This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:06] Robert Bannon: Are you ready? It's the round table with me, Robert Bannon.

[0:11] Robert Bannon: Hi everybody, welcome to the round table. My name is Robert Bannon, and I'm so excited to be here with you today to talk about stalkers. Have you ever had a stalker? Have you ever been a stalker?

[0:25] Peter Brynolf: Hi Robert.

[0:27] Robert Bannon: How are you?

[0:28] Peter Brynolf: I'm well, how are you?

[0:29] Jonas Ljung: I just left you.

[0:31] Robert Bannon: I just well, today we're talking about Stalker. Stalker is a show that's playing right now at New World. And listen, I went to one of the first shows. I went on stage. I got my picture taken. I gave them my name. I had my seat. And every time they were gonna pull someone from the audience, the sweat was pouring, pouring from my forehead. I was so excited to be there, and by the end, I was dumbstruck, awestruck. Just it is something amazing to see. And if you've ever been stalked, or maybe you're a stalker, I'm not judging, but you gotta go check out the show. The show's called Stalker and Peter and Jonas. Welcome to the show.

[1:08] Peter Brynolf: Hi.

[1:09] Jonas Ljung: Hi there.

[1:10] Robert Bannon: You both are so charismatic on stage. You have such stage presence. And when I was there, a guy got up and just walked across the stage, hand in his paper. And you remember that one, yes.

[1:28] Peter Brynolf: Yes.

[1:29] Robert Bannon: And you both just without missing a beat, you just continue to be charming and sweet and make such a fun environment. How's it been so far to have this show here in New York?

[1:37] Jonas Ljung: Wonderful.

[1:37] Peter Brynolf: Yeah, fantastic.

[1:39] Jonas Ljung: Amazing. Um, the audience is really something extra. It's a mix of seasoned New Yorkers, like seasoned theatergoers that have seen it all, mixed with tourists that they bring in from Times Square, and it's such a fun show to play, and the audience reactions are fantastic.

[2:06] Peter Brynolf: And the audience is also a big part of the show, so to speak. So yeah, this is an important element. Very important element, and I'm trying not to give anything away, but this show is really heavily based on audience participation. But if you're not interested, then you just get to sit back and watch the film. We will never force anyone, we promise.

[2:28] Robert Bannon: Well, if you want to get tickets, you can while we're talking, stalkershow.com is where you can get tickets, and then of course you can follow them. You can follow them both either the show or you could follow them on Instagram and the show. You can get tickets, and it is a really fun date night or take your kids or take your parents or anything coming up, Father's Day, Mother's Day. This is a show that you need to go check out because it's great. You know what I loved about it? It's 90 minutes. I'm old, I don't have to go to bed late. There's no intermission. You just give us a good old show.

[3:01] Robert Bannon: So where did the idea, how did you two meet? How did you become partners? Do you call it magic, mentalism? What do you consider what you do?

[3:09] Jonas Ljung: Yeah, we I think we're just saying magic. Um, but we have really constructed something on its own, like it's a mix of sleight of hand, psychology, suggestion. It’s a mix of lots of different elements that really when we put this together, it really feels like a paranormal experience. Um, and it's not, we're not like supernatural, yeah, or aliens or, but it really we really come to all we like almost come to the point where it is magic for real.

[3:52] Robert Bannon: Well, I was in the audience, so I'm not so sure that you're not supernatural or paranormal. I'm not convinced if the lights start flickering and things start bending and things start flying off the wall, it's their fault because I saw it with my own two eyes. How did Penn & Teller become involved in this process? I know you did their television show, now they're producing this.

[4:14] Peter Brynolf: Yeah, it started. I mean, already in 2011 when we did the Fool Us program. They liked us, we liked them, of course, which we've been growing up with them. So, of course, it was a big thing for us to do the Penn & Teller Fool Us show, and when we started to think about doing this in New York, we contacted them and said, "Hi guys, we would really like you on board for this," and then we had a long process where we sent them video material and the script and so on, and fortunately they said yes.

