Once upon a time, in a small village nestled deep within the woods, there lived a woman who was known as the witch next door. The villagers whispered tales of her strange potions, mysterious rituals, and her eerie ability to communicate with animals. Some claimed she could see the future, while others feared her for her uncanny knowledge of their darkest secrets. Her house, hidden behind a veil of overgrown vines and tangled branches, stood in stark contrast to the quaint cottages that formed the rest of the village. Despite the rumors and the cautionary whispers, there was an air of curiosity that lingered whenever the witch next door was mentioned. Children would peek through their windows, hoping to catch a glimpse of her performing her enchantments, while adults traded stories and superstitions about her powers.

The Story

Chicago has a long history of invention. The skyscraper, the Ferris Wheel, Crackerjack, etc. What Chicago didn't invent; we made better, and called it “Chicago-style”. We didn't invent the hot dog, but we made it unquestionably better by putting a salad on top and calling it Chicago-style. We didn't invent pizza, but we put sauce on top of it and baked it for an hour in a pan to create Chicago-style pizza. But what about Magic?

What is Chicago-style Magic?

At the turn of the century, Magic was performed across the country on the Vaudeville circuit and separate national tours. These superstars of Magic were household names, performing to thousands of patrons every night of the week. Miracles like levitation and sawing people in half became synonymous with Magic. However, in Chicago, there was a different type of Magic taking hold.

In the early 1900s, at 1800 N. Halsted, in a little place called "Schulien's," the owner's son would greet patrons at their tables and sit down with them to show them close-up Magic while waiting for their food. Close-up is typically done with cards, coins, and other quite common items. This was the first time that Magic was presented in this intimate setting. Now, it's important to note that Matt Schulien didn't invent close-up Magic; instead, he changed the overall experience, creating tableside, restaurant magic.

Next, at a little bar called inside the LaSalle Hotel in Chicago's Loop, a bartender named Johnny Paul added the next chapter of Magic innovation, instituting "Bar Magic." He used to juggle bottles behind the bar but knew close-up Magic as well. He was an associate of Schulien and once said, "What he was doing at the tables, I began doing behind the bar." While patrons were drinking, Johnny would entertain them with jokes, gags, and close-up Magic.

Shortly after, and for decades since, almost every working magician in Chicago could be found in the bars and restaurants of Chicago performing close-up Magic. Magic Bars began to open on all sides of the city as well. Bars and restaurants like New York Lounge, Little Bit O' Magic, Johnny Paul's Magic Lounge, Ryan's Magic Tap, the Ivanhoe, Houdini's Pub and Pizza, Mr. C's Magic Lounge, and, of course, Schulien's, would become world-famous for a particular style of Magic that came to be known as "Chicago-style." Fast, funny, personal, close-up Magic performed in a restaurant or bar setting. Magic with a drink in hand. As nature intended.

These bars would begin closing in the 1980s and '90s as Magic started to taking hold in Las Vegas, and the lure of Hollywood would be too much as well. Chicago's well-known Magic Bar Scene officially ended in 1999 with the final closing of Schulien's. It's not a prominent part of Chicago's history, but to those who were there, remember it fondly. A book was written about these bars, called Now You See Them, Now You Don't. My Life in the Magic Bars of Chicago , by Bill Weimer. It recounted his days performing in several magic bars. It captured the energy, the laughter, and the mystery of this lost era of Magic. Upon reading this book, I had a vision to bring it all back.

In 2015, I started a once-a-week show comprising all the lost elements of Chicago's old magic bars. Magic at the bar, Magic at your tables, and Magic on a small stage, but most importantly, I wanted to bring back the fun and lighthearted nature at the core of Chicago-style Magic. Our little show caught the imagination of nightlife audiences and became popular enough for us to expand. Redefining their concept of what a magic show could be—a truly immersive experience with Magic everywhere. We also built a large community of local, professional magicians who had long been without a clubhouse to call their own through this show. The Magic was back.

This was when I met my business partner, and we began to realize Chicago needed a permanent home for Chicago-style Magic. We partnered with the best architects, designers, and builders in the city. We created a custom, Art Deco-style theater specifically built for close-up Magic. We broke ground on June 7th, 2017; Cook County Commissioners were on hand to dub June 7th "Magic Day" in Cook County. We now have a Magic Bar, the Blackstone Cabaret Theater, and the Close-up Room known as the 654 Club, all under one roof. Through the years, we've been internationally recognized, hosted hundreds of magicians, entertained tens of thousands of people, and created a new home for magicians and magic enthusiasts alike.

