Magic on Main: Vitaly Returns to Queens Theatre
The illusionist performs two shows in late November, offering tickets at $40 to $45.
By Natalia Costa ·
Queens Theatre in Flushing Meadows Corona Park will host two performances of VITALY: An Evening of Wonders in November. The event offers a specific market niche: live entertainment that resists digital replication.
Vitaly Beckman will perform on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 15, at 2 p.m. The venue is the Claire Shulman Theater at 14 United Nations Ave. South. These are the only two dates for the engagement.
Tickets are priced between $40 and $45, which includes a $2 per-ticket service fee. Purchases are available at queenstheatre.org. The show is recommended for audiences aged 12 and older.
Beckman has appeared on the CW series Penn & Teller: Fool Us three times, with wins in 2016, 2021, and 2025. He is one of only five acts to achieve this feat. During his 2025 appearance, he created a painting that matched items arranged by a guest host. Penn Jillette noted the difficulty of the trick, saying, “This is so complicated and so original, we don’t have any experience with it.”
The show features illusions where photographs and paintings animate, and faces vanish from driver’s licenses. Beckman positions the performance against the backdrop of artificial intelligence. He argues that while AI can generate answers, it cannot replicate the live experience of witnessing an impossible event nearby. “People assume that in the age of AI nothing is hidden anymore, that every secret is one prompt away. But you can’t generate the feeling of watching something impossible happen a few feet from you. That’s the point of an Evening of Wonders,” Beckman said.
Beckman holds a BSc in Mechanical Engineering, a degree he earned before focusing on magic. He applies this technical training to design and build his own props and illusions. He views his work as bridging the gap between imagination and reality. “Instead of building bridges as an engineer, I realized I could better bridge the gap between imagination and reality,” Beckman said. “That labor of love might be the one thing AI can’t replace.”
The performance runs on a fixed schedule with no additional dates announced. The production relies on Beckman’s physical presence and mechanical designs rather than digital effects. The two-day run in late November offers a limited window for attendance.
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