Ian Hayworth for the photos and information. For more on The Hippodrome Casino visit their official website.

For tour information and to book tickets to Houdini The Play visit houdinitheplay.com.
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6 comments:

  1. John Hinson great nephew of bess and Harry HoudiniOctober 4, 2013 at 3:20 PM

    Nice, that is great.

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  2. AnonymousOctober 4, 2013 at 7:13 PM

    I had the pleasure of traveling to London numerous times over the years. It's a great walking city....if you like to walk. One time I took a stroll to the Hippodrome during the day. At that time back in the late 90s it was a dance club. I thought of going back that evening to see if the stage was still there. Never did unfortunately. So...the question I have is did they preserve the stage that Houdini performed on or was it torn out to make way for the casino?

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    Replies
    1. John CoxOctober 4, 2013 at 7:27 PM

      I'm not sure. I did a post the casino in 2012 that shows a wide shot of the room HERE. You can also check the official website for pics.

      Delete
    2. John CoxOctober 4, 2013 at 7:39 PM

      Boom! This from an article just published in the Mirror:

      "Today the venue for his challenge has been transformed into the Hippodrome Casino and is open round the clock. But the stage where he performed is still in place."

      Delete
  3. AnonymousMay 20, 2015 at 11:26 PM

    Is there any production photos or footage of the play? Been looking all over the web and nothing.

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  4. John CoxMay 21, 2015 at 2:57 PM

    You can see images of Harry and Theo in character HERE.

    ReplyDelete