high-society entertainment Archives - Chamber Magic

Chamber Magic® Tour: Waldorf Astoria BEVERLY HILLS

Steve Cohen — Fri, 19 Jul 2019 14:13:36 +0000

I will be touring in September, and hope you can help spread the word. Tickets are now available for Chamber Magic^® performances at the new Waldorf Astoria BEVERLY HILLS. The show will be identical to my long-running show in New York.

I’m excited to announce the following tour dates:

BEVERLY HILLS:

The Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills

9850 Wilshire Boulevard, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

September 20 and 21, 2019

(4 performances: 7pm and 9:30 pm each night)

Click HERE for tickets

If you have friends or family in southern California who you think would enjoy Chamber Magic^®, please tell them to reserve their tickets now.

I look forward to welcoming them to the show!

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Recipient of 2019 Allan Slaight “Sharing Wonder” Award

Steve Cohen — Thu, 27 Jun 2019 11:26:47 +0000

I am honored to be the 2019 recipient of the Allan Slaight Award, in the category Sharing Wonder. According to the Magicana website, this award recognizes “exceptional performances, by exceptional artists” and is accompanied by an engraved iPad and a $15,000 prize. Previous winners of this award are: Penn & Teller, Darcy Oake, Derek DelGaudio, and Michael Carbonaro.

It is a genuine honor to be included in this fine company of magicians, all of whom I greatly respect.

While it is common in other performing arts (e.g. music and dance) to have benefactors directly support the growth of worthy artists, in the field of magic this is virtually non-existent. I admire Allan Slaight’s commitment to inspiring magical artists so that we may create even more robust works.

A big thank you to David Ben and Julie Eng for inviting Allan Slaight and his family to my Chamber Magic show, when we produced a one-week run at the Luminato Festival in Toronto. That was a wonderful opportunity to meet Allan, and I am delighted that both he and the selection committee regarded my performance highly enough to bestow the Sharing Wonder award upon me this year.

Thank you for inspiring me to inspire others!

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Chamber Magic® Tour: Waldorf Astoria BEVERLY HILLS

Steve Cohen — Mon, 15 Jan 2018 18:13:35 +0000

I will be touring in early March, and hope you can help spread the word. Tickets are now available for Chamber Magic^® performances at the new Waldorf Astoria BEVERLY HILLS. The show will be identical to my long-running show in New York.

I’m excited to announce the following tour dates:

BEVERLY HILLS:

The Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills

9850 Wilshire Boulevard, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

March 2 and 3

(4 performances: 7pm and 9:30 pm each night)

Click HERE for tickets

If you have friends or family in southern California who you think would enjoy Chamber Magic^®, please tell them to reserve their tickets now.

I look forward to welcoming them to the show!

The post Chamber Magic^® Tour: Waldorf Astoria BEVERLY HILLS appeared first on Chamber Magic.

The 5000th Chamber Magic® show – October 6, 2017!

Steve Cohen — Thu, 14 Sep 2017 20:12:09 +0000

I want to share some exciting news with you…

The 5000th Chamber Magic^® show is coming up, and Mayor Bill de Blasio is declaring October 6th “Chamber Magic Day” in the City of New York!

We are planning a special night around this landmark event, and there are only few seats remaining.

5000th Chamber Magic^® show

Friday, October 6, 9PM

Limited availability – Check Tickets Here

In coordination with the Lotte New York Palace, guests will be invited to a post-show reception in the Gold Room, where my delicious and potent signature cocktail, appropriately named the “Think-a-Drink,” will be served from silver teakettles.

Celebrity cake designer Ron Ben-Israel –the Manolo Blahnik of wedding cakes– is creating a delicious magic-themed cake that is going to make your eyes explode. But not your waistline. (Now that’s magic…!)

And I’ll be performing new magic tricks that are sure to keep you up at night.

Seventeen years ago, I began Chamber Magic^® on a dream and a shoestring budget. Now it’s ranked as the #7 show on TripAdvisor among all Shows & Concerts in New York City. (#8 is Radio City Music Hall, #9 is the Metropolitan Opera. And Hamilton is #15.)

More than 500,000 people have attended at the Waldorf Astoria, and now at The Palace.

I’m truly living out my childhood dream, and I’d love to share it with you.

Book your tickets now to see the show in my stunning new showroom.

