The Ehrlich Brothers To Bring German Magic To Charlotte

Diamonds-The Mind Blowing Magic Show Hits Ovens Auditorium This Friday

For the first time ever, German magic sensations The Ehrlich Brothers are headed to the United States, bringing their sensational live show for magic fans both young and young at heart. In their home country of Germany, The Ehrlich Brothers are larger than life. They have performed for over 4.5 million fans in the largest arenas, making them a more popular ticket in Germany in terms of ticket sales than the likes of Madonna and Justin Bieber!

Now the brothers are bringing a unique blend of elaborate illusions, a fantastic stage production, and their personal charm to the US. What will the show have in store for us? Will they pull a rabbit out of a hat or saw a lady in half? Be prepared to be surprised. Expect the unexpected. You may see death-defying escapes from a giant saw blade or even see them produce the world’s largest candy jar. In other words, you have to see it to believe it, making this show a perfect night out for families and friends or a date night with your special someone.

With a team of 35 experts, The Ehrlich Brothers construct all their own illusions, making them unique and truly their own. Shutter 16 had a chance to chat with Andreas and Chris to get the inside scoop on how they got started in magic and all about the upcoming shows.

How old were you when you first discovered magic, and what was your first exposure to magic?

ANDREAS: When I was eight years old, I got a magic kit for Christmas. I already knew where it was hidden before the presents were handed out and had practiced secretly. When the presents were handed out, I was able to perform a few tricks right away. My parents thought I was a child prodigy. Later, I told them my secret.

CHRIS: As his younger brother, I had to assist Andreas with his magic shows. Once, he wanted to make me float and had built a contraption that collapsed during the show. I didn’t find that very funny.

What was the first trick or illusion that you learned how to do?

ANDREAS: In addition to the items in the magic box, I had a favorite illusion: I made candy appear in a small pot. As a reminder of this favorite trick, we now make a giant jar of candy appear in our show, which we then distribute to the audience.

Were you influenced by a particular magician?

CHRIS: We always dreamed of being on the big stage. That’s why we didn’t pay much attention to what magicians do. We were more interested in how pop stars stage their shows, for example Madonna, Queen, and the German band Rammstein. In the process, we learned a lot about show effects that can thrill tens of thousands of people in an arena.

What is the process you go through to come up with new illusions?

ANDREAS: It always starts with an idea that comes to us while driving, in a dream, or in the shower. We take this idea to our creative team. If this crew thinks that the idea can be turned into an illusion, we start with the first prototypes. We also consider what lighting, pyrotechnics, and music we will add to make the illusion stage-ready.

How difficult is it to test out and work through a new illusion?

CHRIS: Developing a unique illusion does not happen overnight. It involves a lot of trial and error. The process can take up to five years before the illusion is ready for the big stage. This was the case, for example, with our illusion in which we make a real monster truck appear, as well as with our flying illusion. Other illusions that require less effort tend to take between six months and two years.

Your magic shows are far from a typical magic show. They are more of a spectacular event. How involved are you in the production of the live shows?

ANDREAS: We always say that we are the architects of our dreams. We are involved in every process of developing a new illusion. Our dad built many illusions with us and taught us the whole craft. Today, when we’re not on tour, we spend most of our time with our crew in our workshop, working together on new illusions.

What sets your show apart from any other magic shows? What can people expect when they come to see one of your shows?

CHRIS: Most of our illusions can only be seen at our show because we built and staged them ourselves. For example, we ride a real motorcycle out of a giant iPad, we bend railroad tracks with our bare hands, and especially for the US, we have developed an illusion that has never been seen before: we make a real Lamborghini float and disappear into thin air in the blink of an eye.