[4:56] Jonas Ljung: Yeah, this is the first time they have ever done something like this, so they needed to process this, they needed to be sure that this was something they could put their name on. But let me tell you that Penn & Teller are so important for the progress of magic and the magic community. They are such great supporters of good magic because I can imagine that they have seen quite a big share of really, really bad magic. So with their show Fool Us and all their engagement in promoting great magic, that has really meant a lot for the magic community and for us as well.

[5:50] Peter Brynolf: So this is basically why they chose to put their name as producers for our show. And you asked before how we met, and I can just jump back to that question. We met in the magic community in Sweden, in Gothenburg to be exact, like late 1990s or early 2000s, something like that, and then in 2004, we made the first thing together at a friend's wedding. Yeah, we put together actually the trick we did on Fool Us for Penn & Teller. That was like the very first trick we invented together, yeah.

[6:31] Jonas Ljung: But it had some progress. We developed it further on, of course. But yeah, that was the first thing, and then from there it just went upwards.

[6:42] Robert Bannon: Well, that's almost 25 years that you two have been knowing each other and had and crazy. You know what strikes me about this is that there are magicians and mentalists all around the world, but there are very few of them who travel from Europe or Asia or anywhere in the world, the United States, and come to New York and have a show off Broadway or on Broadway or in this area, and something that you both are doing. What I love about it is that there's a theme and there's a creativity to it that is very theatrical. It's not just a rabbit out of a hat or a card trick, even though there are some very good up-close magic tricks. I know Yuri Geller makes an appearance in your show, and I know that you're talking about Penn & Teller. Are there magicians that have inspired you?

[7:29] Peter Brynolf: There's a little, you know, a bit of I love magic. So there's a little bit, I've seen a lot of magic shows. There's a little bit of an homage to many magicians in your show, but also it's incredibly, there's so many great magicians that we are like leaning toward that we are like standing on their shoulders. Um, like just to name a few, of course, Penn & Teller, which has meant a lot for us. David Copperfield, um, David Blaine, of course, with his street magic genre, which he actually invented, and Darren Brown, who is a great mentalist, so skilled. Also, even not maybe not for inspiration, but there's so many good magicians right now. We just before we opened our show, we saw as a wins in a circle, for example. Completely another type of genre, like very intimate, but it was great also when this is he's a great guy, yeah. But among all of those great magicians, as Jonas said, we are standing on the shoulders of, of course.

[8:41] Jonas Ljung: But I also think actually I do think we have created our own genre, so to speak, within this community, and it's like a very important thing. Whatever you do, that's to like get recognition, you need to do your own thing, you need to find your own voice and make it yours and not do covers of other people. The copy thing has been a huge thing within the magic community for a long time, and I finally hope and think we're coming out of that era, so to speak, the late 10 or 15 years we are moving out of that. So yeah, you can see like so many great and original shows right now. Yes, you should come and see Stalker about all these. Go see Stalker shows, I'm telling you it's something you've never seen before, and then by the end of it, you will realize that they have a lot of tricks up their sleeve, more than meets the eye. I will say more than meets the eye.

[8:51] Robert Bannon: And technology-wise, things have gotten to be so much better to make a magic show because you guys use camera work, so we get to see your crew who's amazing, follows you around. So when you're in the audience doing up-close magic, we're seeing it on the screen, so it's no more we are right up close no matter where you sit, no matter what you're doing. How important is a good crew when you put together a magic show?

[8:51] Peter Brynolf: So important. And this show is so hard to do. It's hard for us every night, but it's hard to do for all of the crew members. We have a pretty big crew. I think it's 13 or 14 people backstage or in different roles during the show, besides us. It's the two of us on stage, and they are doing crucial parts. You mentioned video, so we have a live video editor during the show, and now let's not give too much away, but in the end, you really understand why so much video was involved when you get the recap of the show. But also, I mean, the video, as you say, is very choreographed video editing as well because to get the experience of rather being on a live TV show than in a magic theater because magic is also very much about us.