Tickets are available at: www.chambermagic.com

I look forward to seeing you at show #5000! Or 5001, 5002, 5003…

-Steve Cohen

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#7 Top NYC Show on TripAdvisor

Steve Cohen — Tue, 29 Aug 2017 01:14:00 +0000

“Chamber Magic^®“ is now ranked #7 (of 415) of all theater shows in New York City, on TripAdvisor.

When I started “Chamber Magic^®“ 16 years ago, my goal was to help raise public respect toward magic as a performing art. I wanted people to consider going to a magic show instead of the opera, or the ballet. It is highly gratifying to see that my vision has been recognized by so many others. Take a look at this line-up:

The top 10 Theater & Concerts in NYC:

1. Lion King

2. Wicked

3. Jersey Boys

4. Kinky Boots

5. Beautiful – The Carole King Musical

6. The Phantom of the Opera

7. Steve Cohen’s Chamber Magic^®

8. Radio City Music Hall

9. Metropolitan Opera

10. Les Miserables

I’m incredibly grateful to my fans for all of your support. I pour my heart into this show each week, and care about every person who walks through my door. Thank you, too, to the Lotte New York Palace for being the greatest supporter of my work. Here’s to many years of success!

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Luxury Listings Magazine – Feature Story

Steve Cohen — Tue, 08 Nov 2016 19:50:05 +0000

Now you see him

A view of the Waldorf Astoria’s transformation as seen through the eyes of its resident magician

by ISABEL SCHWAB

On a recent Saturday night at the Waldorf Astoria, a crowd of dressed-up New Yorkers and tourists watch in amazement as a man attempts increasingly daring tricks.

From a single teapot, magician Steve Cohen pours audience members’ favorite drinks (Vitamin water, an old-fashioned, a lemon drop and green juice) into glasses; he splits a single pen into two separate pens; he guesses the name of a U.S. city that a woman had written down and hidden on a bookshelf.

The crowd is so worked up that at one point, a woman yells out, “You should be on ‘America’s Got Talent!’”

It’s easy to get carried away at Cohen’s show. But while “America’s Got Talent” is loud, dramatic and splashy, Cohen’s show, which he calls “Chamber Magic,” is small and intimate. Each performance accommodates an audience of 60, all of whom are expected to dress up — men don suits and ties, women wear cocktail dresses — and put away their phones while they watch Cohen’s slippery hands perform seemingly impossible acts, such as linking (and then unlinking) three diamond rings.

Audience members are expected to dress up
— men don suits and ties, women wear cocktail
dresses — and put away their phones.

“I could have anyone come into this room, whether it’s a celebrity or a guy off the street, whether it’s someone with a 10-figure net worth versus a regular person, and they’re going to enjoy this type of show,” he says proudly. Ticket sales appear to bear that out: “Chamber Magic” shows are consistently sold out.

In March, however, the 85-year-old Waldorf is closing for three years for renovations. Anbang Insurance Group, a Chinese company that purchased the historic hotel in 2014, plans to convert 70 percent of the rooms into condos. But the plans are not being accepted without a fight: The Waldorf’s exterior is a designated landmark, and Community Board 5’s Landmarks Committee is arguing for the hotel’s interiors to be designated historic landmarks as well. Nevertheless, Cohen will have to move his show to a new location temporarily. That location was not confirmed by press time, but Cohen said it will be an “iconic luxury hotel in Midtown Manhattan.”

Cohen started doing the show in a friend’s apartment, then moved to the National Arts Club in Gramercy Park and finally, in 2000, to the Waldorf. It is here, in the Lyndon B. Johnson Suite just down the hall from the presidential suite, that Cohen started to find real success. In this hotel, he has entertained the likes of Woody Allen, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, the Queen of Morocco, Guillermo del Toro and many of the world’s most famous magicians.

Cohen’s long-term plan is to return to the Waldorf when the renovations are completed. “This has become my real home,” he says, noting that the staff here has become “family.” On the nights he performs (four or five times a week), Cohen stays in the suite, and sometimes his family joins him.

“There’s a bedroom over here,” he says gesturing to a door on the side of the living room. He grins, allowing himself to reveal just one of his many, many tricks. “After you leave, I take off my tuxedo and I put on my pajamas.”

