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

The post The 5000th Chamber Magic^® show – October 6, 2017! appeared first on Chamber Magic.

Chan Canasta (1920-1999) is one of my heroes in magic. In front of live audiences he took major risks that are breathtaking to behold. Sometimes a trick wouldn’t work and his entire presentation failed. Unlike a traditional magician, Chan Canasta was fine with that. Failure was an acceptable outcome. But when he succeeded, ah! The outcome was gloriously impossible. This was part of the public’s fascination toward Chan’s brand of psychological illusion – they were keenly aware that his experiments could fail, so they believed he was real. His approach elicited empathy, and audiences earnestly wanted him to succeed.

“Failure only makes the successes more exciting.” -Chan Canasta

In the 1950s and 60s, Chan appeared on hundreds of television shows in England and the United States, including the Ed Sullivan show and The Tonight Show with Jack Paar.

Later in life, he left the world of public performance and focused on another lifelong passion – painting. As artists evolve, they often find new outlets to express themselves. Chan put down the deck of cards and picked up a paintbrush to stimulate audiences in a fresh way. His paintings presented the world in a dreamlike fashion, challenging viewers to discern the difference between reality and illusion.

Today Chan Canasta paintings are seldom seen – most are held in private collections spread across the globe. I encountered my first Chan Canasta painting in 2004 hanging on the wall of Derren Brown’s flat in London. It made an impact on me because I knew that the canvas behind the plate glass had been personally touched by our mutual hero. Although Chan died in 1999 and I had never met him in person, I felt his presence while standing in the same room as his painting.

Years later, I chanced across an eBay auction containing twenty Chan Canasta paintings. At the time I wasn’t in the market to purchase art, but I felt a sudden inspiration to create screenshots of each painting. I saved those digital files and later posted them in a blog post on my website, dated April 13, 2010. The dealer selling these paintings was located in Brussels, Belgium, and I instructed my blog visitors to contact this dealer via eBay if they wished to purchase an original Canasta.

After a week of being listed on eBay, something magical yet disturbing happened. Not only did the auction listings end, but the Belgian art dealer himself had vanished. There was no way to track him down on eBay, since he had used an untraceable screen name that didn’t correspond to any known galleries.

I continued to host the twenty images on my blog. Five years passed.

On January 9, 2015, I received an email from a lady named Renata Kadrnka who explained that she was Chan Canasta’s widow. The day she wrote would have been Chan’s 95^th birthday and she was reminiscing about life with her late husband. Renata had searched the Internet for articles about Chan, and stumbled across my blog post.

To my knowledge, Renata has had no contact with magicians or show business folk since Chan died. I would venture to say that nobody in the magic business even knew she existed.

This fortuitous email was the beginning of a long conversation that continued for months. As we wrote and spoke with each other, I asked Renata if she would be interested in presenting an exhibition to feature Chan’s artwork and to celebrate his life. Renata lives in Europe but had been planning to visit the United States with her daughter, so together we decided to launch a special exhibition during their stay.

My Chamber Magic shows at the Waldorf Astoria hotel are held on Friday and Saturday each week in a spacious suite in the Waldorf Towers. I explained to Renata that this would be an ideal location for our event, so we decided to host it in my familiar environs.

Once the ball began rolling, all sorts of developments began to surface. Renata tracked down other fans and friends of Chan’s, several who own paintings they have agreed to loan to our exhibition. Most recently, she even located the Belgian art dealer who has been storing all twenty of the eBay paintings in the basement of his gallery! He has graciously agreed to ship those paintings to New York to add immeasurable breadth to our exhibition.

One exciting development is that Renata has located TV footage of Chan’s appearances that has not been viewed since the 1960s. This footage is currently being transferred to DVD and will be screened at our event.

The date of this historic celebration is Sunday, June 28, 2015 from 2pm to 5pm in my Waldorf Towers suite; Renata will be there to greet visitors and talk about her husband’s life and work. If you plan to attend my Chamber Magic show earlier that weekend at the Waldorf Astoria, I suggest you make plans soon since those shows (June 26 and 27) will sell out quickly. The Chan Canasta event on Sunday is free, and some paintings will be available for purchase.