I would say David Blaine invented the way of showing people's reactions as the way of confirming that this is real. That is something we can use in this setting as well, getting the trick. People must see the trick, but you should also see how the people react.

[8:51] Jonas Ljung: Yeah, so that's actually a very big part of it as well. So yeah, we really show the reactions of the audience in the show as well on the big screen.

[8:51] Robert Bannon: Yes, you do, and thank God I wasn't up there. I was shocked, awed, and the only magic I mean maybe you could put me in a globe of water or in an ice cube or something like David Blaine. But I want it, listen, you both, I went to clown school when I was a kid. I wanted to be a magician so bad. You know, I had the coloring book and I had the little foam bunnies and the little ball tricks and things like that. Was magic always a passion? Did you start loving this at a young age, or did you come to it at an older age? Was it something you loved when you were a kid?

[8:51] Jonas Ljung: Both, yeah, like partly because when I was like five or six or seven around that age, I discovered magic through TV. And I think that one, like I think maybe Penn & Teller's first very first TV special was something that really affected me. I can still remember it. But at that point, I didn't know how to proceed. I didn't know how I could learn this trade. So I tried, but I failed miserably with plastic props, magic boxes from China. So yeah, so I basically put that on the shelf for 10 years, and then when I was 17, again a TV show sparked my interest. Now a Swedish TV show, and at that point, I started to invest a lot of time.

[13:09] Jonas Ljung: Now this is this is like a fun fact. Uh me and Peter at that time we didn't know each other, but Peter was inspired by the very same TV show in another part of Sweden. Uh the poorer, more rural part of Sweden. Yeah, I'm from a small town in the south of Sweden, so yeah. Which I which are not from the second largest in Sweden, which isn't that big, but uh it's um yeah bigger than the source. So so we we started at the same time in the age of like we were late teens. Yeah, late teens, uh because of the same TV show, uh, and then became friends because of our mutual interest. That's it's fascinating. It fa it's fascinating to me. The whole journey is fascinating, and the magic community is not very except at the level you are all doing it, it's not a very big community.

I'm sure it's tight-knit. Peter, is it hard to break into this community? Is it is there a lot of gatekeepers? Is there a lot of of of like uh this is our world and we don't want to let you in? How was your journey into being in the upper echelons of magic?

[14:13] Peter Brynolf: I would say it was rather the other way around, at least in Sweden. Uh, we have a very including community in Sweden, uh, I would say, and at that time, we were like uh before me and Jonah started working together, uh, we were like a few, maybe 10, 15, uh same age, who like we did competitions in Sweden and uh abroad and in FISM and so on. So we were like uh pushing each other in a way. Uh but of course there is some competition. Um but we have also when we started to work together, we've also always been like yes sayers. So we've always, if we got an uh yeah, if it's not illegal, we'll do it.

[15:05] Robert Bannon: Again, while we're talking, stalker show.com, you get your tickets, you can go to New Worlds and see and see the show. So when you bring it when you bring it to New York, you you guys use something that Penn and Teller I know does after their show. You go out in the lobby, you meet every single person, you you sign play bills, you take pictures, you talk magic, and and and so what has the reaction been like from an American audience versus say Sweden?

[15:29] Jonas Ljung: It's uh it's an amazing audience here, very outgoing, very they are really excited, I would say. Um and now this is right after the show, and um people are affected off the show. They are um again, not to give too much away about the big plot twist in the end, but uh besides the magic and then then entertainment value, uh people are like moved by the show and and the things that happen in the the very last 10 minutes of the show. So when they stumble out from the theater, they they are in a place where they need to talk about their experience. So they they talk about their experience with us, uh, and um we we kind of get it get like the reaction right now uh that people a lot of people say that okay, uh this is one of the best shows I've seen in in my life, and it like really affected me. So and this this is this is so nice to hear, of course.

