My favorite comment after returning from my Philadelphia tour was an email I received from a guest. He wrote, “Your show is a thing of beauty, a magical symphony.” Wow. What a nice compliment. But I must say that Philadelphia audiences – who came out in droves to the magnificent Four Seasons hotel last week – made my job a pleasure indeed.
Whenever I launch the show in a new city, there is considerable risk on my part. Will people show up? How do I get the word out? Do I have any fans in that city who can help drum up interest?
Fortunately, Philadelphia is close enough to my home base in NYC that the word spread quickly. I even got a little advance press on a cool blog that has a large local following. The four shows sold-out swiftly, even before I arrived in town.
Another part of the risk in performing in a new city is that […]
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THIS SHOW IS NOW COMPLETELY SOLD-OUT
It’s the dream of any performer to stand on-stage at Carnegie Hall, presenting what they’ve trained their entire life to perfect.
I’ll have my chance on January 12, 2012, and I’d love it if you would share this momentous evening with me.
Carnegie Hall has three performance venues – I’ll be performing in their most intimate: Weill Recital Hall. Tickets went on sale this morning at 11:00am, and the box office tells me that they had people queuing up on the phones, waiting for the sale to begin.
This is a one-night only performance of my stage show “Theater of Wonder” – which is entirely different from “Chamber Magic,” now in its eleventh year at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel. If you’ve been to my smaller show and want to see more magic, “Theater of Wonder” is for you.
Tickets are available at the Carnegie Hall box office (57th Street and Seventh Avenue), through CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800, or online […]
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July 14, 2011 at 12:30 PM
by Mark Anthony Green, in GQ.com
Vera Wang referred to Steve Cohen as the best-dressed magician she’d ever seen. Cohen was hoping for just best dressed. When the dandy magician isn’t shocking the who’s who of New York City from his private suite at the historic Waldorf Astoria, he’s conjuring up bespoke suits from London and ties from Tokyo’s finest men’s shops. In between ducking in and out his closet to show off more “gems,” we asked Cohen a few questions about his personal style influences and the importance of always dressing the part.
GQ: You go by the Millionaires’ Magician. You probably have a lot of well-dressed spectators.
Steve Cohen: [Hesitant laugh] Oh, sure but I wouldn’t particularly be able to say who’s well-dressed, because sometimes you get wealthy folks who come through who are dressed in casual clothes. Sometimes people, especially the nouveau rich, will intentionally not dress to look wealthy. They call it “Stealth Wealth.”
GQ: Let’s talk about the dress code. It’s a pretty audacious move to tell a room full of millionaires what to do.
Steve Cohen: One time I had a fellow come to my show who was wearing […]
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“Aside from his success, it is Steve Cohen’s charm and elegance which separate him from all but a tiny elite of world-class magicians. However, Steve is the only magician from that elite and highly-select group to take his show to an elite and highly-select audience. It is a true one-off: an intimate caprice of parlour diversion by an enthralling and consummate master.”
-Derren Brown
I also dug out an old photo of Derren with my wife and children […]
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This blog post really “takes the cake” as one of the more flattering moments in my professional career.
I was invited to perform at a gorgeous English-style country home in New Jersey yesterday (video below), to celebrate my client’s 50th birthday. After the show was over, it was time to sing “Happy Birthday.” You can imagine the look of surprise on my face when I saw my magic teapot, “Think-a-Drink” decorated in icing on his cake!
Magician Jonathan Brown saw this photo of the cake, and wrote a lovely comment on Facebook: “You know, you can win awards, make a name for yourself, get on TV etc..but when a CLIENT loves your magic enough to put YOUR trick on THEIR OWN birthday cake…well I don’t know where you go from that!”
Here’s a quick video […]
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Quick: let’s play an association game.
When I say “Washington DC in April,” what’s the first thing that comes to mind?
Cherry blossoms? Nope. Rain showers? Nu-uh.
The correct answer? “Chamber Magic.” I’m excited to announce that I’ll be giving four special shows in Washington DC during the first week of April.
I don’t tour the show too often, so this may be the only time for you (or your family) to experience magic in Washington. And lord knows that Washington could use some magic!
Ever since I was a boy magician, I’ve dreamed of […]
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by Wayne Kawamoto, About.com guide
In an era of ever-increasing technological marvels and bigger-is-better televised illusions, can an intimate evening of magic win over modern audiences? Watch Steve Cohen’s outstanding “Chamber Magic” and you’ll believe in close-up magic as well. In the show, Cohen recreates the intimacy of 19th century parlor magic.
The setting is an elegant hotel suite (I experienced the show in Los Angeles at the Beverly Wilshire). The props are minimal: playing cards, wine glasses and index cards. What you’ll savor are the talents and charisma of Steve Cohen and his modern take on the art of magic that provides an engaging and memorable experience.
What Steve Cohen has accomplished in “Chamber Magic” is nothing short of a miracle. It’s a must see production that demonstrates the heights to which the art of magic can soar. If you’re in one of the cities where “Chamber Magic” plays, you won’t want to miss it. […]
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Way back in 2002, just a couple of years after starting up my show, CNN correspondent Jeanne Moos came to visit me at the Waldorf. She brought her camera crew and did a feature story about Chamber Magic. The show has changed a lot since then, but it’s fun to see what she found interesting enough to discuss with Anderson Cooper, Jack Cafferty and Paula Zahn, in a roundtable at the end.
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Genii: Why do you call yourself “The Millionaires’ Magician?” Doesn’t that turn some people off? It sounds kind of snooty.
Cohen: Nice way to start the interview!
Genii: It’s my prerogative: I remember teaching you and Mark Sicher how to shave when you were both kids.
Cohen: So you did. To answer your question, an upscale magazine in New York City wrote a feature story about me, and that was the headline: “The Millionaires’ Magician.” I’m at The Waldorf Towers every Friday and Saturday night for my show Chamber Magic. But the other five days of the week I travel around the world to perform at people’s mansions and private islands. They pick me up in luxury cars and put me up in fine hotels in Switzerland, London, Paris, the Caribbean, Boca Raton, Aspen, all over the place.
Genii: You’ve clearly figured out a great niche for yourself.
Cohen: To be honest, there are at least three million millionaires in America, and in my geographic region—New York City—it seems like everyone I know is a millionaire. So when I call myself “The Millionaires’ Magician,” it’s simply a description of my market. Now, I find myself contacted only by people—event planners, corporate groups, and individuals—who can afford my current rates. They kind of know what they’re jumping into when they call me, so there’s no sticker shock when they hear my prices.
Genii: How many shows per year do you perform? […]
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by Jonathan Bayme CEO, Theory11.com Magic awards are a dime a dozen. Many of them are handed out by local magic clubs. Some of them are distributed by regional groups. And a select few are handed out by meaningful, multinational organizations. Whenever I hear of a magician getting an award, I ask myself what award […]
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