On March 16th, 2020, we shuttered our doors to do our part to prevent the spread of Covid-19, and we remained shuttered for 15 months. It was a long road; we were innovative with digital programming, bringing close-up Magic into living rooms during a stay-at-home pandemic. Even Matt Schulien had to innovate Chicago-style Magic during prohibition, performing in people's homes alongside bootleg whiskey. Chicagoans always find a way. The intermission is now over. We cannot wait to welcome everyone back to the Chicago Magic Lounge to rediscover or experience for the first time a lost Chicago tradition; Chicago-style Magic.

The Magic is Back.

Review: The Chicago Magic Lounge Wows and Amazes with Justin Purcell’s An Honest Living

On the surface, this question might feel simple. Did the magician succeed in bringing the audience along for the ride? Did I feel tricked? Ultimately, did the magic feel real? However, this is all relative. Every audience member attending a magic show brings their own experience. Some enter wanting to figure out every trick, and some want to be carried along—living in a world in which magic and wonder exist fully.

On another level, how does a critic convey the success of the magic tricks? Every magician requires an element of surprise. Upon walking into the Chicago Magic Lounge, every audience member is warned that while photos are allowed, videos are not. We want to keep the magician’s secrets and ultimately, describing the magic tricks in a review seems to infringe on that very goal.

So, I return to the question: How does a theater critic review a magic show?

To start, I can say that the experience of attending a show at the Chicago Magic Lounge is noteworthy on its own. From the very moment an audience member sits at one of the tables in the theater, the magic begins. As bartenders come around to offer drink and food options, magicians travel from table to table. Gasps and applause can be heard from various points of the room as audience members are wowed with card tricks and table magic. Each of these magicians that I experienced was incredibly personable, and takes the time to get to know the patrons a little before starting their act. I personally felt that if the table magic was this impressive, how could the main act possibly top it?

However, when the lights went down and Justin Purcell came on stage, it was clear the true show was about to begin. I hesitate to spoil the tricks that he performed, but I can say that from the very first act, he engaged with the crowd. The acts ranged from small close-up magic to larger moments that included audience participation on a much larger scale. The audience became a second character in his performance, and Purcell regularly engaged with everyone in the space. Parcell built this relationship with ease, bringing a charisma that invited us to trust him and willingly go along for the ride.

Justin Purcell. Photo by Sarah Elizabeth Larson

I admit that when attending a magic show, I am often one to try and reason out the tricks. I look for the loopholes and consider all the possible ways the magician might have accomplished the task at hand. With Purcell’s show, I dropped that tendency within the first five minutes. He was clearly having a blast on that stage, and that enjoyment radiated throughout the theater. I was not alone in responding to the various acts with a gasp or cheer, and as the show went on, the volume only increased. Rarely do I find myself quite as engaged with a performance piece, and who knows? Maybe it truly was magic.

To put it simply, An Honest Living is a night to remember. If you enjoy a night of fun and wonder, this show is one for you.

An Honest Living runs through January 3, 2024, at the Chicago Magic Lounge, 5050 N. Clark St. Tickets range from $42.50 – $47.50 for Wednesday night performances. Running time is 60 minutes without intermission. The Chicago Magic Lounge is a 21+ venue; 16+ allowed with legal guardian.

Lauren Katz is a Chicago-based director, educator, and arts administrator. She has been reviewing shows since moving to Chicago in 2016 and loves seeing the exciting range that the Chicago theater and arts scene has to offer.

For more information on this and other plays, see theatreinchicago.com.

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Review: Harrison Lampert is a most welcome mess, Wednesdays at the Magic Lounge

On a cold January Wednesday, with little going on, a trip into the beautifully fake laundromat on Clark Street yielded a packed showroom, filled to the balcony with local fans of prestidigitation checking out the latest fare at the Chicago Magic Lounge, one of the most notable success stories of late on Chicago’s live entertainment scene.

On hump day, or whatever it is that defines a Wednesday, the Magic Lounge books a weekly regular for some three months of gigs, in contrast with the variable weekend programming. For these cruelest months of wind chill and gray skies, that performer is Harrison Lampert, an intriguingly self-deprecating magician with nihilistic tendencies.