Throughout his career, Chan Canasta was known as a remarkable man. I guarantee he will continue to dazzle and delight modern audiences and viewers with the wonder of his timeless artistry.

Details:

Date: Sunday, June 28, 2015

Time: 2pm to 5pm

Address: The Towers of the Waldorf Astoria, 100 East 50th Street, New York, NY

RSVP by June 15th to: hollypeppe@gmail.com

The post Chan Canasta Art Exhibition in New York appeared first on Chamber Magic.

Here’s the introduction that Eric Lange read to the sold-out audience heard before we walked on stage:

“Welcome to a magical evening at the Y!

“Tonight we’ll be “Looking for Magic with Steve Cohen,” who has delighted and mystified audiences all over the world.  He’s the star of Chamber Magic, the longest-running solo magic show in New York, presented each weekend in an elegant suite in the Waldorf Towers. His audiences include a who’s who of celebrities, royalty, and other notables.  A media favorite, Cohen was also the star of a sold-out solo show at Carnegie Hall and a TV special you will see excerpts from tonight, Lost Magic Decoded, that premiered on the History Channel in 2012.

“Cohen will talk about the making of the film with the film’s writer, director and co-producer Robert Palumbo, whose credits include documentaries for HBO, Showtime and National Geographic.  Steve and Robert traveled the world on their magic quest, so they have a few stories to tell!

“We’re honored to welcome back famed talk show host and author Dick Cavett, who will moderate their discussion.  What you may not know if that he began his own illustrious showbiz career as a magician!  The winner of three Emmys for the groundbreaking  “Dick Cavett Show,” he has also hosted talk shows on the USA, HBO and CNBC cable networks, is the co-author of two books,  and has appeared on Broadway and in feature films including Forrest Gump.

“So let’s welcome them all, and let the magic begin!”

Here’s how the event appeared on the 92Y website:

And here is the catalog advertisement. (See below) Nice company to be included with! On the same page: Nathan Lane, Oscar de la Renta, Dick Van Dyke, David Brenner, Andy Borowitz, Judy Gold, and Alan Dershowitz. The 92nd Street Y really brings in some major talent. Two weeks before my event, there was a Mel Brooks tribute, and the following weeks featured Martha Stewart, Marina Abramovic and General Petraeus.

The New York Times wrote a nice promo article prior to my event, and included a photo of me. I’m not a fan of this particular photo, but they had it in their archives (nicknamed “the morgue”) from when a staff photographer visited me at the Waldorf several years back.

In our greenroom, Robert Palumbo, Dick Cavett and me, waiting to be called onstage. Dick was constantly cracking jokes and made both of us feel right at home. (The Chagall painting I’m standing in front of makes it look like I have a severely inflamed ear. Ta-da! For my next trick…)

The projection monitor showed a good deal of “Lost Magic Decoded” – highlighting The Turk, Think-a-Drink, the Light and Heavy Chest, the Indian Rope Trick, and the Bullet Catch. If you haven’t seen the special yet, click HERE for more details.

Here are a few stage shots of us – we stopped and started the film so we could explain behind-the-scenes tales of what it was like to travel across three continents in search of ancient and little-seen magic illusions.

After a lively question-and-answer session (alas, no secrets were given away…) I performed one interactive card trick that everyone in the audience could experience in their own hands.

In all, “Looking for Magic” at the 92nd Street Y was a successful evening that will linger in my memory for years to come. Thank you to Dick Cavett and Robert Palumbo for joining me on stage (and in Dick’s case, adding “star” power). And many respectful deep salaams to Holly Peppe for all of her work in organizing this event.

Event photos (c) Joyce Culver

The post Finding Lost Magic at 92nd Street Y appeared first on Chamber Magic.

“Lost Magic Decoded” was praised by The New York Times (“baffling”) and USA Today (“jaw-dropping”).

The screening will be hosted by legendary talk show host Dick Cavett (click on his name to read his NY Times blog), and will include a discussion with the film’s writer/producer/director Robert Palumbo. I also plan to perform some live magic after the screening.

If you are in the New York area on June 2nd, I hope to see you there.

