Pulling Back the Curtain: Magic and Metamorphosis with Norvil & Josephine

Rabbits Out of the Hat: Norvil & Josephine’s 2026 UK Magic Show Tour

It is always a pleasure to speak with artists who are not only masters of their craft but deeply committed to the social impact of their work. This week, we caught up with the delightful duo Norvil & Josephine (Christopher Howell and Desireé Kongerød) as they prepare to tour their enchanting production, Rabbits Out of the Hat. Set in 1905, the show cleverly uses the traditional glamour of the Victorian music hall to explore the fierce energy of the suffragette movement. Through a blend of magic and character-led storytelling, they examine the tension between holding onto the past and finding the courage to rewrite the rules. They told us about the evolution of the “assistant” and how they ensure their show remains a heart-warming, inclusive experience for all ages.

Red Bus: Your show is set in 1905, a time of immense social change with the suffragette movement. Do you feel the sibling rivalry between Norvil and Josephine serves as a mirror for the broader societal shifts occurring at that time?

Desireé Kongerød: Yes, absolutely. The show is set in 1905, but with the “manosphere” and a backlash against gender equality happening today, I find that the play is getting more and more on point. The show is about tradition versus change. Norvil & Josephine have inherited the variety show from their parents and Norvil wants to keep the show the way “Father and Mother” performed it. Josephine, however, wants to change the show to reflect who she and her brother are. With the emergence of the suffragette movement, Josephine finds the strength to convince a change that ultimately is good for them both.

Red Bus: Desireé, you have spoken about the “voiceless, scantily clad” stereotype of the magician’s assistant. In creating a Josephine who “rewrites the rules,” what were the biggest challenges in balancing the technical requirements of traditional illusions with a character who is finding her own independent voice?

Desireé Kongerød: I guess it is how active the character of Josephine is during the magic. Josephine is taking more of the limelight than a stereotypical assistant would do. One of the moments of revelation in “Rabbits Out of the Hat”, is when Josephine discovers she can float off what she calls the “Broom of Doom”. Usually this illusion is done with the assistant being passive, by being “hypnotised” or given a spell so that the magician can manipulate the assistant’s body in space

In Norvil & Josephine’s version, we wanted Josephine to be active and in control. So Josephine goes a step further to be the assistant who floats… Herself! She is not only awake during the illusion, but she performs contortion while in the air. I believe we are the first magic act in the world featuring contortion during this illusion. We only realised after the development of our version, that the first time a woman assistant talked during this illusion was when Lucille Ball performed it with Orson Welles in 1956.

Red Bus: Your story is about “the courage to be yourself”. In an age of digital effects and AI where “magic” can be manufactured on a screen, why do you feel the physical, live spectacle of Vaudeville is still the best medium to tell a story about human authenticity and hidden dreams?

Christopher Howell: In the vaudeville era in the USA (or music hall which was the equivalent in the UK) the shows were a mish-mash of variety performances. Often acts broke the “fourth wall” and spoke directly to the audience. They shared stories and it was often a warm, interactive atmosphere. That sort of live connection with an audience is something that’s just as powerful today as it was back in vaudeville times. I think especially in an age of digital media and plasma screens the size of your car, still nothing can replace that sort of live connection to tell our story. The delight of hearing audience gasps proves that a live spectacle has the upper hand on video edits and AI.

Red Bus: Your creative team includes a fascinating mix of talent, from a Las Vegas magic grandmaster to a New York composer and a master clown from Australia. How did these diverse international perspectives help shape the show?

Christopher Howell: I was born in the USA and my family moved to the UK when I was still in school. Desiree is from Norway and came to London to study dance. So between ourselves and our creative team, we have quite a range of backgrounds and creative perspectives. We knew many collaborators who we wanted to be involved in the creation of the show but because some of them lived around the world, in large part we worked with those people over Zoom. I think the fascinating thing to experience was how the creative input of various partners influenced that of others. The whole definitely became greater than the sum of the parts even though many of the collaborators never met each other. Then ‘on the ground’ in London it became a matter of coalescing everyone’s brilliant ideas and input and honing the story we’re telling, much like we are doing this week with the latest developments of the show with actor and director Martin McDougall.

Red Bus: You have performed together since 2006 at prestigious venues like the Wintergarten in Berlin and Hollywood’s Magic Castle. As you embark on this UK tour, how do you ensure that a show with such deep themes of identity remains a “feel-good romp” that is just as engaging for a five-year-old as it is for an adult?

Christopher Howell: You’re not the first person to be sceptical on both accounts before seeing the show! Nonetheless, that’s what we set out to do. As for handling the show’s theme while keeping it fun and light, it can be a bit of a tightrope walk to not be ‘preachy’ and just to tell the story through the adventures of the characters on stage. We’ve spent years in development and hacked our way through many versions of the script (I think we’re on version 37 now). Finally I think we’ve found the right balance.

As for the range of ages that this show appeals to, what speaks to the adults often flies over the heads of the younger ones. And while all ages will be giggling and gawking throughout, they often are at different things. It’s a bit like a good Pixar movie in that respect. Only after we made the show and started sharing it around the country with our first audiences did we learn just how defined the age boxes are in the UK regional theatre industry. We just set out to make a fun and heartwarming show for PEOPLE. And hopefully when you see the show, you’ll think we’ve done it!