Chicago Magic Lounge Continutes Artist In Residence Series With Sean Masterson

Chicago Magic Lounge, Chicago's home for close-up magic, continues its Artist-In-Residence series with Sean Masterson's Timeless Magic, Wednesdays at 7:30pm starting June 26, 2019. Tickets for all Chicago Magic Lounge shows are available at the box office, (312) 366-4500 or online at chicagomagiclounge.com.

Timeless Magic is a magic show interwoven with the story of the souvenir coin that Sean's great uncle received from a magician at Chicago's Columbian Exposition of 1893. Sean takes his audience on a journey through the golden age of magic in his quest to uncover the identity of that anonymous magician. Timeless Magic is a smart, funny and highly original magic show featuring highly deceptive but rarely seen 19th century magic effects and a mind reading puppet whose outsized personality adds counterpoint to Masterson's understated delivery.

Timeless Magic fits hand in magician's glove with the museum worthy artifacts decorating the Chicago Magic Lounge and brings to life the legendary 19th century magicians immortalized in gorgeous stone lithographic posters lining the walls of the swanky deco style club. Howard Thurston, Harry Houdini, Harry Blackstone, Chung Ling Soo each passed through the fabled fair and figure into Masterson's tale.

Sean's blend of magic and storytelling have been part of the Chicago theater scene since his 1992 run at Shattered Globe Theater. Since then he has performed in extended runs at Live Bait Theater, The Actors Gymnasium, The Music Box Theater, and for the last seven years at Theater Wit. Recently, Sean performed at Governor Pritzker's inaugural ball in January. In February Sean flew to Paris to perform for French journalists as part of a special envoy with the Chicago Magic Lounge to inaugurate 2019 Year of Chicago Theater. He regularly performs at the Old Town Art Fair and The Acorn Theater in Three Oaks, MI. Each year Sean make 50 appearances in local children's hospitals.

Sean Masterson's Timeless Magic will be presented on Wednesdays at 7:30pm, June 26 October 2, 2019. Tickets are priced $35 (Main Floor) and $45 (Front Row).

Chicago Magic Lounge also announces featured guests included in the month of June for The Signature Show, featuring Jamy Ian Swiss (Headliner), and Kayla Drescher (654 Club Friday & Saturday), June 6 8, 2019, in celebration of Cook County 'Magic Day,' and Fay Presto (Headliner) and Alba (654 Club), June 20 22, 2019.

Upcoming performers for The Showcase: New and Experimental Works include Trent James (Tuesdays in May), Benjamin Barnes and Ryan Plunkett (Tuesdays in June), and Danny Orleans and Jan Rose (Tuesdays in July). The 90-minute show will feature 30 minutes of close-up magic followed by an hour of magic on stage showcasing new, performance-ready material.

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. Ages 16+ allowed to ticketed shows with a legal guardian. Ages 5+ allowed for The Family Show only.

Ongoing Events and Performances are as follows:

Music & Magic

Mondays at 7:30pm

Tickets: $15 (General Admission)

Unwind at the beginning of the week with magic, jazz, and a cocktail. Music & Magic is the only performance of its kind in the city. We feature live jazz on stage and close-up magic at your table performed by our resident house magicians. When the band takes a break, a magician takes the stage.

The Showcase: New and Experimental Works

Tuesdays at 7:30pm

May Performer: Trent James

June Performers: Benjamin Barnes and Ryan Plunkett

July Performers: Danny Orleans and Jan Rose

Tickets: $30 (Main Floor), $35 (Front Row)

The Showcase features an alternating lineup of Chicago Magic Lounge company members and special guests presenting their new material to CML audiences. The 90-minute show will feature 30 minutes of close-up magic followed by an hour of magic on stage showcasing new, performance-ready material. The show's cast will change monthly with each magician bringing their unique personality, style, and point of view to the art form of stage magic.

Artist-in-Residence Series

Wednesdays at 7:30pm,

Mark Toland's Mind Reader, April 3 June 19, 2019

Sean Masterson's Timeless Magic, June 26 October 2, 2019

Tickets: $35 (Main Floor), $45 (Front Row)

The Chicago Magic Lounge will host three-month runs of our favorite magicians performing their one-person shows. The first of the series will feature master mentalist Mark Toland's Mind Reader, April 3 June 19, 2019. Over the course of 75-minutes, Mark will dazzle audiences with psychological illusions and mysteries of the mind. The second show in the series is Sean Masterson's Timeless Magic, a smart, funny and highly original magic show featuring highly deceptive but rarely seen 19th century magic effects and a mind reading puppet. Timeless Magic runs June 26 October 2, 2019.

The Signature Show

Thursdays and Sundays at 7pm; Fridays and Saturdays at 7pm & 10pm

Tickets: $42 (Main Floor), $47 (Premium Main Floor), $52 (Front Row), $57 (Mezzanine Experience)

The Signature Show was conceived in 2015 as an homage to the historic, Chicago magic bar scene. Experience close-up magic right at your table during the cocktail hour, followed by an hour of stage magic featuring two masters of their craft performing feats of prestidigitation and sleight of hand. Guests who purchase Mezzanine, Front Row and Premium Main Floor tickets are invited to an exclusive performance of close-up magic directly after the show in our 43-seat close-up gallery, The 654 Club. *Please visit chicagomagiclounge.com for a complete schedule of performers.

