Come one, come all. Step right up to the time machine that is the McKittrick Hotel’s Club Car, home of Speakeasy Magick.
Let me set the scene. You walk into the dark, musty, 1920’s prohibition-style speakeasy. Choose a table. Any table. Doesn’t matter if you let the magicians see which table you’re sitting at — they’ll come to you.
Cue ragtime music being played on the piano downstage for a bit while you get your first round of old-fashioneds and get acquainted with your neighbors at your table. Know that you’ll be going on a mind-boggling journey with these people for the next two hours.
Host Todd Robbins (Monday Night Magic, Chris Angel Mindfreak) kicks off the evening with a mysterious bit about the power of magic and attempts to describe what you’re about to experience — which he coined as “speed dating for magic”. You’re about to be given the unique opportunity to experience interactive close-up magic demonstrated by multiple magicians, each with their own set of tricks and style of theatrics. Robbins (who got increasingly more charming throughout the duration of the night) ends his opening monologue with the equally exciting and ambiguous phrase “anything can happen tonight.” And no truer words had ever been spoken.
Magician one steps up to your table and performs an impressive routine, a mix of sleight-of-hand card tricks, a disappearing coin or two. Maybe they make a beer appear out of thin air and invite you to share it with them (this happened to my guest for the evening, needless to say he was a happy audience member) — this first set goes for about 10 minutes.
Then onto the next magician. A whole new act, but maybe this time your magician utilizes fire (yes, real fire) and requests audience participation. So someone at your table volunteers their engagement ring as a prop, no big deal…and then it goes missing. All the jaws at your table are dropped. Except the magician, who after profuse apologies and a couple of hard-hitting jokes prepares to leave for their next set. Just in the nick of time, the ring reappears. Wand. Drop.
After about three sets, some magicians take center stage for larger spectacles that the audience experiences together. The most memorable act was Alex Boyce, who performs an illusion involving a half dozen pigeons that just keep appearing and disappearing out of thin air. Not a single word was uttered except for “How?!” “Where?!” “What?!” from all sides of the room. It was seriously impressive, I’m still trying to figure it out.
Back to the magic speed dating. Maybe this time it’s some rope magic. The best part about this set up is that no show is the same. The only downside is that you will not get to experience all magicians in one evening — so you’ll just have to come back for more.
Robbins closes out the evening with a delightful monologue and witty humor, with the full cast of magicians on stage. This acted as a thank you to all who joined the show that evening. And then they all disappeared. And so did we, onto 27th Street.
Speakeasy Magick has my strongest recommendation for an evening of magic, wonder, and fun. In a time where entertainment can be streamed on any device at any given moment, this show grants you and your guests the opportunity to disconnect and be amazed by pure talent. There’s something for everyone at this show.
Performers include Matthew Holtzclaw (Penn & Teller: Fool Us), Patrick Davis (Monday Night Magic), Jason Suran (The Other Side), Mark Calabrese (Penn & Teller: Fool Us), Matias Letelier (Matias’ Magic & Mentalism), Prakash Puru (celebrity favorite), Alex Boyce (How to Transcend a Happy Marriage), Rachel Wax (A Taste of Magic), Noah Levine (Magic After Hours), and more.
Speakeasy Magick is currently thrilling audiences at The McKittrick Hotel (home to Sleep No More) on Thursday-Sunday evenings (Th/Sun at 7 pm, Fri/Sat at 8 pm) weekly. Starting on January 2, 2020, the show will move from its current location in The Club Car to The Lodge at the McKittrick Hotel (530 West 27th Street). You can find more information about the show and tickets by visiting: https://mckittrickhotel.com/events/magick/
