Displaying items by tag: Chicago magic

Chicago Magic Lounge welcomes back acclaimed magician David Parr as its Fall Artist in Residence with David Parr: Time Traveler, a new theatrical experience that uncovers the places where history, mystery and magic collide. A winner of the coveted Penn & Teller: Fool Us trophy and the Lounge's first Artist in Residence, Parr returns Wednesdays at 7 p.m., October 7 – December 16, inviting audiences to explore forgotten legends, remarkable true stories and unexplained mysteries—where history is often stranger than fiction.

History has secrets. Magic helps uncover them.

Combining captivating storytelling with masterful sleight of hand, David Parr: Time Traveler uncovers remarkable moments from the past where fact and folklore blur together. Audiences will encounter a 16th-century book on magic so controversial it was ordered destroyed by a king, pull up a chair at Deadwood's legendary Dead Man's Hand poker game, glimpse Thomas Edison's fascination with the paranormal, and even venture into the mysteries of fortune telling and prophetic dreams.

Every performance is a reminder that the world is still full of surprises and mysteries, and that history is often far stranger than the version we learn in school.

"This show is like finding a box full of cool stuff in a forgotten corner of the attic," said Parr. "It's a reminder that we live in a world of surprises and mysteries. Beyond that, it reminds us that history is much weirder than the version we learn in school."

David Parr: Time Traveler plays Wednesdays at 7 p.m., October 7 – December 16, 2026. Tickets are $44 (Standard) and $50 (Front Row), plus applicable fees. Tickets for all Chicago Magic Lounge performances are available at the box office, (312) 366-4500 or online at chicagomagiclounge.com.

Each evening begins with close-up magic performed right at guests' tables by Chicago Magic Lounge's talented house magicians. Between performances, audiences can enjoy craft cocktails, small plates and the vintage ambiance of the Harry Blackstone Cabaret.

About David Parr
David Parr is a winner of the coveted Penn & Teller: Fool Us trophy and creator of one of Chicago's longest-running magic shows, recognized by the Travel Channel as one of the nation's top magic shows. He performs regularly at the world-famous Magic Castle in Hollywood and was the first Artist in Residence at Chicago Magic Lounge. Parr is also the author of several acclaimed books on the art of magic, and his original creations are performed by magicians around the world.

Special One-Night-Only Series This September
Before David Parr begins his residency in October, Chicago Magic Lounge will kick off its fall season with One Night Only, a five-week series featuring a different acclaimed magician every Wednesday evening. Each special engagement showcases a distinct voice in contemporary magic—from impossible mind reading and world-class sleight of hand to theatrical storytelling and grand illusion—giving audiences five unique performances, each presented for one night only.

Mark Toland
September 2
Mark Toland knows what you're thinking—and proves it—in The Mystery Show, his fast-paced, interactive mind-reading performance. As featured on NBC, ABC, FOX, WGN, TEDx, NPR and CBS, and winner of the Chicago Theatre Award for Best Special Event, Toland dazzles audiences with psychological illusions and mysteries of the mind.

Trent James
September 9
Award-winning magician Trent James combines astonishing sleight of hand, sharp humor and infectious enthusiasm to create an unforgettable live experience. Having performed around the world and headlined renowned venues including Chicago Magic Lounge and the Magic Castle, his mission is simple: to make audiences fall in love with magic.

Paige Thompson
September 16
Known for her captivating stage presence, quick wit and refreshingly offbeat approach to magic, Paige Thompson is a resident company member of Chicago Magic Lounge. She has appeared on Penn & Teller: Fool Us and performed for audiences around the world, from luxury cruise ships to some of magic's most celebrated stages, creating experiences that feel personal, surprising and full of genuine wonder.

Walter King Jr. "The Spellbinder"
September 23
Known as "The Spellbinder," Walter King Jr. is an award-winning illusionist and Chicago native whose pioneering career has spanned nearly four decades. Blending illusion with hip-hop music, dance and theatrical storytelling, he creates larger-than-life experiences that showcase both his innovative artistry and enduring passion for wonder.

Benjamin Barnes
September 30
Benjamin Barnes is an acclaimed magician, producer and Entertainment Director of Chicago Magic Lounge. Combining world-class sleight of hand with a warm, engaging stage presence, he has become a favorite of audiences nationwide, with appearances on Masters of Illusion, Penn & Teller: Fool Us (where he fooled the hosts), and some of magic's most celebrated stages.

Tickets for One Night Only are $44 (Standard) and $50 (Front Row), plus applicable fees.

New at Chicago Magic Lounge: The Bewitching Hour

Chicago Magic Lounge also introduces The Bewitching Hour, a new happy hour experience offered exclusively in The Performance Bar every Monday through Wednesday from 8–10 p.m.