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“An Elite Attraction” – New York Magazine Article

spotco — Tue, 25 Oct 2016 18:35:51 +0000

Theater Listing

by Drew Pisarra

You don’t have to tell Steve Cohen that magic is beholden to salesmanship. The prestidigitator has written an instructive self-help book (Win The Crowd) extolling the relationship while building a lucrative career through niche marketing that targets the upper crust. As to his long-running show Chamber Magic, the self-anointed “Millionaires’ Magician” has steadily drawn a crowd to the Waldorf Astoria through the time-tested method of word-of-mouth advertising. What the small crowds are gushing about is an intimate demonstration of sleight-of-hand tricks and mind-reading routines performed with both flourish and polish.

Far from standard, Cohen’s card tricks can involve up to three volunteers who pick-a-card-any-card only to see one of their choices shoot up into the air for three rotations before landing back in the deck between the other two. Cohen’s telepathic routines are likewise enhancements of the familiar: He doesn’t settle for guessing the word someone is thinking but actually tells that audience member the page and placement of the word in the dictionary. This continual upgrade of shtick to slick turns a sideshow act into an elite attraction. Dressed to the nines, Cohen is likely to leave you feeling that the black arts could be high art as well.

The Towers of the Waldorf Astoria

100 East 50th Street, New York, NY 10022

between Park and Lexington Aves.

Type of Show

Off-Broadway, Special Events

Buy Tickets

The post “An Elite Attraction” – New York Magazine Article appeared first on Chamber Magic.

Chamber Magic® Tour: Waldorf Astoria CHICAGO

Steve Cohen — Wed, 28 Sep 2016 22:19:40 +0000

I will be touring at the end of October, and hope you can help spread the word. Tickets are now available for Chamber Magic^® performances at the Waldorf Astoria CHICAGO. The show will be identical to my long-running Waldorf Astoria show in New York.

I’m excited to announce the following tour dates:

CHICAGO:

The Waldorf Astoria Chicago

11 E Walton St, Chicago, IL

October 28 and 29

(4 performances: 7pm and 9pm each night)

Click HERE for tickets

If you have friends or family in Chicago who you think would enjoy Chamber Magic^®, please tell them to reserve their tickets now.

I look forward to welcoming them to the show!

The post Chamber Magic^® Tour: Waldorf Astoria CHICAGO appeared first on Chamber Magic.

2015 Year in Review

Steve Cohen — Thu, 07 Jan 2016 02:20:35 +0000

As we look forward to the promise of a new year, it’s easy to forget the special moments and accomplishments of the previous twelve months. Allow me to wax nostalgic with a rundown of my 2015 highlights!

232 Chamber Magic^® performances at the Waldorf Astoria New York
14,000 visitors to Chamber Magic^®
15 national and international performances

Magazine Feature #1

I was interviewed in the ultra high-end Manhattan Magazine, Jan/Feb 2015 issue. Ethan Hawke appears on the cover.

Chan Canasta Art Exhibition

I launched a one-day art exhibition as a tribute to Chan Canasta, an admired magician who left show business to follow his passion as a painter.

Canasta died in 1999, and I recently became friends with his widow Renata. We worked together to locate nearly 40 of Chan Canasta’s paintings, and I displayed them in my suite at the Waldorf Astoria. Approximately 150 people attended, and the event was a fantastic success. Throughout the afternoon I performed some of Chan’s card magic, and also screened television footage of Chan so visitors could see him “at work.”

NBC Television Spotlight

Chamber Magic^® was featured on NBC television, New York Live. Watch the full video here.

TENYO-ISM book has arrived!

I’ve translated all of Tenyo’s instructions from Japanese to English since 1997. It is an honor to be included in the new Tenyo-ism book by Richard Kaufman, with my own page.

This book set is unbelievable. A massive, heavy, and ultimately invaluable piece of magic history. I assisted in translating many pages from Japanese to English. If you have even the littlest interest in Tenyo magic, this is an incredible investment that will delight you for years!

Magazine Feature #2

A “local boy made good” article in Westchester Magazine.

Award of Excellence from Linking Ring magazine

I published an article titled “The Eleven Commandments of Parlor Magic” and was delighted to receive an award from the International Brotherhood of Magicians for this piece.

Visited Houdini’s gravesite

A friend from Japan visited New York so I took him to many Houdini-related spots, including Houdini’s home on West 113th Street, and Houdini’s gravesite in Queens.

#10 top show in NYC on TripAdvisor

When I started Chamber Magic^® in New York 16 years ago, my goal was to help raise public respect toward magic as a performing art. I wanted people to consider going to a magic show instead of the opera, or the ballet. It is highly gratifying to see that my vision has been recognized by so many others.

