"It's the greatest magic show out there right now," swears the "Mindfreak" star. "I've seen them all and nothing compares to this." Watch video
NEW BRUNSWICK -- Criss Angel performs his dazzling Las Vegas stage show, and its series of death-defying illusions, 10 times a week.
With travel gigs tacked on, that's a whopping 450 shows per year for the magician deemed best "of the century" by his peers in 2010.
But Angel's relentless schedule, which over the last seven years has pumped out more than 2,800 performances at Luxor hotel and around the world, has still allowed time for a new, perhaps even more ambitious project.
Angel has worked since 2005 to develop a captivating ensemble show, in which he designs the stunts and tricks himself -- a few even overlap with his daily "Believe" residency show. But he does not perform, and instead allows a hand-selected group of his colleagues to steal the spotlight.
Such is the premise of "The Supernaturalists," a new, world magic conglomeration headed for State Theatre in New Brunswick this weekend.
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"It's the greatest magic show out there right now," swears the "Mindfreak" star. "I've seen them all and nothing compares to this."
In a recent interview with NJ.com, Angel touts his latest creation as "revolutionary."
The show debuted at Foxwoods resort in Connecticut June 25 and sold more than 40,000 tickets through its four-week engagement, a record for an ensemble magic show's premiere.
And as it prepares for its second stop -- for four performances in New Jersey beginning Friday night -- Angel cites the sheer talent of the magicians chosen, and the breadth of styles, as the source of the show's success.
"These magicians are the best of the best," he says of a field that includes grand-scale illusionist Landon Swank, famed mentalist Banachek and even an award-winning "dog conjurer" named Johnny Dominguez.
Also on the bill is Spencer Horsman, who made the news Tuesday when the escape artist failed to remove himself from a suspended "water torture chamber" during a show promotion in New Brunswick, and was hospitalized after a last-moment rescue. Last month, Angel himself was forced to climb the apparatus and save the magician during a rehearsal of the same stunt. A dramatic video of the incident went viral online.
"It could have been a horrific moment, but it's a situation I've been in many times myself, so I know the tell-tale signs," Angel says.
While all the stunts were organized by the magic mogul in his 60,000-foot Las Vegas warehouse -- which he likens to a magic "candy store" -- there is very little overlap between the "Supernaturalists" and Angel's nightly Sin City performances.
"I wanted to do something that felt like a video game or a movie, very pop-culture," he says. "I have a DJ who does the music live, it's very different approach and I think for the audience it's an experience that's very unique."
Angel, 47, maintains a remote presence during each show, and manages to host the performance live from Las Vegas via Skype on LED monitors.
Otherwise, it's the nine-piece group's task to entertain, as they manifest a full-size helicopter on stage, slice a woman in half with a circular saw blade and Horsman again attempts to escape his plexiglass cube.
Magic mogul Criss Angel has created "The Supernaturalists," a new, world magic conglomeration headed for State Theatre in New Brunswick this weekend. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) Angel notes the chance of catastrophe as inherent, and "The Supernaturalists" performers are perpetually at risk of injury.
For instance, the show's junior magician Krystyn uses five, real-world razor blades during her set.
"They are all sharp and she's flipping in her mouth and linking them together," he says.
But hopefully, terror will not be the audience's primary emotion when they leave the theater.
"I want the audience to be empowered by this show," Angel says. " When you leave the show, you've seen nine people who have come from all walks of life, from all parts of the world, to do what they're passionate about, what they love. It really says that anything is truly possible when you believe in yourself. You can achieve your dream."
Bobby Olivier may be reached at bolivier@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BobbyOlivier. Find NJ.com on Facebook.