Brad Ross Illusionist in the Kings Island Theater

[IndyGuy4KI]

The Brad Ross Illusionist show opened today at Kings Island. What are your thoughts on the show and reviews

Yes, she is levitating in the air. This is not AI.

[Cedar Fair Fanboy]

I got stumped by the levitation trick he pulled.

[silver2005]

I think the show is simple but good.  Liked the use of music and choreography.  Dialog felt a little too well rehearsed though.  I do have Ed Elonzo in my head and his use of ad lib helped a lot.

[IndyGuy4KI]

15 hours ago, silver2005 said:

I think the show is simple but good.  Liked the use of music and choreography.  Dialog felt a little too well rehearsed though.

I thought the pacing was a little odd, but maybe it was because of my first time watching and trying to get good photos at the same time. 

[robintodd]

22 hours ago, silver2005 said:

I think the show is simple but good.  Liked the use of music and choreography.  Dialog felt a little too well rehearsed though.  I do have Ed Elonzo in my head and his use of ad lib helped a lot.

I'm not sure if it's him or lighting or sound something just seemed "off".  I agree over rehearsed and to me lacked personality.  Maybe it was just the show I saw.  I'll give it another go.  The dancers were very good but I don't expect dancing in a magic show. 

It definitely is geared toward children imo and I'm sure 13 and under will get a kick out of it.  I think the biggest difference between this show and other magic shows here in the past is Penn and Teller Fool Us and the internet.  Honestly I didn't see anything that I didn't know how the trick worked.  Over half of the tricks when the "big moment" happened nobody applauded or even gasped.  Nowadays close-up/slight of hand/card magic is much more mystifying and takes more talent than large scale illusions where the assistants are doing most of the work (if you know, you know).  

Also, I may be wrong but does he use local tallent for the other performers in the show?  The "second" magician looks like he could be the Great Houdelini from the Encore show.

I can't wait for the park to start doing broadway style productions again, Oh how I miss the Taft years.

[robintodd]

On 6/1/2026 at 11:10 AM, Cedar Fair Fanboy said:

I got stumped by the levitation trick he pulled.

Think no legs larry.  Watch the ring around the body VERY carefully and notice he doesn't walk all the way from the feet to the head.  Also black backdrop, curtain, etc.  

This trick takes ALOT of core strength from the assistant.  She does it very well.  (Just my guess but with things like this, take away the impossible and what remains is the only possibile explanation.)

[silver2005]

I will say I liked a few of the individual set pieces, particularly the swords and the levitation bits.  

[robintodd]

Saw the show with my wife on Friday and my Grandkids yesterday and I have to say he was much better.  I think he just needed to get used to the theatre.  It's starting to grow on me.  I still now how the tricks are done, but that just grows my appreciation for the assistnants and their talent.  

On Friday both of the small illustions with the girls did not go off well (the scarf and the levetating glass).  He covered it as well as he could.  

[brenthodge]

It definitely is geared toward children imo and I'm sure 13 and under will get a kick out of it.  I think the biggest difference between this show and other magic shows here in the past is Penn and Teller Fool Us and the internet.  Honestly I didn't see anything that I didn't know how the trick worked.  Over half of the tricks when the "big moment" happened nobody applauded or even gasped.  Nowadays close-up/slight of hand/card magic is much more mystifying and takes more talent than large scale illusions where the assistants are doing most of the work (if you know, you know).  
 

my 11 year old looked bored out of his mind and was definitely one and done, so I’m not sure if the 13and under will all love it. We went to the 4 today (went early so we could also catch the 6 if anyone wanted to… didn’t). Same experience in that no one really seemed to care when the big moment happened, there was just a light applause from a full theatre. I just don’t think it gels. 

[Tr0y]

This is the second time I've seen Brad Ross's show. The first time being at Carowinds a couple years ago. The first time I watched it at Kings Island a couple of the tricks got botched. One being the hanging glass bottle with "champaign" being poured into it. You could clearly see the line with hook retract back into the bottle. Another being one of the boxes were one the assistants get into the box then vanishes. When she returned you could clearly see the top of her hair when she crawled back into the box.

The show wasn't as entertaining from what I remembered from Carowinds. Both of my friends I was with who were also watching it for the first time feel asleep during the show. 

[super7]

There some is production value to the show with some choreograhy etc. but not to the quality i would like to see in that theater.

The show itself is a LOT of lady-in-a-box tricks.

 This is a nice theater and a great place to take a break for them heat (or cold) during a day.    I wish during the summer, they would have summer-long, in-park productions like the theater originally hosted.   Instead of the totally outsourced, park-to-park rotating shows they have been having recently.   The Cirques being the exception.  They were full-production and shows worthy of the theater.

[burlguy41005]

Sure the show is great and wish a large scale puppet show would be added....

[brenthodge]

1 hour ago, super7 said:

There some is production value to the show with some choreograhy etc. but not to the quality i would like to see in that theater.

The show itself is a LOT of lady-in-a-box tricks.

 This is a nice theater and a great place to take a break for them heat (or cold) during a day.    I wish during the summer, they would have summer-long, in-park productions like the theater originally hosted.   Instead of the totally outsourced, park-to-park rotating shows they have been having recently.   The Cirques being the exception.  They were full-production and shows worthy of the theater.

Honestly either of the park-produced music reviews currently running would be more engaging and a better use of the space. The show from festhaus definitely deserves a better venue. Maybe then something could run the whole summer season. 

[IndyGuy4KI]

1 hour ago, brenthodge said:

Honestly either of the park-produced music reviews currently running would be more engaging and a better use of the space. The show from festhaus definitely deserves a better venue. Maybe then something could run the whole summer season. 

Cedar Point seems to put a decant show in their theater at the front of the park. An in house created show that runs all season would be great. They proved they can do it with PT Encore. 

[Losantiville Mining Co.]

Hollywood Hits and Country Crossroads have been good shows for the Festhaus to host, there's just a few things about the venue as it currently exists that makes them harder to enjoy. I would much rather have seen both of them go into the International Showplace. IMO the Kings Island Theater definitely needs a mini Broadway-style show in it for most of the regular season. The park can host smaller shows in it for the rest of the year, but to have all of that stage space and only use the front portions is kind of abysmal. The real solution would be to build another good capacity indoor theater somewhere in the park — Six Flags won't do that though.

 

Either Kings Island or Brad Ross (I can't remember who) shared a photo of all the people who help make the show happen. I'm not sure if it included park staff or if they were all touring with BR, but it was shocking to see how many people it takes to put on this "small" magic show.

[disco2000]

21 minutes ago, Losantiville Mining Co. said:

Hollywood Hits and Country Crossroads have been good shows for the Festhaus to host, there's just a few things about the venue as it currently exists that makes them harder to enjoy. I would much rather have seen both of them go into the International Showplace. IMO the Kings Island Theater definitely needs a mini Broadway-style show in it for most of the regular season. The park can host smaller shows in it for the rest of the year, but to have all of that stage space and only use the front portions is kind of abysmal. The real solution would be to build another good capacity indoor theater somewhere in the park — Six Flags won't do that though.

 

Either Kings Island or Brad Ross (I can't remember who) shared a photo of all the people who help make the show happen. I'm not sure if it included park staff or if they were all touring with BR, but it was shocking to see how many people it takes to put on this "small" magic show.

 

The photo included park staff (and not even all that are involved in some way) and yes, it can be surprising how much it takes to put on a show behind the scenes.