Marc Desouza has been in love with magic for 65 years. He’s dreamed of owning his own theater for almost as long, but life and other commitments got in the way.
Nine years ago, however, he helped Marty Martin and Danny Archer set up Pennsylvania’s Smoke and Mirrors Theater—he couldn’t partner fully with them then, as he was still raising his kids and busy with his real estate development business.
But now that his kids are older and he’s nearing retirement, he began returning to that childhood dream. “My wife and I would have conversations about what’s going to happen when the kids are out of the house,” he said. “And whatever we do, it’s not going to entail taking the 33-seat theater in our house or my rather extensive magic collection [when we move].”
Marc, in short, needed a place to put his magic stuff. One day he toured a 100-year-old bank in Glenside, Pennsylvania, and knew it was the spot. “I walked in, and in five minutes I had the entire first floor laid out. And what was built there is about 95% exactly what I pictured.” Getting it into magic shape, however, took some work. “I tell people the best magic trick I ever did was taking this building and, in less than a year, having it completed and open for business,” he said. Renovation began in September 2024, and while House of Magic started holding shows in April 2025, the renovations weren’t complete until the grand opening a few months later on Halloween weekend. The 12,500-square-foot venue includes the 103-seat Johnny Thompson Theater, the 25- to 30-seat Fred Kaps Close-Up Theater, and a VIP lounge named the Vernon Suite.
Checking in for Magic
On a weekend night, guests walk into the building’s lobby with a black-and-white marble floor; it, like the theater spaces, has a classic contemporary feel full of magic posters, Edison lights, and red velvet. In that lobby, guests check in for the 90-minute show produced by Smoke and Mirrors in the Johnny Thompson Theater. A visiting act usually performs 60 to 75 minutes, with Danny often opening the show and serving as emcee as his character, Gino Mozzarella.
They’re looking into producing close-up shows as well, and are also experimenting with adding weekday theater experiences. “We’re going to be doing curated open mics for magicians,” Marc explained. “You’ve got to submit to be on the show, and it’s for guys that are working on new material.” The venue is also looking to host variety shows that will include music as well as magic (and other performance arts).
The bank’s original vault, with its 2,000 safety deposit boxes, is also a feature of the space. “When we’re done, each one of the boxes will have magic tricks in them,” Marc said. “It will mostly be used for the [future] close-up shows, where the close-up performer will be able to have a number freely generated, and the host will take someone in, unlock the number that was freely generated, bring in the box, and the magician has to do the trick that’s in the box.”
More than a Theater
The lower floor of House of Magic is an impressive museum and an experience in and of itself. It includes the Jay Marshall party room, which can hold up to 80 people for dinner (with food and drink catered in; the venue doesn’t have a restaurant or bar) and also holds exhibits of Marc’s collections. One case includes various versions of Cups and Balls, for example, and there are four shelves dedicated to Die Boxes alone.
Other parts of the museum hold larger props, and there are multiple other spaces: three Hall of Fame rooms celebrating magicians from around the world, a Houdini room replete with a Water Torture Cell replica, and the toy room, a place holding “the toys magicians love to play with.” Items there include three shelves of nests of boxes, four different card ducks, and multiplying bottles. But wait, there’s more! The museum also includes the Eugene Burger library and a study room where magicians can watch magic videos and session.
The museum isn’t currently open to the public, but Marc is working on setting up 30-minute tours where guests pay a nominal fee to walk through with a docent. “We want people to learn more and more about magic, because the more you know, the more you can appreciate it,” he said.
Marc also wants to have the space become a place for magicians to congregate as well. House of Magic has already hosted several lectures, and there are plans to have informal gatherings for magicians to session or work on a specific trick. VIP memberships for both magicians and laypeople are also in the works. “One of my goals with creating the place is to create a public who appreciates magic,” Marc said. “We want people to understand that every weekend, we have a different magician here, and every weekend that magician is going to be somebody worth seeing.”
Photos by John Costello
House of Magic
Experience live magic, mystery, and unforgettable entertainment in Pennsylvania’s most enchanting magic theater.