About eight months after the initial shutdown , Franz Harary received a call from the Beijing-based promoter , the client behind the large-scale illusion show . “ Look , we ’ re dying here ,” they told him . The production had cost a staggering $ 12 million , and with audiences slowly returning to venues in Sanya , China , it was clear they needed to reopen the show .

However , significant obstacles stood in the way . Due to ongoing travel restrictions , Franz and most of his international team — anyone not from China , Macau , or Taiwan — were unable to enter the country . “ That left only twenty percent of the original team ,” Franz recalled . Determined to make it work , he reached out to colleagues in China and Taiwan , many of whom he had worked with over the past three decades . “ I convinced them to fly to Sanya , and together , we rebuilt the show .”

A pivotal figure in this process was “ Marky ” Il Ling Wu , Franz ’ s videographer . Having filmed the show during countless rehearsals , Marky knew every beat by heart . “ He had shot the show 40 times and knew it backwards and forwards . Plus , he ’ s a magician himself in Taipei ,” Franz explained . Marky transitioned from behind the camera to center stage , stepping into the role of the headliner . An integral part was also Marky ’ s wife Tina ( Whom he married in between Sanya and Hong Kong .) Tina is also a Taiwanese magician in her own

Day one - bringing the illusions in to the veue