For details and to order tickets, CLICK HERE.

The event will be held at the 92nd Street Y, located on Lexington Avenue at 92nd Street.

Event time: 7:00pm

In India searching for the legendary Indian Rope Trick

The deadliest illusion in magic: the Bullet Catch

Performing the Light & Heavy Chest with a champion bodybuilder

The post Dick Cavett hosting “Lost Magic” screening at 92nd St Y appeared first on Chamber Magic.

I’d like to thank all of you who came to the show. I’ll always remember the electric anticipation you projected as I walked on stage. Looking out at you, I felt anticipation too — like we were creating a historic moment together.

Walking out from the stage door

Making my entrance onto the stage at Carnegie Hall

Throughout my career I’ve always believed that magic has the potential to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with other performing arts, such as ballet, opera and orchestral music. Magic can be more, much more, than a simple diversion. The artistry required to construct and stage a theatrical magic show is on par with the training, thought and creativity required to present other traditional art forms.

My personal goal in staging a magic show at Carnegie Hall was to prove that the art of magic is capable of accepting its due respect, if only we give it the chance. It was immensely satisfying to see that the public supported this belief; the entire theater was sold-out months in advance.

Because I am used to performing for small audiences of 50 people at the Waldorf-Astoria, the nearly 300-seat Weill Recital Hall presented some challenges. I did my best to cross the footlights and reach out to the entire audience, even up to the balcony.

In this blog, I’ve composed a full report of the evening, from my perspective as performer and producer, along with photos taken by David Linsell. (Click any photo to view larger)

Theater of Wonder poster, designed by Darren D’Agostino

HOW THE SHOW WAS CONCEIVED

In November 2010 my dear friend, violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter was visiting New York from Munich. She was in town to perform a series of music concerts at Carnegie Hall. On her off-night, we met up for a drink in the Bull & Bear (at the Waldorf-Astoria) and she asked me, “What’s next? You’ve been performing here for small audiences for many years, and you can keep doing this as long as you wish. But what is next?”

Anne-Sophie told me that a world-class act deserves a world-class stage, and that I should attempt a larger show that could be seen by more people. “After all,” she said, “look at me. I’m performing in Carnegie Hall tomorrow night.”

That comment inspired me to take action, and I immediately contacted my collaborator Mark Levy. I asked him, “Are you in?” He replied, “Without a doubt.”

Fortunately the executives at Carnegie Hall had heard of my Waldorf-Astoria shows, and they were willing to take a meeting with me regarding a potential date. At first they declined my request, insisting that magic shows are not the type of performance that they typically present. My manager Holly Peppe and I had to explain that this was not a Las Vegas style show with animals and explosions, but more of a spoken word performance.

After a great deal of negotiation over the following three months, we decided on a date in the Weill Recital Hall – January 12, 2012.

I had ten months to prepare.

Fast forward to the day of the event…

ARRIVING AT CARNEGIE HALL

A production van picked me up at 3:00pm at my Upper West Side apartment. My father and brother helped load the van with my show equipment, and we arrived at the stage door of Carnegie Hall fifteen minutes later.

Entering through the stage door on W 56th St.

The stagehands assigned to my show put me at ease right away, and loaded my equipment into a large rolling basket. We entered the service elevator and got off on the third floor.

Here are some photos from the outside of the hall, taken the day before:

Show poster displayed outside Weill Recital Hall

Listed on street-level poster for the month of January 2012

In order to perfect my Carnegie Hall material, I had been rotating the newer routines into my Chamber Magic^® shows at the Waldorf for several weeks. Fortunately this gave me a lot of time to practice the newer acts “under fire,” and feel how they fit together as a whole. One week prior to Carnegie, I gave one complete run-through of “Theater of Wonder” at the Friars Club, where I am a member. Nearly two hundred members showed up for that performance, and I had a chance to refine the blocking for the stage show.

Since I am used to working in a smaller setting at the Waldorf week after week, standing on stage at Carnegie Hall was a bit awkward at first. The two hour rehearsal time (from 4 to 6pm) gave me a chance to tread the boards and internalize the space. Performing on a new stage is like trying to cook in somebody else’s kitchen. You reach for a spatula, and it’s not where you expect it to be.