[16:31] Peter Brynolf: Um, but it it's it it really adds something to us as well, being able to chat if even for 10 or 15 seconds uh with people when signing or or doing the photographs. So uh and I think we see that this means uh a lot to some people as well.

[16:49] Robert Bannon: Yes, well, what I love so much is that I sat two rows behind someone who's very involved in the show, who is very involved in the show. When you watch the whole show, you'll understand. And as we were walking out, they were walking next to me, and their reaction was so fun to see because if you think that this doesn't change every night, or if you think there's someone is in on this, you need to see them after the show because there was no way, unless they're Daniel J. Lewis, they were not acting that surprised and not being real. And people and people do so that the uh the people that are like um uh featured in in the show that gets some extra exposure, people rush to them after the show. They ask them, Are you in on it? What what what did you actually feel? Did you actually feel a touch on your arm? Did you actually, yeah?

[17:39] Jonas Ljung: So they they get like overwhelmed of of other people approaching them after the show? I would I would stress that we never use any plans whatsoever. We have never done that, and we will never do that. And like uh for us, we don't need to do that. That's the important thing. We don't actually, and if we would, it would be like theater, it wouldn't be magic. We're actually not into theater, we're into magic.

[18:06] Peter Brynolf: Yeah, and those TikTok clips or Instagram clips that you can see now that where people are clearly in on it, like beautiful girls in bikinis reacting to magic tricks. You basically you can tell it you might still enjoy those clips, but it's it's it's theater, it's like TikTok theater, and uh yeah, it's better this way. So get your tickets. You could maybe you're the person that will uh everyone will be rushing to by the end of the show. Should we give everyone like a quick tip how to so um be sure that you are uh in the theater in the room a little bit before the show starts?

[18:49] Jonas Ljung: That improves your chances of being photographed and being put up on the big board uh where the fun stuff happens. I did. I saw I sat down in my seat. I was in when the doors opened because I was ready, I had was ready to look around. What's this uh uh they're not gonna fool me, and then I yeah, I'm going on that stage. They take your Polaroid photo, you write your name on the and I was like, and the person before me was very prevalently featured in the show, and I walked in with him. I'm telling you, people, he did not have any idea what he was in for, and neither will you. He had no clue.

[19:29] Peter Brynolf: Um, yeah, absolutely. Uh, so what do you do next? Are you always working on new tricks? Do you do you say, like, all right, this show's done, so we're just gonna write like what happens? What do you do you talk about it amongst yourselves? Like, how does the process of of new tricks and new shows happen?

[19:46] Jonas Ljung: We work very much in projects, I would say. So when we go into a new project project, that requires new uh tricks, that requires new uh sequences. So it's often in those uh in those projects that we create new material and uh then we live with that for a while until next project, and then we create new material for that project. It could also be like small projects, it could be like okay, we're gonna record with this influencer. Let's create something for this, and that is a project, but it's not like we we have this as a work. I mean, we go to the shows tonight uh at nights, and now we haven't like started working through the days, but normally we work uh office hours as well with uh everything else, yeah, yeah.

[20:31] Peter Brynolf: Uh creating and preparing for uh PR and so and we have we have some um hopefully some upcoming TV spots, and we need to uh create stuff for that uh as well, of course, to promote the show. So that's that's um basically uh the things that are in the pipeline right now.

[20:49] Robert Bannon: Exciting. Do you ever get to go to a party and people leave you alone? Or are they always asking? Are they always handing you a deck of cards?

[20:56] Jonas Ljung: And and we're never visiting parties. If we're we we might, yeah, we might get some invitations off this to see the New York Nightlife. But we we might, you know, uh yeah, but basically we work so much. So after the show, we often enough we go out to a bar, we hang out uh with maybe parts of the crew or friends or or someone who who came and visited the show and and and stuff like that. Uh but yeah, let's go to more parties.

[21:28] Peter Brynolf: And they they bring the ultimate party trick. So New York, they're they're ready to go to parties, and if you don't invite them, they will stalk you and find you. Trust me.

[21:36] Jonas Ljung: Yeah, uh not just as a joke, we will actually stalk you.

