Since 2018, The Chicago Magic Lounge has been amazing patrons at their Andersonville neighborhood location. The venue is the brainchild of Joey Cranford, who caught the magic bug after his wife jokingly gave him a magic kit as a gift. As his interest grew, he also learned about Chicago’s magic history—in the 20th century, the city was home to several magic bars, establishments like Schulien’s, Ryan’s, The New York Lounge, The Pickle Barrel, The Ivanhoe, and The Pump Room. These spots birthed a style of magic, where magicians behind the bar or at tables performed for patrons while they drank and ate.
That era ended when Schulien’s closed its doors in 1999. Magic in the city remained sparse until 2015, when Cranford sought to develop a theatrical recreation of a Chicago magic bar. He started out by doing a weekly show at the burlesque venue, Uptown Underground. Performances expanded to other nights in the week, and one day a magic-loving attorney named Don Clark saw a show and approached Cranford. Clark said he could provide the financial investment to build a space solely dedicated to magic, and the two teamed up. On June 7, 2017, they began construction at 5050 N. Clark Street. In February 2018, The Chicago Magic Lounge opened its doors, and guests now enjoy magic seven days a week.
A Night at the Chicago Magic Lounge
The Lounge houses an art deco-style theater in what used to be a 1940s-era commercial laundromat. Guests have a curated experience for the two or so hours they’re in the venue. They enter from the street through what looks like a laundromat (an homage to the building’s roots). After they figure out the secret way to enter, they land at a bar, behind which a magician slings drinks and magic every night of the week. “It’s a stage built into the bar, essentially. There’s theatrical lighting that spotlights the performer, and the magician performs all night long,” explains Benjamin Barnes, who books the venue.
LEFT: The Chicago Magic Lounge entrance RIGHT: Guests are invited to relax in the bar area / Photo by Boczarski
LEFT: Harry Blackstone Cabaret / Photo by Hall + Merrick RIGHT: Ryan Plunkett performs tableside / Photo by ames Murphy Trainman Photography
From the bar area, small groups are ushered into a library, where vintage magic books purchased at auction from the collections of Maurice Raymond and Walter Gibson fill the shelves, and posters from the Golden Age of magic adorn the walls. After a brief history lesson about Chicago-style magic, the group moves to the cabaret space, which has 107 seats. Six table magicians work the room for about an hour while guests enjoy drinks and bar food at their tables. After each table sees around three of the acts, emcee Jan Rose starts the stage show, which includes a 20-minute opening act and a 30-minute headliner. After the main show, guests who purchased the close-up show add-on head to The 654 Club for a 30-minute show while those remaining can enjoy a drink or two before leaving.
“When you go in the close-up room, all the things on the wall are specifically about Chicago and Chicago close-up magic,” explains Barnes. The only exception to that is in the back, where there’s a magic poster titled “The Milt Larsen Show”—a nod to the Larsens and The Magic Castle.
Booking Process
Thursday through Sunday are the Lounge’s Signature Show nights, where there are two bar magicians, six table magicians, two stage magicians and the emcee, as well as the close-up performer for The 654 Club. That’s 12 magicians. The venue also has an artist-in-residence program, which hosts performers for three months of Wednesday shows.
While Barnes books a lot of those slots with local talent, he often uses out-of-town performers for the stage and close-up room. And when he decides whom to hire, someone’s “interpersonal skills and being able to work as part of a team” are crucial, not only for getting booked in the first place, but for being invited back. He adds that a performer who doesn’t have common routines, like tricks with a Rubik’s Cube or Three Fly, has a better chance of getting booked. “It just can’t be commonplace, and it has to be designed to entertain laypeople… most of whom are seeing magic at our venue for the very first time,” he says.
Barnes also urges all acts to get comfortable performing outside of magic-focused venues. People who come to establishments with the word “magic” in their name are eager and ready to be amazed—they are there to experience magic and enjoy it. In other settings, audiences aren’t as receptive, and working recalcitrant crowds will make you a better magician. According to Barnes, when those acts are “in front of people who are really here for it”—like they are at The Chicago Magic Lounge—“they’re spectacular.”
Chicago Magic Lounge
Experience the joy of discovering a hidden gem where magic and sophistication intertwine, where enchantment and wonder await those seeking an unforgettable night of mystery and entertainment.