Upcoming Featured Guests

Jamy Ian Swiss (Headliner) Kayla Drescher (654 Club Friday & Saturday)

June 6 8, 2019

According to the post-modern magic duo, Penn & Teller, Headliner Jamy Ian Swiss is "James Bond with a deck of cards for a pistol!" An internationally acclaimed sleight-of-hand artist, Swiss has appeared internationally for presenters ranging from Fortune 500 companies to the Smithsonian Institution. His U.S. television appearances include CBS 48 Hours; PBS Nova; and repeat appearances on The Today Show and on The Late, Late Show; and he has been seen on screens nationwide in two feature-length documentaries: An Honest Liar and Merchants of Doubt. He has lectured to magicians in 13 countries; to academics and scientists about skepticism and critical thinking; to law enforcement professionals on con games; and consulted on casino game security. A lengthy profile in the New Yorker declared that, Swiss is widely thought to have one of the most masterly sleight-of-hand techniques in the world today.

Kayla Drescher returns to the 654 Club on Friday and Saturday. This will mark Kayla's third time performing with the Chicago Magic Lounge headlining once in our old location and again as the bar magician during the opening week of our permanent home. Although based in LA, her award-winning magic can be seen at corporate events, colleges, cocktail hours, and celebrations all over the country. She has been featured as a bar magician at LA's The Magic Castle and at The Magic Bar in Encino, CA. You may have seen her on Penn & Teller's "Fool Us" or on NBC's Today Show, where she won David Copperfield's "Search for the Next Great Magician". You can see Kayla now in the world-touring show, Champions of Magic and is the co-host of 'Shezam!' the funny, insightful, feminist podcast about the world of magic.

Fay Presto (Headliner), Alba (654 Club)

June 20 22, 2019

Headliner Fay Presto is arguably Britain's premier close-up magician. She has been performing her award winning, powerful close-up magic to the acclaim of magicians, critics, and celebrities since the 1980s. She has entertained the likes of Eric Clapton, Freddie Mercury, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Diana Princess of Wales and four UK Prime Ministers. Fay has been personally requested to entertain HRH The Queen multiple times, including on the occasion of Her Majesty's 70th birthday. She is a Gold Star member of London's acclaimed Magic Circle, and Tatler, Britain's glossy society magazine, voted her the party entertainer of the year in 2000.

Presto is in the vanguard of restaurant magic in the UK. She performed table-side magic at the legendary Hippodrome, Quaglino's and the Criterion. Early in her magic career she took up a residency at the famous Langan's Brassierie in London's Mayfair. Now performing at Langan's for nearly 40 years, it is one of the longest residencies in the history of British Magic. Currently, she also performs intimate close-up at The Ned, an extraordinary entertainment complex in the heart of London. She has had numerous appearances on National TV, is featured in the 40-minute documentary, Illusions of Grandeur, and has recently been seen touring America with the live show The Champions of Magic.

Fan favorite and frequent guest of the Chicago Magic Lounge Alba returns to the 654 Club. One of the best magicians working today, she has performed on stage and in the 654 Club 22 times since our opening. She became the first female magician from South America to appear at Hollywood's famous Magic Castle in two of its main stages. Her tools of the trade are her magnetic personality, theatrical training, command of English and Spanish, upbeat sense of humor, sleight of hand (and mind!) plus a deep respect for her audience. A native Argentinian, Alba travels all over the world with her unique style of magic. The list of celebrities she has performed for is long, but the most famous is Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, currently known as Pope Frances.

The Family Show

Sundays at 12pm

Tickets: $27.50, $17.50 (children 5-16)

We take the bar scene out of Chicago Magic and open our Blackstone Cabaret for a 45-minute magic matinee suitable for younger ages. Our mission is to bring back the era of bar magic, bringing out the child in every adult; however, on Sundays, we feature a family-friendly magician that will fill both the adults and children full of wonder. The Family Show makes a great post-brunch activity with many restaurants nearby. The Family Show is suitable for ages 5 and up.

The Performance Bar

Mondays-Wednesdays, 5:30pm-11pm; Thursdays, 5:30pm-12am; Fridays-Saturdays, 5:30pm-2am; and Sundays, 5:30pm-11pm

Open from 5:30pm to close Mondays thru Saturdays, The Performance Bar features signature cocktails, luxurious seating and magicians behind the bar to challenge your imagination. The Performance Bar is open to the public and does not require a ticket to the show. Please note that The Performance Bar is 21+ only.

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. Ages 16+ allowed to ticketed shows with a legal guardian. Ages 5+ allowed for The Family Show only.

For a complete schedule of performances and more information about Chicago Magic Lounge, as well as resident and guest performers, Chicago Magic College classes, the Chicago Magic Round Table, and more, please visit chicagomagiclounge.com.

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