Mid-Missouri's traveling family of magicians is looking to appear more often a little closer to home.
Aaron and Denise Gillam and their children, Marie and David, of Gillam Family Illusions, have set the stage - and performed on it - at 121 E. High St. for regular magical performances in downtown Jefferson City.
Aaron and Denise have been performing theatrical magic productions for about 20 years, and in the past nine of those years, they began incorporating their children into their shows. They have performed as far away as New Zealand but typically tour within a five-hour drive of Jefferson City.
As the Gillam children continue growing older and developing their own busy schedules - Marie, who dances and serves as a "box jumper" during shows, and David, who plays violin and performs his own magic tricks - the family opted for a new venture in the Mystery of Magic Theater.
"They're a big part of the show," Aaron said. "We were hoping this would kind of bring us closer to home."
Last summer, they performed 38 shows at Storybrook Island in South Dakota, where they also practiced their theater-building skills - which came in handy when transforming their new theatrical home from the black-box theater of its previous resident, Scene One Theatre, to a turn-of-the-century magic parlor complete with velvet curtains.
The style of their High Street shows will be just that - "parlor magic," more fitting for the 40-seat venue. "It's a different type of show than what we tour with," Aaron said.
Their standard shows, generally offered at least once or twice a week, will include a 30-minute kids' show, as well as a 70- to 80-minute "family fun" show. "That's going to include much more of our classic magic and comedy," Aaron said of the latter, adding, "We want to keep it fresh so people will come back."
This fall, the Gillams will add a "paranormal mysteries" show, building off the theater's turn-of-the-century vibe to recreate the forms of magic popular during the time, like telekenesis, mind-reading and speaking with people beyond the grave. "What they were was good musicians," Aaron said.
Then, during the winter, that specialty show will transition to the Gillams' "Magical Christmas."
The Gillams performed their first preview shows in the new theater July 3-4, with their first full kids' show Saturday. Their first full weekend will be July 22-23. Show times and ticket prices are listed online at MysteryOfMagic.com.
The Mystery of Magic Theater is also available for private events - with customized productions - by request at 573-797-0262.
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