Mark Levy was in the balcony during the rehearsal, shouting out comments as I moved about the stage. By the time the rehearsal was over, the show was blocked and I had a good feeling.

Mark Levy watching my 2 hour rehearsal

The stage furniture was all provided by Carnegie Hall, since they have a rigid policy regarding what is and is not allowed on stage. I would have much preferred to use elegant antique wooden tables, but was limited to using institutional tables draped in plain tablecloths. No additional set furniture was permitted. According to the hall contract, all of my props had to be hand-held size, and must start on the tables provided or in my pockets. These are all new rules for me, so we had to accommodate these design parameters during the planning stage.

My four assistants arrived at 6:00pm, so I broke from the rehearsal to meet with them and go over their cues. It was a welcome distraction to meet and joke with them – it took my mind off the performance for a bit. These four young ladies (Bianca Bryan, Jame Rose, Patricia Santomasso, Mary Orzano) have worked with me for years at the Waldorf, so they know my show cold. Speaking to them was like writing in shorthand – they instantly knew what was needed of them, even though the venue was different.

My musical trio also arrived at 6pm. Their names are Lev Ljova Zhurbin (viola), Monica Davis (violin) and Amali Premawardhana (cello). I invited them to play classical music both before and after my performance, as a nod towards the hall’s traditional use, and to acknowledge its original name: Carnegie Chamber Music Hall. Having live music on stage was an important detail; no recording can imitate the impact of hearing talented artists play in person.

WAITING BACKSTAGE

By this point, my mind was hyper-alert, my body surging with positive energy. I became keenly aware of small details: a fleck of dust on my lapel, the shuffling of people’s feet down the hall. The entire show ran through my head — like a fast-forwarded movie  — and as it neared the end I came to the calm conclusion: “I can do this.” I’d trained my entire life for this moment. Planning was no longer necessary. There was nothing else I could do now except go out and perform.

SHOW PHOTOS

Meanwhile back in the lobby, guests were instructed to write the names of their favorite drinks on white index cards and drop their requests into a basket. This activity “tipped off” the fact that I would be performing Think-a-Drink during the show. On their way into the theater, guests received a red envelope and a show program.

Here is the front and back of the program:

My assistant Bianca Bryan walked on stage from the wings and set my magic teapot onto the rear table. She then stepped forward and announced: “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Theater of Wonder. In the lobby you received a red envelope. Please do not open the envelope until later in the show. We will tell you when to do so. Also, please take this time to silence your cell phone. If it rings during the show, Steve will have to make it disappear! And now it gives me great pleasure to introduce to you… the incredible Steve Cohen.”

Dennis the stage manager opened the door and I made my entrance.

I performed:

Think-a-Drink

Think-a-Drink

Egg in Lemon (same as my Letterman appearance)

Walnut in Egg (same as my Letterman appearance) – a borrowed ring was inside the walnut

The Rising Cards

Lip Reading – a new routine based on a David Berglas idea

Telepathy Act – reading the minds of audience members throughout the entire theater

Right before the show finalé

Thanking the audience before the finalé

An interactive card trick that everyone could do with me, using cards from the red envelope. The magic happened in their own hands.

A final bow

The standing ovation from a sold-out audience at Carnegie Hall was a dream come true:

Here is another view from the rear:

ANNE-SOPHIE MUTTER IN THE AUDIENCE

It was extremely meaningful that Anne-Sophie Mutter flew from Germany to NYC for just one night, before flying back to Europe the next morning. If it weren’t for her inspiration, I would never have even considered this performance in the first place.

Here is a photo of the two of us, with André Previn, and composer Sebastian Currier.

André Previn, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Sebastian Currier, and me

Anne-Sophie told me that she’s performed in Carnegie Hall dozens of times, but she’s never actually walked in through the front door! We both had a laugh at that.

THE AFTERMATH

After greeting the audience, and signing autographs, I took a few photos onstage with my family:

And with Holly Peppe and Mark Levy:

I can honestly say that Holly was the driving force behind this evening’s success. There were hundreds of details that required our ongoing attention over the ten-month process leading up to the show; she took them all in stride. No one could have asked for a better, or more patient business partner.

