Is it a dream? Is it a puzzle? Is it a trick? How did they do that?

Typically those four questions zip through the audience’s mind as they sit transfixed watching two of Canada’s cutting-edge illusionists.

Ted and Marion Outerbridge with their new Clockwork Mysteries arrive on Friday, March 15. It is a first for the Morinville Community Cultural Centre.

Don’t expect rabbits, top hats and canes. Do expect never-before-seen Harry Houdini style straight-jacket escapes, vanishing acts and levitation illusions.

“What Marion and I do is brainstorm and take existing methods of accomplished illusions and dress them up in a new box,” says Ted.

Ted is the grand illusionist who seems to manipulate matter and defy the laws of physics. On the other hand, Marion’s skill as a dancer and illusionist blends elegance and theatricality into a redefined role. Adapting their own specialties, they have created a thrilling and sophisticated performance.

“Having dance adds another dimension. It adds beauty and tells a story,” said Ted. “Other magicians have been impressed with her. Her background in dance allows her to perform illusions others can’t. For instance we have an illusion of light floating in the air. Movement helps create the illusion the object is floating.”

Clockwork Mysteries thrives on glamour and showmanship with a combined 25 illusions that tell a story. At the start a masked burglar enters to steal an hourglass.

However, time cannot be stolen. A magician creates a magical spell to travel back in history to catch the burglar, and a time machine appears whisking the audience to the 60s and the Victorian era.

“The show is about celebrating time. It’s about how our lives are ruled by time and about celebrating the moment. People can relate to that.”

One of their most eye-catching props is a seven-foot alarm clock. Ted steps inside and when Marion turns the hands, he disappears. Developed while on the road, it’s taken eight years to realize its potential.

“It’s not a magic prop. It’s really an oversized alarm clock,” Ted said.

The Quebec-based couple’s entourage also includes Greta, the Great Psychic Goose, a mind reader who loves to draw upon the audience.

“She’s a goose puppet, but because she’s a goose puppet, people laugh more at the comedy.”

Ted instinctively knew his career path was the world of magic since before entering elementary school. His parents had taken him to a restaurant. While eating spaghetti, Magic Tom, a roving magician, pulled an egg from his ear.

“It gave me goosebumps. He also had a weekly TV show. He gave me such an incredible sense of wonder, I decided I wanted to do it,” Ted said.

By the time Ted was seven he had polished a rope trick that fooled adults and soon had a paper route that earned him money to buy more magic tricks.

As a young man, his magic pillars were deception and sleight of hand, but as a mature magician, his repertoire is a witness to the seemingly impossible.

Part of the reason he continues to perform after 30 years in the business is to remind people of the awe and wonder they felt as children.

“Anyone who enjoys magic will love this show. Anyone not crazy about magic will be pleasantly surprised,” he said. “It’s not just a magic show. We connect with the audience and move them more than they expect. It’s fast-paced, funny and unique.”

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