Children’s author and illustrator Brian Selznick | Interview: Part 2

Chicago Children’s Theatre: The Houdini Box | Slideshow

• Derek Hasenstab as Harry Houdini, left, with Alex Weisman and Sara Sevigny in Chicago Children’s Theatre’s production of The Houdini BoxPhoto: Michael Brosilow013.mm.TheHoudiniBox05.jpg856031
• Alex Weisman, Victor in Chicago Children’s Theatre’s production of The Houdini BoxPhoto: Michael Brosilow013.mm.TheHoudiniBox01.jpg855952
• Alex Weisman in Chicago Children’s Theatre’s production of The Houdini BoxPhoto: Michael Brosilow013.mm.TheHoudiniBox02.jpg855973
• Alex Weisman, left, with Derek Hasenstab as the Barker in Chicago Children’s Theatre’s production of The Houdini BoxPhoto: Michael Brosilow013.mm.TheHoudiniBox03.jpg855994
• Alex Weisman in Chicago Children’s Theatre’s production of The Houdini BoxPhoto: Michael Brosilow013.mm.TheHoudiniBox04.jpg856015
• Derek Hasenstab as Aunt Harriet, left, with Alex Weisman and Sara Sevigny in Chicago Children’s Theatre’s production of The Houdini BoxPhoto: Michael Brosilow013.mm.TheHoudiniBox06.jpg856056
• Derek Hasenstab as the Barker, left, with Alex Weisman in Chicago Children’s Theatre’s production of The Houdini BoxPhoto: Michael Brosilow013.mm.TheHoudiniBox07.jpg856077
• Derek Hasenstab as Harry Houdini, left, with Alex Weisman in Chicago Children’s Theatre’s production of The Houdini BoxPhoto: Michael Brosilow013.mm.TheHoudiniBox08.jpg856098
• A scene from Chicago Children’s Theatre’s production of The Houdini BoxPhoto: Michael Brosilow013.mm.TheHoudiniBox10.jpg856139
• Alex Weisman, Victor in Chicago Children’s Theatre’s production of The Houdini BoxPhoto: Michael Brosilow013.mm.TheHoudiniBox11.jpg8561510

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Derek Hasenstab as Harry Houdini, left, with Alex Weisman and Sara Sevigny in Chicago Children’s Theatre’s production of The Houdini Box

Photo: Michael Brosilow

Author-illustrator Brian Selznick will be in the house tonight, January 27, at the Mercury Theatre to see Chicago Children’s Theatre’s stage adaptation of his acclaimed book The Houdini Box.

Here’s part two of our complete interview with Selznick, who’s had a big week thanks to the 11 Academy Award nominations for Hugo, Martin Scorsese’s film based on another Selznick best-seller, The Invention of Hugo Cabret.

What’s different about watching one of your books become a play, versus Hugo Cabret’s translation to film?
It’s fun to see how other artists adapt my work. When Jacqui [Russell, artistic director of Chicago Children’s Theatre] approached me about doing this show, I thought about doing it myself ’cause I’m also a puppeteer.

It’s about [Harry] Houdini, the most famous magician. He performed vaudeville. I used to do a lot of set design and acting, and so I loved the theater. All my books are filled with proscenium arches and curtains, [so] the idea of doing The Houdini Box on stage made sense.

How much did you know about Harry Houdini before you began writing a book about him?
He was my hero when I was a kid. I used to see a lot of movies about him and I read a lot of books about him. I wrote the book originally as a project in college, then, after college, I decided I wanted to be a children’s book illustrator and I got a job at a children’s bookstore.… It wasn’t originally written for kids, but I thought kids might like the story, and so I adapted it. It was published while I was working at the bookstore, and I had been doing a lot of research about Houdini at that point. He’s just one of the most fascinating people who ever lived.

Your work appeals to both adults and children, which is rare. How do you do that?
I definitely think my work comes from things that I liked as a kid, and things I still like now. Monsters and magic and museums and movies, a lot of things that start with “M” for some reason. [Laughs] But I don’t really write for kids. It just so happens that most people who like what I do are age 10. I think that’s great. I think kids are the best audience you could ask for.

Why?
They’re just smarter than grownups. [Laughs] They’re more open to different things. They don’t have many preconceived notions. Everything is new and fresh and surprising. A lot of people who don’t write for kids think it’s easy, because they think kids aren't as smart as they are, or that you have to dumb down what you would normally write for kids. But I think you have to work harder when you write for kids, to make sure every word is right, that it’s there for the right reason.… I’m just trying to write a good story. I’m trying to make good characters that you can care about. And that’s not something that only appeals to kids. That’s something that adults can relate to. No kid was ever an adult, but every adult was once a kid. It’s always nice when an adult tells me that they enjoyed my story or got into the plot or related to one of my characters that I made up. But I’m really just trying to tell a story I find fascinating. I generally don’t try to teach any lessons. Sometimes, I have themes that interest me or that touch on larger issues but, really, I’m just trying to figure out the plot, or how the characters work. I’m trying to make the best story I possibly can.

Chicago Children’s Theatre’s production of The Houdini Box, based on the book by Brian Selznick, runs January 27–March 4 at the Mercury Theatre (3745 N Southport Ave, 773-325-1700, chicagochildrenstheatre.org); and March 14–25 at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts (9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie; 847-673-6300, northshorecenter.org).