Sorceress 'Sabine' sizzles when 'The Illusionists' apparates in Redding

For a magician, going through airport security is no easy trick. You may have to explain to agents why you have props like a bullwhip in your carry-on.

Making it big in showbiz as a magician and escape artist is no easy trick, either, but Sabine the Sorceress did just that. She’s the only woman in the six-star variety troupe "The Illusionists," appearing at the Redding Civic Auditorium on Tuesday.

The show features some big names among young magicians including the 2018 World Championships of Magic winner An Ha Lim of Korea. Other featured performers are daredevil Jonathan Goodwin of Wales, deductionist Colin Cloud of Scotland, British comedian and trickster Paul Dabek and Aussie unusualist/magician Raymond Crowe.

And Sabine van Diemen of Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Van Diemen's youth wasn't spent catching bullets in her teeth or using a bullwhip to snap petals off flowers between other people's teeth — both tricks she's mastered. 

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“Dance was my life,” said van Diemen, who started ballet at 4 years old. By 18, she'd gone professional with The Holland Show Ballet. 

Then a magician's assistant in the show was injured and she was asked her to fill in. With minutes to prepare, she performed the fire cage illusion. "There’s fire in it, and then you appear," she said. 

She emerged unsinged and absolutely hooked on magic. “I immediately thought, ‘This was amazing. I want to keep doing this.'"

She learned the trade for a few years as a magician's assistant. Then in 2011, she began a five-year collaboration with Dutch illusionist and Vegas headliner Hans Klok. She went solo in 2016.

“The first gig was the West End" magic show “Impossible” in London, she said. "So much for taking it slow.”

Her parents weren't exactly dazzled by their daughter's new career, she said. “At first, my mom didn’t like magic at all. My dad said it was all fake. It’s very Dutch. They’re very ‘keep your feet on the ground’ kind of people.'"

Their opinions changed after they saw her show, she said. Now all of her parents' friends seem to know about their famous daughter. "They’re secretly proud," she said, laughing.

The 2018-19 season of "The Illusionists" is van Diemen’s first. She’s also the first female member in the history of the troupe.

Historically, magic has been mostly a man's world. Women held secondary positions, like scantily-clad assistants. Until recently, women who headlined did so as part of a couple's act, like the Pendragons.

“We’re breaking barriers at the moment,” van Diemen said of women magicians. “I’m one of the few. Maybe little girls in the audience will think, ‘Oh, I could go into that.’”

During performances, van Diemen gives a magic kit to a girl in the audience and urges her to practice.

While she’s “very aware of being the only female in a men’s group,” her fellow cast members treat her as one of the gang, she said. 

“They have no mercy,” she said. “They don’t treat me as ‘the woman.’ We’re very equal and they make me feel super welcome.”

She wants audiences to see her that way, too, she said. “I try not to move or dress overly sexual, so the audience perceives me as one of the" performers.

Van Diemen’s repertoire includes audience favorites like the water tank escape, a variation on the trick made famous by Harry Houdini.

“Doing illusions gives you a lot of adrenaline because lots of things can go wrong,” she said. “Sometimes I want to tell people how it’s done because it’s so difficult, but of course I’m not going to. I think some illusions, if you knew how it worked, you’d say, ‘Oh, my God! How is that possible?’”

She doesn’t want to spoil surprises by revealing what tricks she’ll do Tuesday, but she hinted there's going to be a special feat with daredevil Jonathan Goodwin.

“It’s actually not magic," she said. "It’s plain dangerous. You have to really trust each other to do those things.”

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Van Diemen describes The Illusionists as "Vaudeville 2019." It's also family-friendly, she said. “It’s not made for kids,” but “it’s nothing too scary.”

Redding is a one-night stop on the show's six-month North American tour. 

Traveling to new venues daily can be a little taxing, van Diemen said, but the physically-demanding performances are a joy. “I love to see the looks of wonder and astonishment on people’s faces. It’s just the best job.”

Go to http://sabinevandiemen.com to read more about van Diemen, including her blog where she writes about life as a magician — including how to get through airport security with a bullwhip.

If you go:

What: “The Illusionists: Live from Broadway”

When: 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 2

Where: Redding Civic Auditorium, 700 Auditorium Drive.

Price: Tickets are $49.50-$69.50. Buy tickets at the box office, call 229-0022 or go to www.reddingcivic.com.

Jessica Skropanic is features reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. She covers lifestyle and entertainment stories, and weekly arts feature d.a.t.e.  Follow her on Twitter @RS_JSkropanic and on Facebook. Join Jessica in the Get Out! Nor Cal recreation Facebook group. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thank you.