The belief magic shows are only for children is an idea Tanya Solomon wants to discard on her national tour, "Tanya Solomon: Truth Assassin."
The 42-year-old will take the stage at the High Dive Aug. 1, with opening act Dr. Sinn's Freak Island Musical Sideshow, a local clown band.
This is only the second time the High Dive has booked a magician, as illusionist Dan Sperry performed last summer.
While known for its live music events, the High Dive also books comedy acts, theater shows and even food truck rallies.
“At High Dive, our goal is to book a variety of awesome talent and shows,” said Pat Lavery, High Dive facility and event manager.
Solomon was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, and moved to New York City in 1994, after finishing college.
“I went into publishing,” Solomon said. “I was never a performer. I became obsessed with the circus, and I literally ran away with it at the age of 30.”
She started out in the Coney Island SideShow in 2002 where she performed staggering stunts like walking on broken glass. She started dabbling in magic in 2006 but didn’t steer her focus to the art form until 2012.
“Most magicians get into it as little boys, and they’re very focused on the technique,” Solomon said. “I came to magic as someone already performing, so I was focused on the performance as much as the technique.”
Now, Solomon is one of the few professional female magicians in the world and is on her second national tour with her show “Truth Assassin.” She said during the show she would demonstrate her target skills while blindfolded with knives, make “interesting” things happen with cream corn, and shatter her audiences’ idea of the truth.
Solomon has been performing for 17 years, so she is familiar with reading a crowd's energy and keeping them entertained. When it comes to her shows, she said she believes her performance skills give her an edge compared to other magicians.
“The magic has to be very solid, but I want to make people feel like reality is slipping away and give them a sense of the impossible for a moment, and I just want to keep working for that goal,” Solomon said.
The doors will open at 8 p.m. and the show will begin at 9. Tickets are $10 at the door and $8 in advance.
“Her show "Tanya Solomon: Truth Assassin" premiered at New York City's Voorhees Theater in 2016 and first toured nationally in 2018.”