Mark Levy has been my closest friend and adviser over the past twelve years. Everything I do and say on stage has Mark’s brilliant handiwork all over it. Together we make a great team, starting with Chamber Magic^®, then Miracles at Midnight, and now Theater of Wonder. He makes me laugh like no one else, and his magic and storytelling skills are my secret weapon.

Before long we were alone among the sea of empty seats and the color, light, music and warmth of the applause were just a memory. My bags packed and loaded, we loaded up the van and I headed uptown.

I slept like a baby that night. A year’s worth of tension and stress melted away and my muscles unwound as if I had spent a week in Hawaii. Decompression at last, but not for long: I had five sold-out Chamber Magic^® shows at the Waldorf-Astoria that weekend, starting the very next day!

PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS

Overall, the show was a success, both artistically and financially. I am honored to be among the few magicians in history who have ever appeared in Carnegie Hall. According to my research, other performers of note include: Cardini, Richard Himber, Al Delage, and Kreskin.

I took some risks that didn’t play out as well as I had liked. But I learned from studying the career of the great Chan Canasta that the reward is much greater when you challenge yourself to take risks. At a one-night only event, you can’t repeat any moments – they present themselves, and then slip away. As I perform Theater of Wonder more often, I look forward to playing with these moments and molding them to build even stronger presentations.

The ultimate compliment of the evening was that Clive Gillinson, executive and artistic director of Carnegie Hall, attended the show and loved it. I received an email from his staff the next day saying, “What a resounding success in Weill Recital Hall last night! I hope a return is in order SOON!”

I can foresee another performance at Carnegie Hall in the future. It would be wonderful to start an annual tradition. Time to start working on it!

The post How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Here’s how. appeared first on Chamber Magic.

I performed magic last week for NASA astronaut Buzz Aldrin and a fascinating group of space tourism supporters.

Buzz let me use his ring for one of my tricks – the ring HE WORE ON THE MOON!

Without a doubt, that experience trumps all the other notable rings I’ve borrowed in the past, including a Super Bowl ring, and Ellen Barkin’s wedding ring.

I still can’t get over it. I held the ring Buzz Aldrin wore while walking on the moon. And he let me use it in my show. What an honor.

Here’s a photo of Buzz’s ring magically linked together with two other guests’ rings. (It’s the large signet ring at the bottom)

And here’s a photo right at the moment one of the rings is unlinking:

After the show he also allowed me a look at his watch – a beautiful Omega Deville Chronoscope. He wore a different model Omega watch on the moon, but he said that, frankly, knowing the time in Houston while standing on the surface of the moon was somewhat pointless!

Here’s a snapshot I took of Buzz Aldrin’s watch. Now I want one too…

The event was held in the Charles Bank gallery, and the waitstaff were dressed in spacesuits, serving food and cocktails. I thought the costumes were a great touch.

The gallery show presented artwork that was exhibited in space (in the International Space Station), inspired by space, or even created in space (by videogame designer and space tourist Richard Garriott).

Here’s a photo of Richard Garriott when he came to visit me at the Waldorf about two years ago.

These are patches he gave me from his trip to the International Space Station. They are identical to the patches that he wore on his spacesuit. Note the Russian writing, since he was in the station with Russian cosmonauts.

Last year Richard invited me to Brittania Manor, his unbelievable house in Austin, Texas which is a labyrinth full of curious artifacts. It even has secret rooms and hidden passageways as shown in this 10-minute video.

I had a blast touring Richard’s house, and looking through his extensive magic and automata collections.

Finally, here is the classic Buzz Aldrin photo from July 1969 that is indelibly printed in my mind – the Apollo 11 moonwalk. This image inspired me as a child, and now that I’ve met the man inside the spacesuit, it leaves me even more awestruck.

The post Performing for astronaut Buzz Aldrin, my childhood hero appeared first on Chamber Magic.

