Chicago Magic Lounge Launches New Weekly Show THE SHOWCASE

Chicago Magic Lounge, Chicago's home for close-up magic, announces The Showcase: New and Experimental Works, a weekly show featuring company members and special guests performing brand new material. The Showcase: New and Experimental Works will be presented on Tuesday evenings at 7:30 pm, beginning January 8, 2019 with Ryan Plunkett and Lee Benzaquin.

The Showcase: New and Experimental Works will feature an alternating lineup of Chicago Magic Lounge (CML) company members and special guests bringing their new material to the CML stage. The 90-minute show will feature 30 minutes of close-up table magic followed by two stage performers each presenting 30 minutes of 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.

"The Chicago Magic Lounge is always looking for ways to redefine your magical experience. Just like the incredible performers we welcome to our stage, we are constantly in search of new ways to enhance the audience experience," notes Joseph Cranford, CEO and Co-Owner of Chicago Magic Lounge. "With the introduction of The Showcase, CML will debut projection technology on the Blackstone Cabaret Stage that will allow audience members a close-up view of a magician's hands as they perform tricks. We're so excited to present a show focused on experimental and new works that will continue to push the boundary of what it means to see a live magic show."

Beginning Tuesday, January 8, The Showcase: New and Experimental Works will run every Tuesday evening with doors opening at 7:30 for close-up magic. In January 2019, The Showcase will feature company members Ryan Plunkett and Lee Benzaquin. Tickets, priced $30 (Main Floor) and $35 (Front Row), are available at the box office, (312) 366-4500 or online at chicagomagiclounge.com. Music & Magic will now be presented on Mondays at 7:30 pm only.

For The Showcase, Ryan Plunkett will perform classic close-up magic on the Harry Blackstone Stage as every move of his hand is projected on a large screen. Ryan is a Chicago-based close-up magician who has been performing for the past two decades. He is also a highly sought-after magic consultant, magic creator, and lecturer who has published two books on the art of magic, Some Assembly Required and A New Angle. Ryan is a House Magician and Founding Ensemble Member of the Chicago Magic Lounge, and has also recently performed at The World Famous Magic Castle in Hollywood, California.

Lee Benzaquin will premiere his new 30-minute stand-up magic act for the first time at the Chicago Magic Lounge. Lee has been a performer at the Chicago Magic Lounge since its very first night. He hails from Boston and has been exploring and studying the art of magic for his entire life. Lee is a dedicated card magician who is sure to show you something you've never seen before. In addition to magic, Lee is a house improviser at CIC Theater, and the editor of The Hambook, a quarterly journal about improvisation.

Ongoing Events and Performances are as follows:

Music & Magic

Mondays at 7:30pm and Tuesdays at 7:30pm (thru December 18, 2018 only)

Tickets: $10 (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 beginning January 8, 2019

Tickets: $35 (Main Floor), $40 (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 two stage performers each showcasing 30 minutes of 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.

David Parr's Cabinet of Curiosities

Wednesdays at 7:30pm

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

Chicago Magic Lounge is proud to host David Parr, winner on the hit TV show Penn & Teller: Fool Us. David created and co-starred in the longest-running, weekly magic show in Chicago, The Magic Cabaret, which was chosen by the Travel Channel as one of the top nine magic shows in the country. For Cabinet of Curiosities David has gathered his favorite artifacts and stories to share with you in this show of mystery and magic. Each performance is accompanied by an hour of table-side magic.

The Signature Show

Thursdays at 7:00pm; Fridays and Saturdays at 7:00pm & 10pm

Tickets: $39.50 (Main Floor), $44.50 (Premium Main Floor), $49.50 (Front Row), $54.50 (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 and special Halloween shows.

The Family Show

Sundays at 2pm

Tickets: $25, $15 (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, 5pm-11pm; Thursdays, 5pm-12am; and Fridays-Saturdays, 5pm-2am

Open from 5pm 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 and is not open on Sundays.

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.

About Chicago Magic Lounge

Chicago Magic Lounge reinvents the classic "magic bar" that once dotted Chicago's nightlife landscape, bringing cocktails and card tricks back together again. Shows include magic performance at the bar, on the stage and in true Chicago-style Magic form, at the tables of the guests, providing the classic "Close-Up" tradition Chicago-style Magic is known for. Chicago Magic Lounge is also the home of the Chicagoland magic community, showcasing over 30 local professionals, and serving as a networking hub for working magicians from all over the world.

The newly constructed theater at 5050 N. Clark St., designed by Morris Architects Planners, has ushered in a new wave of entertainment, bringing back "Chicago-style Magic" under the leadership of Donald C Clark, Jr. and Joseph (Joey) Cranford. Converted from a 1940s-era, commercial laundry building, the Chicago Magic Lounge is a 7,200 square-foot, Art Deco, state-of-the-art theater and lounge complete with secret doors, elegant performance areas and a magic bar - all dedicated to the art of sleight of hand, prestidigitation and Chicago's contribution to the magical arts. From magicians to mind readers, Chicago Magic Lounge provides guests the unique, one-of-a-kind experience of seeing wonders up-close and personal in a venue unlike anything else offered throughout the country.

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