Andrew Basso is an Italian daredevil magician known as “The Escapologist” who fancies himself a latter-day Houdini. / BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Monday, March 16, 2015. Andrew Basso will perform with other magicians in “The Illusionists ñ Witness the Impossible” at the Ordway Theater March 24-29, 2015. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The Vegas-style whiz-bangery of "The Illusionists," with its laser lights and loud, live score, is surprising to see at the Ordway Center, where we're accustomed to taking in shows that strive for, among other things, affecting honesty.

And yet this collection of tricks and magic, which drew multigenerational audiences to its Wednesday press opening in St Paul, proves highly entertaining.

The cast of "Illusionists" is like a magnificent seven of magic from Europe, Asia and the Americas. These men are among the best in the field (they also happen to look like a 1990s boy band). The highlight act of the production comes just before intermission. Italian escapologist Andrew Basso re-creates Houdini's death-defying Water Torture Cell Escape act in full view of the audience and without a screen.

Handcuffed with manacled feet, Basso is suspended upside-down in a tank of water. On Wednesday, he picked the handcuffs and broke out of the enclosure in 3 minutes and 21 seconds. (See how long you can hold your breath.) That's less a feat of magic than of endurance. Basso, a charismatic performer who kept us on the edge of our seats, is an extreme athlete who knows the black arts.

The "Illusionists" roster includes Yu Ho-Jin, a Korean card magician whose handle is "The Manipulator." His tricks are not new. But because of his lyrical approach, he is mesmerizing as he makes cards change colors, change suit or simply dance in the air.

Making things levitate also is part of the repertoire of Kevin James ("The Inventor"), who seems to cut a man in two, then puts him back together again. James looks like a magician from the 19th century (all he needs is a bow tie), but his acts are contemporary.

In fact, all the other "Illusionists" relate to today. With his face paint and Goth mien, "Anti-Conjuror" Dan Sperry could be kin to Marilyn Manson. His moody, macabre persona goes well with his acts, which include Russian roulette done with an audience member.

In fact, if we were to boil down the show to just its magic, we would save half the time. "The Illusionists" fills the evening with audience interactive bits that are genuinely funny, even as they add to the tension in the room ("I hope he doesn't choose me!").

The production also includes Jeff Hobson ("The Trickster"), who is like Liberace for the magic set. An affable comic who relishes single and double entendres, Hobson is more comedian than magician. But in a way, his act speaks to the goal of "The Illusionists." The show is about bringing this style of entertainment into the family realm.

It works. My 12-year-old companion was grinning from ear to ear as we left the Ordway. And she has not stopped talking about her favorite acts (the various card tricks, the cutting the man in two, "all of it"), ever since.

Rohan Preston • 612-673-4390