Lampert works with an ill-fitting jacket and very few props: a deck of cards or three, three ropes (or one, depending on the moment), and a couple of hoops. At one point, he does appear with a little box of tricks, only to spill it all over the stage. That sense of a magician trying to avoid being utterly swallowed by the chaos he has created in his own head is at the core of Lampert’s act. And his existential panic is at once off-putting and rather beguiling.

You might think of Lampert as the antithesis of the silent Teller; in his hourlong set, which is very funny, Lampert never stops talking even for a second. He intentionally allows his mouth to form words even before his brain fully has decided what to say, all part of his theme of being pretty much a total mess, albeit one for whom the cards and ropes still manage to effect some remarkable transitions. You don’t really know whether to watch his mouth or his hands — or the sweat upon his brow — all of which Lampert turns to his advantage.

Theater Review: SEAN MASTERSON’S MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE (Chicago Magic Lounge)

One of the real hidden gems in the Windy City’s entertainment scene is the Chicago Magic Lounge. This stunning Art Deco theater is home to one of the most luxurious bars in the city and is open seven nights a week. To enter, you must pass through the front area, cleverly disguised as a laundromat. This is to pay homage to the building before the CML team took over, renovated and redecorated. Turning the door’s handle you enter a posh palace, much like Dorothy leaving the banal black-and-white world of Kansas and stepping into the magical Technicolor wonderful world of Oz.

Once inside, the action is spread over three entertainment areas. The aforementioned 1930s-style speakeasy bar, the 110-seat Harry Blackstone Cabaret Theater and a formal back-room close-up gallery, The 654 Club. Did I forget to mention the Elegant Chicago Round Table Library? Home to a priceless collection of literature, props, memorabilia and artifacts celebrating the men and women who were the global superstars of the magic world at the turn of the century. It’s conveniently found right off of the main lobby. Enchanting, captivating, bewitching and all of this is before the show even started.

Speaking of shows, now appearing every Wednesday night until the end of June as part of their Artist-in-Residence series, the Chicago Magic Lounge proudly presents their lastest, Sean Masterson’s Message in a Bottle. Well known in the Chicagoland area, Masterson performs regularly at Theater Wit, The Music Box Theater, Shattered Globe Theater, The Actors Gymnasium and at the Old Town Art Fair. Well, hump-day is now the regular spot to catch his unique combination of sleight-of-hand wizardry combined with his mesmerizing storytelling.

In-between mystifying vanishing knots, jumping knots & cut and restore rope tricks, Masterson chronicles the age-old jealousy-fueled rivalry between magical greats, Alexander Herrmann and Harry Keller. If you are not familiar with these two nineteenth-century superstars, you will be by the end of his act. They had Harry Houdini level fame before Houdini was even out of grade-school. Just surrender to the numerous head-scratching “how does he do that” moments that pepper his act. This prestigious prestidigitator’s card tricks and ambitious illusions entertained an enthusiastic, if not befuddled, audience. Be forewarned, participation is absolutely required.

On top of this new weekly show, there is an array of House magicians that rotate nightly before the headliners appear. Our one-of-a-kind experience brought to life by a trio of tricksters, Paige Thompson, Deven Brown and Magic Sam. Never has the staple of magic, the up-close card and coin trick, been so delightfully confounding. This Chicago-style close-up magic happens while the patrons are comfortably in their seats. Using cards, coins and other familiar objects in sleight-of-hand fun while negotiating the intimate setting, the magicians do all the work. Jettison all skepticism and doubt and just sit back and enjoy the ride.

For many the Performance Bar is a regular neighborhood hideaway, open to the general public nightly. Tickets are not required to grab a cocktail or glass of wine. The luxurious seating, with capacity capped at 34 guests, adds to this lush and intimate experience. The renovations are truly stunning to behold. While sitting at the bar, you also have a front row to the complimentary floor show, with house magicians and guest entertainers working their wizardry between pours.

Speaking of pours, they have a full menu of signature cocktails aptly and thematically named, including the “Dark Arts”, “Smoke and Mirrors”, “Abracadabra” and the “Sleight of Hand”. Each made with an array of whiskeys, scotches, rums, tequilas and more. If wine is more your poison, Chicago Magic Lounge also offers a detectable wine menu, served by the glass or bottle. If you get the nibbles, the kitchen is open for a selection of mouthwatering appetizers, including their heralded herb-salted French fries with truffle aioli, prosciutto wrapped dates, roasted olives or Farmers’ Market Crudités. For those with a sweet tooth, enjoy the s’mores with house-made graham crackers, salted caramel truffle ganache, brûléed vanilla bean marshmallow, dipped in bittersweet chocolate, the bonbon trio or the hand-dipped chocolate truffles.

