Sometimes it falls to one man.

Eight Things To Know

Birmingham’s Empire Theatre, 1913.

Harry Houdini played a five-day engagement at Birmingham’s Empire Theatre in April 1913. It was one stop on a four-month tour of the UK that showcased his new act, a daredevil’s trick called the “Box Escape Challenge.”

When Houdini came to town, his show began well before the curtain went up. He would first make a pre-…