Why Now You See Me Live playing at Crown Theatre Perth is like nothing the city’s ever seen

“Be prepared to watch the best magic show in the world” — that’s the pledge from Now You See Me Live cast member Gabriella Lester ahead of the globe-trotting stage show’s Perth launch on Friday night.

The stage adaptation of the popular Hollywood film series has been crafted by the magical masterminds behind The Illusionists, and promises to dazzle local audiences for the first time, with a limited run of performances scheduled at Crown Theatre Perth from January 23 to February 1.

Featuring an international cast known as the Four Horsemen — inspired by the films — Perth will be introduced to Italian escapologist Andrew Basso, the UK’s modern magic marvel in Matthew Pomeroy, Spanish prodigy Pablo Canovas, and rising Canadian star, Lester.

Blending Hollywood’s cinematic storytelling with the entertainment sparkle of Las Vegas, Lester promised a spectacle like no other for fans, along with a full gamut of emotions.

“Whether you’re coming to the show to see death defying stunts or to watch close up in the audience, or even to just have a laugh and experience joy, the show is for all ages and every kind of person in the world,” she told PerthNow.

While a night out watching the impossible made possible is fascinating for audiences, what the Canadian has dedicated hours perfecting — escapology — carries far more danger than balancing on the edge of your chair.

Now 22, the only female Horseman mastered Houdini’s legendary upside-down straitjacket escape at just 14, and has already clocked in more than 10,000 live shows.

She said the volume of performances were necessary to create such a polished act and gain credibility in the industry.

“I fell in love with magic when I was a kid, as most kids do. I had a magic set, I was learning card tricks,” she said.

“But I had always been interested with every kind of magic and I got into escapes and escapology around the age of 13 or 14, and I really looked up to Andrew Basso, who’s the escape artist in the show, who I think is the best escapologist in the world, if not of all time.“

Although the cast of four do not appear to fit the individual character moulds of the four Horsemen leading the film franchise, which stars Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Dave Franco, and Isla Fisher, it’s impossible for Lester to escape the comparisons to her Perth-raised screen equivalent.

A red-headed pocket rocket with sharp wit who knows how to pull a crowd — the parallels are there.

“I think there’s a slight resemblance to Isla Fisher, which I take as a high compliment,” Lester beamed.

“I think she’s phenomenal. And I was a kid when the first movie came out, so watching Isla as the strong female lead was so instrumental in my career at the time that I saw her.”

With a resume rivalling most her age, Lester has already hosted a TEDx Talk, performed on one of Vegas’ largest stages, and appeared on Penn & Teller’s Fool Us TV show which she has since joined as a producer.

Now You See Me Live runs from January 23 to February 1 at Crown Theatre Perth.