Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended
"...Dennis Watkins - and, let us be honest: there could and would be no "Death and Harry Houdini" without Watkins - offers up that aquatic deed in full, along with an assortment of card tricks, sawings-in-half, levitations and the like. Unlike, say, a casino show from David Copperfield, the House performs in an intimate setting with the audience on two sides, which makes things more difficult for any illusionist. But it's a whole lot more fun to watch this re-creation of Houdini's most famous escape with your nose almost pressed up to the glass walls."
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...Basically a magic show nestled in a biography, the production recounts Houdini's life in the graphic-novel style the House has long favored, veering between the cartoonishness of Houdini's gibberish-spouting mama (rendered endearing despite her decades-long bad mood by Marika Mashburn) and a spectral, top-hatted embodiment of Death. As for the magic: though it loses the sense of raw wonder in a theatrical setting, it's accomplished with enormous cunning, elegance, and skill."
ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended
"...This was my first exposure to the show, which Allen revives every so often, and I’ve been told that a few of the magic tricks get switched up each time. All of them are astonishing, but of course, the water torture cell is the one everyone is most eager to see. It does not disappoint, but more importantly, the show establishes a significance for it greater than simply an escapist’s trick. People who have seen Death and Harry Houdini many times remain in awe of it. For those who haven’t yet, it’s a must-see."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...Many of you have seen me use the phrase "Live theater is magical"! Anyone who knows me, knows that I truly feel this way. As "magical" as most theater is, there is one company that truly makes magic happen on their stage. This is The House Theatre of Chicago, where they are now presenting the return of their historical "Death & Harry Houdini", presenting the story of history's most famous "man of magic", Harry Houdini and his war against death, the inspiration for most of his magic. Written by Nathan Allen, who also directs with stunning magic created and shared by Dennis Watkins, who is an amazing magician himself, this is two hours of pure theatrical magic (with a very definite emphasis on "magic")!"
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...Houdini once said of magic that what the eyes see and the ears hear the mind believes. In this exciting, mind-boggling production, remounted by the always impressive House Theatre of Chicago, the audience’s mind will be expanded and blown away by everything seen and heard, just a few feet away from each spectator. Several audience members are even encouraged to participate in many of the tricks making the experience even more intimate and authentic. Seldom has a biographical drama been more beautiful, breathtaking and sheer fun."
Chicagoland Theater Reviews - Highly Recommended
"...The thing about a magic show is that it's not magic. If it were, the audience could just write off the tricks as unknowable supernatural manifestations beyond human understanding. But Watkins's magic is a very human achievement rooted in technique and style. I strained mightily to decipher the performer's tricks as they unfolded, but he had me fooled from first moment to last. The show itself is a little long and the second act has too much talk, soaking up time that would be better served by more magic. But the evening is still a dazzler."
The Fourth Walsh - Highly Recommended
"...I love how Watkins and The House conjure up magic. I'm always baffled but in a good way. I'm less the cynical adult and more my youthful self that believed the impossible was the result of magic. DEATH AND HARRY HOUDINI is phenomenal. I highly recommend letting Watkins and The House astonish you this summer."
Chicago Theater Beat - Highly Recommended
"...Death and Harry Houdini is a guaranteed visual feast, but at its core, the play is a journey into the mind of a genius. For every moment of vulnerability, there’s an illusion; for every trick, there’s a motivation, a feeling. Thankfully, the House Theatre of Chicago has grown by leaps and bounds since its 2001 premiere, and Death and Harry Houdini grows with each revival. The magic continues through summer. Just go."