[21:42] Peter Brynolf: Facts, a big facts, totally. I belie I've I've seen it.

[21:45] Jonas Ljung: Uh, do you have funny stories? Uh like the night I sold you that the guy walked across the states, he just got up and and didn't follow the instructions. Have has have things like that happened. Do you ever get nervous that things are gonna go wrong?

[21:57] Peter Brynolf: Um I would say we most we take care of it uh most of most of the times. It's not no, I wouldn't say that we're nervous for it. Uh it's more like anticipating what should what could come next. But yeah, absolutely. Things go south in the show every night, uh to some degree.

[22:19] Jonas Ljung: Uh again, it it's a really complicated show to uh to do, but we are expecting this. It's it's okay and funny situations like that. Uh yeah, and again, I can really recall that. I I remember that uh where someone got up on the stage. He he misunderstood some instructions, I think.

[22:37] Peter Brynolf: Yeah. Um but yeah, th things like that ha happen not every night, but every week at least.

[22:47] Jonas Ljung: I cannot I I left, I brought my friend Mike. Mike watches Penn and Teller's show, he was familiar with your work, and he is one of those annoying people who tries to figure out how the tricks are done and then you have to get the whole ride home from jersey where he says okay i think this can you just enjoy the damn show mike and we i i because i don't i believe in magic i believe in the art and artistry that you're doing and what you're doing on that stage is so entertaining and original that i guarantee you by the end of the night you will be in awe and shocked yeah and you may want to move and change your driver's license and your social security number and things like that because I don't trust these two I'm gonna get a new computer after this chat I don't trust we have infiltrated this whole thing yes a stalker show.com is the best place for people to find out the dates and times and get their tickets and listen you can get a ticket you you know you they're they're reasonable they're fun there's not a bad seat in the house go get yourself some dinner tickets yeah great great theater to especially for this kind of show because it's very intimate I hope you guys have the best time in New York City uh thank you we already have um and we're looking forward to like uh to stay as long as we can yeah and we're looking forward to the summer yes you need to be in the summer and I don't know what is on your new york like bucket list like what do you want to do?

[24:10] Jonas Ljung: Uh we yeah we want to spend as much time on Times Square with the tourists as possible. I'm just kidding that that's that's the only bad thing about it inside a gorilla that's I was gonna say are you gonna wear a Mickey Mouse costume with the head off or yes if you just if you just stay off like the the very center of the Timesquare the rest of New York is so fabulous. So we like really looking forward to finding all the all the great spots uh in New York and meeting all the great people of New York.

[24:39] Robert Bannon: See, you're only here a couple of months uh on uh in a in a in a new york production in the center of Times Square, and you already sound like a New Yorker. Any real New Yorker is get me out of Times Square. I can't stand being here. And you see you're already well, you're a native New Yorker. Congratulations on everything. And New World Stages Stalker is playing right now. You need to grab your tickets and and figure out uh and and get down there and see the show.

[25:04] Peter Brynolf: Um and thank you so much for being here. It was a real joy to be here.

[25:07] Jonas Ljung: Thank you for having us. So excited to talk to you both.

[25:11] Robert Bannon: Congratulations.

[25:12] Peter Brynolf: Thank you very much.

[25:15] Robert Bannon: There you have it. I had so much fun. Can you tell? I love magic. I believe the world is magic. I believe we're all magic. Do you believe in magic?

[25:24] Jonas Ljung: I sure do.

[25:25] Robert Bannon: Uh, and I look forward to being here with you. I think me being here is magic. Just the idea that this the world convenes in a certain way, leads you to certain place. And maybe people are not stalking you like stalker, but they are a part of your world for a reason. You know what I'm saying?

[25:43] Robert Bannon: Well, this is me telling you all thank you so much for being here. I look forward to seeing you next time on the round table. There's more good than there's bad. There's more joy than there is sadness, and there is magic in the air, y'all. The message to come till next time. Thanks for being here. Bye everybody.