Review: JONATHAN ERLANDSON MAGIC at The Historic Malco Theatre in Hot Springs

I believe in theatrical magic. I believe in that special kind of magic that happens when the lights go down, the curtain opens, and for the next couple of hours, an audience willingly steps into whatever world is waiting for them onstage. But when I went to see Jonathan Erlandson Magic at the Historic Malco Theatre in downtown Hot Springs, the magic wasn't just theatrical, it was happening right in front of my eyes! And despite watching very closely, I still have absolutely no idea how he did any of it!

Jonathan Erlandson is the resident illusionist at the Historic Malco Theatre, bringing together large-scale illusions, sleight-of-hand, mentalism, stunts, comedy, and plenty of audience participation. The production incorporates theatrical lighting, video elements, live cameras, choreography, and aerial performances. It is much more than someone standing onstage performing a series of tricks. This is a full theatrical production.

 Not only is Jonathan a technically gifted magician, but his ability to command a theatre is impressive. He has an easygoing stage presence and playful sense of humor that makes the audience comfortable with him almost immediately. He doesn't simply perform at the audience; he makes them part of the evening.

In a short interview, Erlandson shared a little about the artists who helped shape him as a magician. He credits magician and Emmy-winning animator and director Ken Boyer as his main mentor, while David Copperfield, David Blaine, and Derren Brown have also been major inspirations. Those influences make sense when watching Erlandson work. His show combines the spectacle of grand illusion with intimate magic, audience interaction, and the psychological intrigue of mentalism, while still allowing his own personality as a performer to lead the evening.

 But Erlandson's connection to Hot Springs magic goes much deeper than his current show.

He began working with longtime Hot Springs magician Maxwell Blade in 2012, shortly after Erlandson and his family moved to Arkansas from California. He was still in high school when he met Max and quickly became involved both onstage and behind the scenes. He performed guest spots while also learning the business side of entertainment, eventually helping produce events including the Weekend of Wonder Magic Festival.

 When Erlandson first joined the operation, Max was performing in a much smaller theatre down the street with seating for roughly 100 people. Everything changed in 2016 when they acquired the Malco. Erlandson remembers getting the historic theatre as a dream come true, and he was there for the renovation and the years of work that followed as they transformed the building and continued growing the business.

Then came another major change when Max retired in August 2025.

For Erlandson, stepping forward isn't simply about taking over a magic show. It is about accepting responsibility for a legacy he has been part of since he was a teenager and imagining what comes next for one of Hot Springs' historic entertainment spaces.

 The Malco's story stretches back much further than any one performer. The site has roots in the Princess Theatre and vaudeville, followed by the Malco era and motion pictures, and later became intertwined with Hot Springs' film festival history. Generations have walked through those doors looking to be entertained, and Erlandson clearly understands the significance of being one of the people entrusted with writing its next chapter.

What struck me most during our conversation was that he isn't only thinking about next week's show or even next year's season. He is thinking about what the Malco might look like 100 years from now.

His vision is for the theatre to continue developing as a community entertainment hub—a place where audiences might come for magic one night and return another night for a play, concert, movie, or entirely different live experience. Since Max's retirement, the team has already begun shifting in that direction and expanding the variety of entertainment offered at the Malco.

There is something I really love about that. Historic theatres survive because people continue finding reasons to walk through their doors. Honoring a building's past doesn't mean freezing it in time. Sometimes the best way to protect a legacy is to keep adding to it.

 And Erlandson certainly isn't doing that alone.

The women in the company bring an impressive range of talents to the production. Sunny Sheetz, a high school student, originally joined as an alternate for Haley and Mackenzie but has continued growing as a performer and developing roles of her own within the company. I love seeing young performers given opportunities to learn inside a professional entertainment environment, and Sheetz is already becoming an important part of the team.

Mackenzie Mears brings an extensive dance and choreography background to the stage and is also part owner of a dance studio in Hot Springs. Her choreography has earned numerous awards, including recent national recognition that advanced to the World Dance Competition in New York City. 

 And then there is Haley, Erlandson's partner both personally and professionally. Behind the scenes, she is deeply involved in running the business, stage direction, developing new acts, and helping determine the creative direction of the shows. The two collaborate on building new material, making her influence on what audiences ultimately see much larger than what happens during her time onstage.

Haley and Mears also perform together as the aerial duo Illusion of Aerial, with work incorporating Lyra, silks, and straps. Their aerial performances bring another dimension to Erlandson's production, combining strength, control, dance, and artistry with the mystery surrounding the illusions. Haley has also been expanding her own work as a magician, recently appearing in Branson as a featured performer and illusionist.

Back onstage, audience participation plays a major role throughout the show, which means there is always an element of unpredictability in the room. You never know who might be selected or what that person will be asked to do. Those interactions also give Erlandson opportunities to show his personality. He can joke with someone one minute and completely bewilder them the next.

 Of course, not every trick had me staring in wonder. Some had me squirming in my seat!

One of the more gross-out moments came when Erlandson put a piece of string into his mouth and then proceeded to pull it out through his eye! He invited the audience to take out their phones and shine a light so they could see upclose. No, thank you, Jonathan! —that was GROSS! Of course, did I look away? Absolutely not. I watched the whole thing. It was one of those wonderfully uncomfortable moments where the audience collectively reacts with a mixture of gasps, groans, laughter, and complete disbelief.

Then there is the mentalism.

Now, making something disappear is already enough to make me question what my eyes are telling me, but when you start messing with people's thoughts, I am blown away. 

 During one part of the show, my son Johnny was invited onstage to help with a trick. First, Johnny was asked to choose a number, and he picked five. Then, using a random page on Wikipedia, Johnny selected words from the page for Erlandson to write on a board where everyone in the audience could see them.

Once there were enough words written down, Erlandson began erasing letters, leaving only the fifth letter of each word.

Those remaining letters spelled:

J-O-H-N-N-Y.

My son's name.

WHAT?!

Wow! Just WOW!

I was sitting there watching the whole thing happen. That's my kid up there! I know Johnny wasn't secretly working for the magician, so don't even try giving me that explanation. Johnny had chosen the number before the words were selected, and the words themselves came from random Wikipedia pages. Yet somehow, when Erlandson stripped everything else away, there was my son's name staring back at us from the board. How? Nope. Don't tell me. Johnny was just as surprised as everyone else, and he was right there on stage with him. AMAZING! I took the video and sent it to everyone I know! Moments like that are what make live magic so much fun. Watching an impossible illusion happen to a stranger is entertaining, but when the person standing onstage is your own son, suddenly it becomes personal. Erlandson gave Johnny a pretty incredible memory that night and for the rest of us as well.

 Before the night was over, Erlandson ended with a few bigger illusions that are comparative to the magicians in Branson, or dare I say....Las Vegas. Though I've seen those tricks before, I enjoyed seeing Jonathan's vision for them, and they were executed splendidly. 

The show itself can appeal to just about everybody. You don't have to be a magic fanatic to enjoy it. Families can come together, couples can make it a date night, tourists can add it to their Hot Springs itinerary, and locals can experience something completely different from a traditional play, musical, or concert.

Jonathan Erlandson Magic performs at the Historic Malco Theatre, 817 Central Avenue in downtown Hot Springs. Check the Historic Malco Theatre's schedule for upcoming performances and additional entertainment.

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