AN INSPIRATIONAL JOURNEY

AN INSPIRATIONAL

JOURNEY “AMYSTIKA” is Criss Angel’s most revealing production yet

By Heather Turk

Criss Angel’s new Las Vegas production, “AMYSTIKA,” shows the iconic illusionist like never before: raw, vulnerable and just like everyone else.

Performing inside the state-of-the art Criss Angel Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, “AMYSTIKA” is the highly anticipated prequel to Angel’s immensely successful “MINDFREAK” residency — despite the fact that it runs after Angel’s acclaimed rock concert for magic (“MINDFREAK” plays Wednesday through Sunday at 7 p.m., “AMYSTIKA” follows at 9:30 p.m.). The first-ever collaboration between Angel and prolific director Franco Dragone (Cirque du Soleil’s “Mystère” and “O”), the jaw-dropping spectacle opened on April 2 and tells the story of how a 12-year-old boy named Christopher Sarantakos went on to become one of the world’s most famous magicians.

“This is before Criss Angel — what it took for me to become this person that people think they know,” Angel said. “It really gives people the opportunity to realize that I’m not special. I’m just like everybody else and if I can do it, you can do it, too. Believe in your dreams and live them.”

Angel and Dragone worked hard to “present an experience that people can truly escape their reality with,” creating an immersive, visual feast that features everything from a near-blinding blizzard in the theater to the haunting tableaus Dragone has become known for throughout his career. In the blink of an eye, audiences will be transported to Angel’s childhood bedroom to meet his old pal Freddy, or to a colorful carnival to watch “Houdini” perform a heart-pounding water escape act. Each scene takes audiences one step closer to the Mindfreak we all know and love today, while acknowledging the trials and tribulations

Angel noted that the cast of “AMYSTIKA” is made up of “incredibly talented people”

Angel faced along the way — including his son Johnny Crisstopher’s cancer diagnosis and accusations that Angel stole some of his material. Angel hopes audiences leave “AMYSTIKA” equally in awe over its inspiring message as its show-stopping visual effects.

“There are a lot of first-time visual effects and illusions in the show that I’m really excited about, as well as a couple (like ‘In Two’) that I removed from “MINDFREAK” cause of time and redid, but visual effects mean nothing if there’s not an emotion that you feel when you watch them,” Angel stated. “There needs to be a thread that weaves the whole experience together like a song, where people understand how the story connects to them without having dialogue. As COVID taught us, life can be very short. We never know when our moment has arrived where we will no longer be on this earth, so it’s so important to be a positive force in the world and inspire people not to waste their life, but to live it. Whatever you want to do, it’s not too late.” crissangel.com Franco Dragone & Criss Angel