Over a decade ago, Jeff McBride started a monthly magic variety show called Wonderground in Las Vegas. For years, it was a fixture in the city’s magic scene. But when Covid hit, the production closed its doors.
In 2024, however, Wonderground reopened. McBride had passed the reins on to Will Bradshaw, and eventnow takes place at the Area15 complex.
“Every month, for 15 years, Jeff has brought a new piece of magic every time. That’s like a composer writing a new piece of music every month,” Bradshaw told Las Vegas Weekly in an article announcing the show’s reopening. “There’s something really inspiring about that where you go forward and say, well, if Jeff can do a new one every month, I can do a new one every three months.”
Photos courtesy of Area15
The show, which McBride described to Las Vegas Weekly as “kind of Magic Castle meets Burning Man,” remains an opportunity for performers to experiment and try new things. “Magicians always are hungry to feed their imaginations with new, exciting magic that is groundbreaking, and those are the people we book,” McBride added. “And people come from all over the world to work on our stage.”
Amber Sampson