06/18/2026
The history of my Metamorphosis – The Most Terrible Tribute to Houdini
Between 1976-77, after having been a magic shop salesman and taking an interest in performing my own shows, I began forming original ideas for magic routines.
I was aware of a classic escape trick called Metamorphosis, made famous by Harry Houdini. It is both an escape and a transposition of two people; the person in a locked trunk magically and instantly switches places with the person who locked them in. This is traditionally done under the cover of a curtain. Magicians commonly refer to this effect as a substitution trunk effect. I did not have access to the trunk necessary for the performance, so I was never able to do it. I had seen others do it and privately noted that the most important moment came in the middle of the effect – when the audience sees the two people visually switch. The rest of the routine is just unlocking the trunk and getting the other person out. Not very entertaining. I thought of this as a problem to solve.
I had purchased THE WORLD’S GREATEST MAGIC by Hyla M. Clark. It was a chronicle of many of the most successful acts in magic and had wonderful full-color photos from their acts. Included was a chapter on the Las Vegas legends, Seigfried and Roy. From this chapter, I learned that they had a variation of the substitution trunk effect where they not only switched places but also ended up in different costumes at the end. I was intrigued.
As I thought about a costume change, I imagined doing this with a female assistant, which turned into NOT a costume change, but a switch of each other’s costumes. A much funnier image that somehow made more sense. I was unable to develop this at that time.
My first substitution trunk experience came as I started working with a male partner, my best friend Terry Sangrene. Due to his blonde hair and my nearly black hair, we chose to call our act Salt and Pepper. We were able to borrow a “sub trunk” from a mutual friend, and I suggested that we do a costume change. We closed our performance with this trick and as we exchanged places, our tuxedo shirts became t-shirts that read, “Salt” on Terry’s and “Pepper” on mine. As we turned around, the back of Terry’s read, “The” and mine read, “End”. We only did this a few times and then we stopped working together and I started performing as a solo act.
I had to wait ten more years before I was able to start working on the idea of switching costumes with a female assistant. The opportunity came once I was hired at Adventureland Park. I was scrambling to find larger prop routines to fill the stage. My girlfriend (and soon to be wife), Margaret, agreed to work with me as my assistant at the park.
The stars were aligned because I quickly stumbled upon the perfect sized, old steamer trunk for my Metamorphosis. It was an ordinary trunk that allowed me to start from scratch and craft it into exactly what I wanted. As I thought it through, I began to imagine other funny bits that would contribute to the parody of things going wrong. The construction of the costumes, the curtaining and curtain rod, all became original ideas customized for this untested routine.
I should mention that the trunk was finished before the full routine was working and we first performed the substitution effect without a costume switch and using a low energy background song. I have video of this, and it is painful to watch.
Once we started doing the full comedy routine, we were able to do it two to three times a day throughout the summer. We could hone every moment into consistent laughs. I finally found the perfect music - the powerful William Tell Overture, often recognized as the old Lone Ranger theme. We continued performing it each year at the park and evolved the curtain system, we changed the costumes many times to match the changes to my yearly costume. I painted the trunk different colors and used new curtain material. One year, I taught my part to my friend Terry in case I needed a person to fill in for me. He was the only other person to do the male role.
At one point, I started offering our Metamorphosis routine as a special finale that companies could add to my solo show for events outside the park shows. The routine received much bigger laughs from these primarily adult audiences and soon we stopped doing the routine at Adventureland. We brought it onto our cruise ship shows and a few comedy clubs. I had a carpenter build a duplicate trunk that could be taken apart and put into a smaller travel case. I also designed a curtain rod that could be separated into three parts, that would easily fit into the case as well.
When Margaret and I divorced in 2015, I was convinced that it put an end to the 25-year run of Metamorphosis.
My park shows continued after hiring new assistants for it. There were two, Lindsay Beatty and Amy Nichols, who became quite important to me and my show, and the resurrection of Metamorphosis. After watching video of the routine, they hounded me to bring it back. They wanted to perform it. I relented but after my five-year hiatus, I discovered that my knees and lower back were not going to cooperate in the limited space of the original trunk. So, after adding a few inches here and there, I asked a carpenter to build a slightly larger version. It still looks like a steamer trunk from days gone by. I was delighted to see how each assistant found joy in performing it and each brings their own personal touches to the comedy of it. There have been several assistants who have now learned to make all the right mistakes to help make this trick funny.
This routine means a lot to me. I consider it a part of my legacy. It is my first original funny idea brought to life. It embodies all my entertainment tools: magic, physical comedy, and parody. It is a type of perverse magic where the trick goes wrong and the performers look inept, all for the sake of creating laughs. It offers a puzzling surprise that seems out of the control of the performers. And yet, we are in complete control of the action. It is the ultimate illusion and very satisfying to perform.
I was inspired to write this because we have introduced Metamorphosis to a new set of assistants, and it is once again in good hands. We hope to perform it in one of our four daily shows every day throughout the 2026 season.
See you at the park!