According to TripAdvisor.com, the top 10 Theater & Concerts in NYC are:

1.Lion King

2. Jersey Boys

3. Wicked

4. Beautiful – The Carole King Musical

5. The Phantom of the Opera

6.Kinky Boots

7. Radio City Music Hall

8.The Metropolitan Opera

9. Les Miserables

10. Steve Cohen’s Chamber Magic^®

Japanese book reprinted

My book “Win The Crowd” was reprinted in Japanese with a new cover. My friends at Tenyo told me that my books are stacked on the main shelf (the best position) in bookstores across Japan.

“Priceless” MasterCard review

Chamber Magic^® “Priceless” review by MasterCard website: “Your mind will be blown, no matter how skeptical you are.”

Premiere League Soccer meets Magic

We had a family dinner in NYC with Christian Fuchs, a pro soccer player on the English Premiere League team Leicester City. He is a fun, dynamic, and talented guy who has helped my son grow as an athlete. Christian is the captain of the Austrian National Soccer Team.

Of course I showed everyone some magic and Christian reciprocated with some awesome soccer ball juggling.

Tony Award Winner

Broadway and Younger star Sutton Foster sat in the front row at Chamber Magic^®. A true delight to meet her, and we enjoyed a chat afterwards. Months later she told the Huffington Post that Chamber Magic^® is her favorite date night in New York City.

Magic Mentor Monday Series

I researched and published a series of well-received articles on my blog, centering around my magical mentors. Each Monday for two months, I released a new long-form article that covered the teachings of beloved magicians from yesteryear: Max Malini, Johann Hofzinser, Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin, Charles Bertram, Think-A-Drink Hoffman, Albert Goshman, and Harry Lorayne. I will continue this series in 2016 with future articles about Mark Sicher, Danny Kaye, Sammy Davis Jr, Willy Wonka, and more.

Black TYCOON Cards released

TYCOONS, my custom playing cards co-created with Theory 11, received such accolades from discerning card players and magicians that we decided to release a new edition in black. I use all three editions in my show: red, blue, and black.

My Newest Secret Project Started…

And finally… I’ve begun work on my latest project, a graphic novel titled The Millionaires’ Magician, which will be released in 2016. Together with a team of incredible artists and writers who work for Marvel and DC, I have created an origin story for my performing character, presented in a 100 page graphic novel in full color. You are not going to believe how gorgeous this book will be! Much more to come in the coming year.

Thank you, everyone, for your ongoing support of my show. I look forward to sharing more magic with you in 2016.

The post 2015 Year in Review appeared first on Chamber Magic.

Departures Magazine: Magic’s Moment Is Now!

Steve Cohen — Wed, 26 Jun 2013 19:21:01 +0000

Departures Magazine

May/June 2013, p. 160

by Jim Windolf

Anyone with a handheld device is a magician of sorts. So how to explain the resurgence of old-fashioned magic in popular culture? Why are people falling for a brand of entertainment that seemed at its height a hundred years ago, when Harry Houdini was all the rage? Haven’t we moved beyond that?

Apparently not. In a private suite at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria, Steve Cohen, known as the “Millionaires’ Magician,” presents a stately 90-minute illusionfest, Chamber Magic, five times a week. Last year he became the first magician in nearly four decades to appear at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, and his refined act has impressed guests at the homes of Barry Diller, Martha Stewart and Warren Buffett, among others. And maybe that’s the role of magic these days – to provide a dash of wonderment for those who have seen it all.

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high-society entertainment Archives - Chamber Magic

Chamber Magic® Tour: Waldorf Astoria BEVERLY HILLS

Recipient of 2019 Allan Slaight “Sharing Wonder” Award

Chamber Magic® Tour: Waldorf Astoria BEVERLY HILLS

The 5000th Chamber Magic® show – October 6, 2017!

5000th Chamber Magic® show

Friday, October 6, 9PM

#7 Top NYC Show on TripAdvisor

Luxury Listings Magazine – Feature Story

A view of the Waldorf Astoria’s transformation as seen through the eyes of its resident magician

Audience members are expected to dress up — men don suits and ties, women wear cocktail dresses — and put away their phones.

“An Elite Attraction” – New York Magazine Article

Chamber Magic® Tour: Waldorf Astoria CHICAGO

2015 Year in Review

Departures Magazine: Magic’s Moment Is Now!

Departures Magazine

5000th Chamber Magic^® show

Audience members are expected to dress up
— men don suits and ties, women wear cocktail
dresses — and put away their phones.