HOUDINI SEANCE

Intro

Harry Houdini was the ulitmate showman, starting in dime halls as the King of Cards, and working his way up to filling every venue he played around the world.

October 31st 1926 Harry Houdini died of Peritonitis in Detroit. In the years before his death he had waged a war against fake spiritualists and mediums.

Before Houdini died, he and his wife agreed that if Houdini found it possible to communicate after death, he would communicate a secret message, a code which they agreed to use. Bess held yearly séances on Halloween for ten years after Houdini's death.

Now on the 100 year anniversary of Harry's death, we will go through his life story and try again to communicate beyond the veil.

History

1874 – Born Erik Weisz in Budapest, Hungary (later anglicized to Ehrich Weiss).
1878 – Emigrated with his family to the United States, settling in Wisconsin.
1891 – Began performing magic professionally, adopting the stage name Harry Houdini (inspired by French magician Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin).
1894 – Married Bess Rahner, who became his stage assistant and lifelong partner.
1899 – Gained fame after being discovered by manager Martin Beck; began touring vaudeville circuits, performing daring handcuff and escape acts.
Early 1900s – Rose to international fame for escaping from jails, chains, straitjackets, and submerged containers.
1910 – Made headlines by piloting one of the first controlled flights over Australia.
1913 – Debuted his famous Chinese Water Torture Cell escape act.
1910s–1920s – Expanded into film, starring in and producing several silent movies; also became president of the Society of American Magicians.
1920s – Devoted much of his later life to exposing fraudulent spiritualists and mediums, becoming a vocal skeptic of the spiritualism movement.
1926 – Died on October 31 (Halloween) in Detroit from peritonitis caused by a ruptured appendix, at age 52.
Legacy – Remembered as the world’s greatest escape artist and a symbol of human daring, illusion, and skepticism.

Who(dini)

Stuart Harley lecturers on Houdini, performs a Houdini Tribute act, and has spoken about Houdini on both BBC & ITV.

He is a Member of the Magic Circle and Chairman of The Sussex Magic Circle he is also a member of the SAM (a magic society Houdini was President of).

The evening has three elements, the story of Harry which includes magic finishing with the 'Séance'.

For anyone of a nervous disposition, the 'Séance' is 'magic', we will not be talking to the dead.

When

31 October 2026, 100 year anniversary of the death of Houdini

Tickets