Stephens Auditorium audiences are set to be cast under the spell of The Illusionists – Live From Broadway on Thursday.

The magic and illusion group will visit Ames, bringing a select group of performers who have entranced audiences all over the world.

The record-breaking troupe consists of five illusionists on stage. The members on stage can be any combination of seven performers in rotation for their North American tour.

Each performer comes with a different persona related to their skill set and costume. Kevin James, known as The Inventor, dresses like to a maniacal Colonel Sanders. His stage name originates from his hand in inventing many popular magic tricks such as the Floating Rose and Bowl-a-rama that are now performed by many magicians, according to his website.

Jeff Hobson, known by his stage name, The Trickster, says their show never gets boring with how many different personalities are on stage.

“Our cast’s combined skill set crosses over all types of variety performances,” Hobson said. “It is just as much fun for the magicians as it is for the audience.”

Breaking away from traditional smoke and mirror magic shows, The Illusionists have created a performance that is meant to leave the audience wondering “how is that possible?”

According to their website, the show “dazzles audiences of all ages with a powerful mix of the most outrageous and astonishing acts ever seen on stage.”

In past shows the group has performed a mix of escapology, mind reading, comedic and close-up magic and more. The name of the game for the show is variety. Shows also include visual effects and music to enhance the experience.

Hobson also declared even the most skeptical people will be amazed by The Illusionists magical prowess. 

“We convert skeptics every show,” Hobson said. “We dare you not to like The Illusionists.”

The show, created in 2012, debuted at the Sydney Opera House. The act quickly gained traction with a heavy tour schedule and a stint on America’s Got Talent in 2015 that resulted in advancing to the semi-finals of the show.The group also performed as a guest performance on the show earlier this year with the help of dance group Light Balance.  

Other performers that are on the North American tour include An Ha Lim (The Manipulator), Jonathan Goodwin (The Daredevil), Colin Cloud (The Deductionist), Darcy Oake (The Grand Illusionist) and Chris Cox (The Mentalist).

The Illusionists are slated to perform at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Stephens Auditorium. Tickets start at $35, $10 with ISU student ID and are on sale at the Iowa State Center’s website. Doors on the north end open at 6:45 p.m. while the southwest and southeast doors open at 7 p.m.