Guests can enjoy specially priced cocktails, a rotating seasonal cocktail, featured wines and the close-up bar magic that makes an evening at Chicago Magic Lounge unlike anywhere else. No reservations or tickets are required. The Performance Bar is reserved for guests 21 and over, with seating available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Also Happening at Chicago Magic Lounge

The Close-Up Show
Mondays at 7 p.m.
Tickets: General Admission $37

The Showcase
Tuesdays at 7 p.m.
Tickets: Standard $39; Front Row $44

The Signature Show
Thursdays–Sundays at 7 p.m.; Fridays & Saturdays at 10 p.m.

Tickets: Front Row $95–$103; Premium Main Floor $84–$95; Standard $74–$84; Mezzanine $63–$68

Tickets for all Chicago Magic Lounge performances are available at the box office, (312) 366-4500 or online at chicagomagiclounge.com. Chicago Magic Lounge is a 21+ venue. Guests ages 16 and older may attend ticketed evening performances when accompanied by a legal guardian.

For a complete schedule of performances and more information about Chicago Magic Lounge, resident and guest performers, please visit chicagomagiclounge.com.

One of the things I have always thought that concerts and other live events had over theatre is the energy of the crowd afterward. While people certainly leave plays and musicals moved, impressed, or deep in conversation, there is often a certain reserve to the way theatre audiences spill out onto the sidewalk. That was not the case after Champions of Magic at Studebaker Theater.

Leaving the theatre, the crowd was electric. People of all ages and backgrounds were in full childlike awe, excitedly recounting their favorite tricks, debating the moments that scared or shocked them most, and trying (mostly unsuccessfully) to understand how any of it could have been done. At one point, while my friend and I were part of the herd heading toward the train, an older man turned to us mid-discussion and said, “Usually, I see tricks and, even if I don’t know exactly how they did it, I can wrap my head around it just being an illusion. That was true magic.” And it was – that’s the only explanation.

That reaction captures the biggest strength of the night: it makes magic feel genuinely special again. In an age when so much of our entertainment is filtered through screens, clips, and behind-the-scenes explainers, it is easy to think you have already “experienced” these kinds of illusions through television or YouTube. But seeing them live, in a room full of people gasping, laughing, screaming, and turning to strangers in disbelief, is a completely different kind of experience – one you can only get from the Champions of Magic, themselves.

The large-scale magic show runs upwards of 2.5 hours, including one intermission, and is loosely structured as a rotation between three featured acts: Young & Strange (Richard Young, Sam Strange), Liberty Laren, and Fernando Velasco. While each performer brings their own style and specialties, the show works best when it feels like a shared, collaborative spectacle. There is something especially exciting about seeing different magicians combine their individual strengths to create an experience that feels bigger, stranger, and more theatrical than a traditional magic show.

The company of Champions Of Magic - photo by Bill Axell.

The variety of tricks is especially impressive. Champions of Magic includes everything from classic illusions, like the classic woman-sawed-in-half, to large-scale and death-defying stunts, to more intimate pieces of sleight of hand with audience interaction. Some tricks are quick and funny; others are story-driven and beautiful. The show also includes bits of magic history, particularly through fourth-generation magician Liberty Larsen’s family history as the founders of the Magic Castle. This was one of the most interesting threads in the evening, and I found myself wishing there had been even more of that magical history woven throughout the show.

The production is also extremely audience - and family-friendly, with plenty of built-in participation. Volunteers are selected in playful ways, such as by launching ping-pong balls into the audience, and several children are brought onstage as assistants. That said, parents should be warned before intermission: the glowing “red light, green light” magic toy promoted during the show costs $30 in the lobby – much more than I expected and not advertised until kids were already next in line for their new toy.

Aside from the occasional product placement, the show’s biggest issue was with pacing. I understand that a production of this scale needs slower, smaller tricks for both budget and timing reasons, and not every moment can or should be a massive illusion. Still, for a show pushing two and a half, there were stretches that felt extensively padded with smaller-scale filler. Ironically, the grand finale had the opposite problem. It was packed with multiple incredible tricks, but they came so quickly - back-to-back - that there was barely time to absorb one astonishing moment before the next was already underway. A little more breathing room there would have made the ending feel even more satisfying, without risking exposing the secrets at play.

Even with those pacing issues, Champions of Magic is a very fun, very unique night out. It is bigger, more surprising, and more communal than I expected, and it reminded me how powerful live spectacle can be when experienced with an audience fully willing to believe in what they are seeing. Whether or not it was “true magic,” it certainly felt like it.

Originally scheduled to run through July 5th, Champions of Magic was extended before opening due to popular demand – now running at Studebaker Theater through August 23rd. Tickets are available at https://championsofmagictour.com/.

*Extended through September 2nd