Vanity Fair Daily talked with me about the history of salon magic, the connection between certain tricks and the internet, and where this ancient art might just be headed. This intensive interview took place at […]
Read the full post »According to the National Theater in Washington DC, “The day when everyone dressed formally to go to the theatre has passed.” Despite being a historic theater – one that every U.S. president has attended since 1835 – the National has relaxed its dress code to allow patrons a freer choice. The theater’s website states, “To feel well-groomed, comfortable and good about yourself for a special occasion is really the guiding rule.”
I was upset to read this.
I believe that dressing up to go to the theater is a form of civility that should be resurrected. […]
Read the full post »I have not mentioned this in print before, but since the very beginning my goal has always been to perform Chamber Magic for twenty years. There aren’t too many shows that have staying power. Not only magic shows, but theatrical shows in general. Ten years have flown by, and I want to keep Chamber Magic alive for ten more. Maybe I’m crazy, but I love performing this show. I’ve molded my life around it.[…]
Read the full post »(An online review by London mastermind Ian Rowland:) Is this the perfect magic show? If “perfection” means to state a clear aim and then to fulfill that aim with unerring accuracy, then yes, quite possibly, it is. So let us first be clear what the show is all about. “Before the days of radio and television,” runs the official programme for the show, “wealthy patrons would regularly invite entertainers into their homes, to delight small gatherings of family and friends. In those sophisticated, friendly environs, the living room became the stage, and the audience looked gleefully on, mere inches from the show.” Steve Cohen, largely inspired by the “salon” magic of such heroes as Hofzinser and Houdin, aims to re-create this experience for today’s audiences. Bullseye! […]
Read the full post »(An online review by the erudite Dustin Stinett:) Have you ever wondered what it must have been like to attend an evening of conjuring in Johann Nepomuk Hofzinser’s intimate salon? While I doubt Steve Cohen would ever compare his own performances to that of Hofzinser’s (and we will never know precisely what that experience was like), “Chamber Magic” certainly must have a similar quality: At the very least, it is one of the closest entertainments available today that hails back to those genteel times, when people had no other option but to leave their homes, or invite performers into them, to enjoy an evening of escapism. […]
Read the full post »Steve Cohen does not have the marquee name of a David Copperfield, David Blaine or Penn & Teller. What he does have, at 39, is Chamber Magic, five shows a weekend at the plush suite in the Waldorf-Astoria where Crown Prince Sultan of Saudi Arabia stays when in town. Mr. Cohen’s specialty is parlor magic, fusing close-up maneuvers and tricks with common objects for small audiences. He models himself after conjurers who entertained the aristocracy in European salons in the 1800s. He does not saw women or make elephants vanish. […]
Read the full post »George Schindler, the beloved Dean of the Society of American Magicians, wrote a nice column about parlor magic shows in his monthly column in M-U-M magazine. I was delighted to host the Dean and his wife Nina to my show at the Waldorf-Astoria last year, and he wrote a kind review in his column this month (March 2010). Thanks George! [click title to read the review…]
Read the full post »I was invited to entertain 125 guests last night at a private dinner celebrating Comcast’s new ownership of NBC Universal. All the heavy hitters of the two companies were there, including Jeff Zucker (NBC president), Ralph Roberts (Comcast founder), and Brian Roberts (Comcast CEO).
Read the full post »NBC television featured a segment this week titled “Meet the Millionaires’ Magician” on their luxury program, LX New York. Have a look.
Read the full post »Billionaires, millionaires, media personalities, and other distinguished guests joined forces to support the Mercy Corps Action Center to End World Hunger on December 8, 2009 at the Magic4Mercy Benefit.
I presented a one-hour show that was well-received by business and community leaders, actors, fashion designers, and other luminaries including billionaire Steven A. Cohen, Founder of SAC Capital, and his wife Alexandra, who both served on the Honorary Committee for the event.