The seed of Kellar’s was planted back when Bobby Borgia was 16 years old. He was already into magic then, and performing at a pub. A woman saw him there,
complimented him on his skills and then casually added that she was the niece of Harry Kellar. The young Bobby was blown away, in no small part because he realized that Kellar, the magician who mentored Houdini, was from his hometown of Erie, Pennsylvania.
Flash forward to 2016, and Bobby was working on cruise ships, where he celebrated Kellar in his act. After one show, a man came up to him, said he was also from Erie and that Bobby had met his grandmother when he was a kid. “It was nothing short of a synchronistic series of events, where I was literally the only one that could do this at this point,” Bobby said. “It was supernatural in a weird way.”
Kellar’s surviving family let Bobby explore the legendary magician’s archives, and that drove Bobby to look to open a restaurant and bar in Erie that paid homage to his hometown hero. He bought an existing 8,000-square-foot restaurant, bar, and comedy club—a venue that was right across the street from Kellar’s childhood home, no less—right before Covid hit. “It was a blessing in disguise, because I got to transform the club,” he said. “I just ripped everything from the wall, ceiling, floors, everything. And as an illustrator and a designer, I designed the interior of the entire club to be very similar to Hard Rock Cafe meets magic.”
Left: Bobby Borgia; Right: The exterior of Kellar's Comedy and Magic Club
The decor of the space includes Houdini’s Water Torture Cell in the lobby, and the bar includes original letters and posters relating to Kellar, including a nod toward the magician being the inspiration for the Wizard in The Wizard of Oz.
Lure Them with Comedy, Hook Them on Magic
Those in town who missed the old comedy club were resistant to magic there, but Bobby won them around by having magicians open for celebrity comedians like Kevin Nealon. “The magicians were getting standing ovations, and all of a sudden the mindset shifted, and it was so cool to watch,” he said.
Kellar’s continues to have both magicians and comedians perform Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays in its 220-seat theater, which is lit up by 16 or so screens hooked up to three live cameras and includes tables so guests can order and eat. The performance lasts about 90 minutes and includes an emcee, an opening act, and then the headliner.
Before and after the theater show, however, patrons hang out at the Cocktails and Conjuring bar, which is an experience in its own right. “It’s a whole show where your food appears, your drinks change colors and levitate, and there is a camera mounted… where instead of sports—you’re not watching hockey, you’re actually watching the magic show throughout the bar on all these 16 screens.”
Visiting magicians sometimes serve as the opening act, depending on the weekend, and then also do the magic bar. House magician James Warren is also there every night. Bigger names in magic like Piff the Magic Dragon and Michael Carbonaro take the headliner spot.
More Magic Down the Road
Bobby, who used to be the entertainment development director for Carnival Cruise Line Corporation, sees venues like Kellar’s popping up elsewhere, including potentially on the ocean. “We’re in talks to build two to three more,” he said. “I know one of the cruise ships wants the magic bar, for sure.”
Bobby’s biggest goal, however, is to support his fellow magicians: “I want to get all my friends to work. I love lifting people up. I love getting all these people who want to work and work on their craft opportunities, because people gave me a chance when I was a kid.”
Photos courtesy of Kellar’s Comedy and Magic Club
Kellar’s Comedy and Magic Club
Kellar’s Modern Magic and Comedy club formally Jr’s last laugh Comedy club and restaurant has been rebranded and reimagined into a state-of-the-art historical entertainment tourist attraction themed around the dean of American magicians Harry Kellar.