The Chicago Magic Lounge truly is a one-of-a-kind experience. Part throwback to a nostalgic forgotten era of backroom prohibition pubs, part sentimental historic magician’s museum and all parts foreboding fun.

Marvel at the hocus-pocus. Become wide-eyed by the wizardry. Enjoy the impeccable illusionists. Just make certain to book your online reservations quickly. They sell out often and you only have until the end of June to catch the new Sean Masterson’s Message in a Bottle act before he, pardon the pun, disappears.

photos by Sarah Elizabeth Larson

Sean Masterson’s Message in a Bottle
Chicago Magic Lounge, 5050 North Clark Street
Wednesdays at 7pm
ends on June 29, 2022
for tickets, visit Chicago Magic Lounge

Children would peek through their windows, hoping to catch a glimpse of her performing her enchantments, while adults traded stories and superstitions about her powers. However, few dared to venture near her abode, as fear held their feet firmly planted on the other side of the village. One day, a young girl named Lily, full of boldness and wonder, decided to defy the warnings and approach the witch's house.

Guided by her unyielding curiosity, she pushed aside the branches and stepped over the threshold of the bewitching dwelling. What she discovered inside was not the darkness or malice that the tales had foretold, but rather a place full of warmth and life. The witch, whose name was Hilda, greeted Lily with a kind smile and invited her into her humble abode. Surrounded by shelves filled with ancient spellbooks, jars of sparkling powders, and vials of swirling liquids, Lily listened intently as Hilda shared her knowledge and experiences. She explained that she wasn't a witch in the evil sense, but rather a guardian of nature, using her abilities to heal and protect the delicate balance of the world around them. As the days turned into weeks, and the weeks into months, Lily became a regular visitor to the witch next door. She learned the ways of potions and spells, and how to connect with the animals and plants that inhabited the forest. Hilda taught her the sacred responsibility of maintaining harmony with the earth, and the importance of using her gifts for the greater good. Word of Lily's friendship with the witch began to spread throughout the village, and the once fearful gazes turned into looks of curiosity and awe. The villagers soon realized that the witch next door was not their enemy, but rather a guardian of their very existence. Hilda's healing remedies brought relief to those who suffered, and her wisdom became a source of guidance during uncertain times. In time, the witch next door became an integral part of the village, her house serving as a haven for those seeking solace or advice. The once isolated woman found herself surrounded by a community who had come to appreciate her unique talents and her unwavering dedication to preserving the natural world. And so, the tale of the witch next door evolved from one of fear and suspicion to one of respect and admiration. The village learned that appearances could be deceiving, and that sometimes, embracing the unknown could lead to the most profound and magical connections. The witch next door had changed not only the perception of a village but also the lives of its inhabitants, as they realized that magic could be found in the most unexpected places..

Reviews for "The Witch Next Door's Secret Garden: A World of Herbs and Potions"

1. John - 2 stars

I was excited to read "The Witch Next Door" as I love fantasy novels, but I was thoroughly disappointed with this one. The plot was confusing and didn't seem to flow well. The characters felt one-dimensional and lacked depth, making it difficult to connect with them. Additionally, the writing style was rather dull and uninspiring. Overall, I found "The Witch Next Door" to be a letdown and would not recommend it to others.

2. Jessica - 3 stars

"The Witch Next Door" had an interesting concept, but it fell short in its execution. The pacing of the story was inconsistent, making it hard to stay engaged. The author introduced several intriguing plot points but failed to develop them fully, leaving me feeling unsatisfied. The main character was also quite irritating, making irrational decisions that were hard to understand. While the book had potential, it ultimately didn't live up to my expectations.

3. Michaela - 2 stars

I found "The Witch Next Door" to be a disappointing read. The writing style was convoluted and difficult to follow, making it hard to fully understand the story. The dialogue between the characters felt forced and unnatural, which made it challenging to immerse myself in the narrative. Additionally, the climax of the book felt rushed and anticlimactic. Overall, I wouldn't recommend "The Witch Next Door" as it failed to captivate or engage me.

Witchcraft Beyond the Clichés: The Witch Next Door

Witchy Wisdom: Insights from the Witch Next Door

The Witch Next Door: Dispelling Myths and Misconceptions