stage illusion
Theatrical deception act
A stage illusion is a magic trick performed for a theatrical audience, typically involving large-scale effects like making people appear, disappear, float, or get sawed in half.
The term distinguishes these grand spectacles from close-up magic or card tricks: Houdini's escapes were among the most famous stage illusions of his era.
- magicSupernatural or illusory power
- magic trickPerformed feat seeming impossible
- trickDeliberate deception
- vanishingCeasing to be visible
- disappearing actSudden, unexplained departure
levitation · sawing · sawing in half · sleight · misdirection · smoke and mirrors · curtain · trapdoor · mirror · smoke · assistant · audience · applause · wonder · deception · spectacle · escapist · box
- stagecraftdownstage, upstage, backstage, wings, wing
- optical illusionstrompe l'oeil, impossible stairs, duck-rabbit, afterimages, impossible triangle
- play-within-a-playMousetrap
stage illusionsleight of hand
Skillful manual deception
close-up magic · card trick · street magic · coin trick · cups and balls
stage, stages, staged, staging, stager, stagehand, stagecraft, illusion, illusions