Clearly Impossible is a variation of the illusion

Illusion

An illusion is a distortion of the senses, revealing how the brain normally organizes and interprets sensory stimulation. While illusions distort reality, they are generally shared by most people....

 sawing a woman in half

Sawing a woman in half

Sawing a woman in half is a generic name for a number of different stage magic tricks in which a person is apparently sawn or divided into two or more pieces.-History:...

 devised by Jonathan Pendragon

The Pendragons

Jonathan and Charlotte Pendragon were an award-winning husband-and-wife team of American illusionists who called their work "physical grand illusion"...

.

Description

The illusion is very similar in principle and performance to the older "Thin Model" versions of sawing a woman in half, with the exception that the boxes used to cover the assistant being divided are clear, rather than opaque. In basic concept, it is very similar to the transparent sawing developed by Les Arnold in the late 1970s. However, in the Pendragons version, the boxes are much smaller, and are never covered at any point during the illusion. As a result, the assistant within the boxes remains in full view throughout, making this a particularly baffling illusion for the audience.

Performance

The illusion usually begins with the magician showing the audience a low table, designed to split into two halves. The main assistant is then introduced, and lies down on the table. Other assistants then place two boxes over the assistant, with clear sides and tops. As the upper box is placed over them, the main assistant extends their arm out of the open side of the box, while their head and feet extend out of the ends of the two boxes. Small stocks are then used to restrain the assistant's feet and neck. Because the boxes have clear sides, the audience is able to see right through them, and can see that the assistant has not curled up inside the upper box, as is described in many commonly available magic books for the "Thin Model" sawing. The magician then cuts through the box using either a saw or sword (although some performers skip this step), and dividers are placed into the box either side of the cut. With the dividers in place, the two halves of the table are unlocked and pulled apart. As the assistant has been in full view of the audience throughout the illusion, it appears that they have been separated into two halves, the impossibility of this situation helping to give the illusion its name. The halves of the table are then pushed back together, the dividers removed, and the unharmed assistant released from the stocks and boxes.

Explanation

The assistant's trousers have a rigid frame that locks into place so she can walk normally, but when she is lying down she can pull her legs back and under him or her. Some performances hint at this and show it when The Twins perform it. If one looks carefully, false feet can be seen being pushed up or down.

Notable performances

While she was in a relationship with David Copperfield, and not otherwise occupied with modelling work, Claudia Schiffer

Claudia Schiffer

Claudia Schiffer is a German model and occasional actress, who reached the peak of her popularity during the 1990s, initially due to her resemblance to Brigitte Bardot. Schiffer is one of the world's most successful models, having appeared on over 500 magazine covers...

 often assisted Copperfield in his stage shows as a "special guest assistant". Part of these shows was a performance of Clearly Impossible, with Schiffer as the assistant being sawed in half by Copperfield.

In November 2004, singer Shania Twain

Shania Twain

Shania Twain, OC is a Canadian country pop singer-songwriter. Her album The Woman in Me , brought her fame and her 1997 album Come On Over, became the best-selling album of all time by a female musician in any genre, and the best-selling country album of all time. It has sold over 40 million...

 appeared on the BBC

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

 charity telethon Children in Need

Children in Need

Children in Need is an annual British charity appeal organised by the BBC. Since 1980 it has raised over £500 million. The highlight of the Children in Need appeal is an annual telethon, held in November. A teddy bear named "Pudsey Bear" fronts the campaign, while Terry Wogan is a long...

as a celebrity assistant in a magic act, being sawed in half in a performance of Clearly Impossible.

Italian singer Sabrina Salerno

Sabrina Salerno

Sabrina Salerno , also known in her singing career as Sabrina, is an Italian singer, television hostess, model, actress and record producer...

 assisted illusionist Martin in a televised performance of Clearly Impossible.

While presenting SM:TV Live, British TV presenter Cat Deeley

Cat Deeley

Catherine Elizabeth "Cat" Deeley is an English television presenter and model. Since 2006, Deeley has also been the host of So You Think You Can Dance in the United States, for which she received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition...

 was the first British celebrity to be sawed in half in a version of Clearly Impossible.

During a promotional visit to Europe, Jessica Simpson

Jessica Simpson

Jessica Ann Simpson is an American recording artist, actress, television personality, and fashion designer whose rise to fame began in 1999. Since that time, Simpson has achieved many recording milestones, starred in several television shows, movies, and commercials, launched a line of hair and...

 participated in a performance of the illusion where she was sawed in half by illusionist Hans Klok

Hans Klok

Johannes Franciscus Catharinus "Hans" Klok is a Dutch illusionist and actor.-Biography:Hans Klok was born in Purmerend, the Netherlands....

, who used a large circular saw to divide her in two.

When she appeared on a Mexican talk show, Penelope Cruz

Penélope Cruz

Penélope Cruz Sánchez is a Spanish actress. Signed by an agent at age 15, she made her acting debut at 16 on television and her feature film debut the following year in Jamón, jamón , to critical acclaim...

took part in a performance of this illusion.