Queens Theater: Illusionist Vitaly Returns for Two Shows
The mechanical engineer and Penn & Teller: Fool Us winner performs VITALY: An Evening of Wonders in Flushing Meadows next month.
By Andrew Yang ·
Illusionist Vitaly Beckman is back in Queens for two performances only. His show, VITALY: An Evening of Wonders, hits the Claire Shulman Theater at Queens Theatre in Flushing Meadows Corona Park on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 15 at 2 p.m.
Beckman holds a rare distinction in the magic world. He is one of just five acts to fool Penn & Teller three times on their CW series Penn & Teller: Fool Us. His wins occurred in 2016, 2021, and 2025. During his 2025 appearance, he created a painting that matched, item for item, the objects a guest host had just arranged on stage. Penn could not explain how it happened. "This is so complicated and so original, we don't have any experience with it," Penn told him.
The new show mixes art and magic. Photos and paintings come to life on stage. Beckman makes faces disappear from audience members' driver's licenses. He describes the performance as a journey from a boy with a dream to a man with a vision. The goal is to remind people of the wonder in daily life.
Beckman earned a BSc in Mechanical Engineering before choosing magic. His parents pushed him toward a practical career, and he never intended to use his degree. He discovered illusion as a teenager. Now, he uses that technical background to design and build his own illusions. He sees his work as a bridge between imagination and reality.
"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.
He added that his labor of love might be the one thing AI cannot replace. "Instead of building bridges as an engineer, I realized I could better bridge the gap between imagination and reality," he said.
Tickets are $40 to $45. That price includes a $2 per-ticket service fee. The show is recommended for ages 12 and up. You can buy tickets at queenstheatre.org. The venue is at 14 United Nations Ave. South.