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 I’m not familiar with the room layout. Every room has different restrictions: pillars in unfortunate spots, unusual lighting fixtures, different types of furniture than I’m used to, etc. So, I have to get there early enough to “tread the boards” and make sure that the show will still  run smoothly.

In New York, I know where everything is located in the room by muscle memory. If I stand in one spot and reach with my left hand, a needed prop will be there – every time – so I don’t have to go “hunting” for it. That’s one of the luxuries of performing regularly in the same venue for many years.

Being in a new room, like the Four Seasons showroom last week, forces me to be mentally “present” since I’m not nearly as familiar with the surroundings. I like that, though – it keeps me on my toes.

Speaking of surroundings, I had the chance to enjoy the surrounding city near my hotel, including the historic district of Philadelphia. And I ate at a lovely Japanese restaurant called Zama. (By the way, in Japanese, if you say the phrase “Zama miro!” it means “Serves you right, wise guy!” Another translation is “In your face!” I wonder if the owners of Zama restaurant have ever had to use this phrase to a customer…)

At my final show of this tour, Philadelphia Weekly magazine sent a reviewer to watch my performance. He wrote an email to my manager the next morning, saying simply, “He floored me.”

A few days later, he wrote a gushing review, some of which I can’t repeat here (due to profanity).

My favorite part of the review is:

The other trick that blew us away again involved us writing down on cards. This time it was our name and three things special and unique about what makes us us. Cohen went around the room, calling out people’s names and then TOLD THEM THE SPECIAL AND UNIQUE THINGS ABOUT THEM WITHOUT EVER LOOKING AT THE CARDS, which he put in a box that he placed a bell atop of as an “alarm.”

In the crowd was Philadelphia magazine’s Victor Fiorillo. When the show was over, Victor told us his father was a professional magician. Then he said, “I’m picky about my magicians,” a sentence we didn’t know could exist in the world before he proved it. Cohen called on Victor after listening to the psychic signals in the room, tapping in to the telepathic pipeline and extracting our vibes and thoughts.

“I’m getting a name that begins with a V. Vick? Victor?”

Victor raises his hand.

“Victor. Hi. I’m getting a number from you.” [Listens to the vibes.] “Yes, yes. A number. One. Two. Five. Do the numbers one two five mean anything to you Victor?”

“No,” Victor replies, picky about his magicians.

“Hmm. Curious. Curious. Now Victor, how about 125. Say, 125th. I’m getting 125th  Street. Yes, yes. 125th Street in Harlem New York.”

Victor smirks, his magician picky-ness cracking a bit, perhaps.

“Yes.”

“Now, Victor. I see you on a stage. I see you on a stage singing at a famous theater, is this something you’ve done?”

Well, duh. Victor sang on stage at the Apollo Theater to his wife on her birthday as a gift. It was one of the three unique things on his card between, presumably, “I’m in a band called Martha Graham Cracker” and “Everyone at Oscar’s Tavern wants me dead.”

C’MON!!!!

Cohen didn’t look at the cards. And he did this thing—read our vibes, extracted our thoughts, told us what was on our cards—to about a dozen people. He knew a guy just repaired his roof and that another had a cat named Herman. (Only he didn’t. After naming the cat’s color and type he actually caught the vibes that its name was “Pee Wee.”)

C’MON!!!!

Go see the guy. It will make you a kid again. You deserve something special in your life. This is one night of special.

Thank you, Philadelphia! I can’t wait to bring the show back to your town.

The post Chamber Magic^® tour in Philadelphia appeared first on Chamber Magic.

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 by CLICKING HERE.

“Theater of Wonder” is a 90-minute performance that includes some of the most baffling magic I’ve ever devised. I can’t wait to see you there on January 12!

The post Steve Cohen’s Theater of Wonder – my Carnegie Hall show, January 12 appeared first on Chamber Magic.

Other mentalists and all magicians should watch Steve carefully. Not so much for the actual effects but for his superb patter, timing and presentation. Few other entertainers are able to create the kind of intimate and mysterious atmosphere that this evening offers and, in the best show-business tradition, he leaves them wanting even more!

–David Berglas

I was honored to receive this praise from David Berglas, one of the living legends in magic. David and his wife Ruth visited my show in London, and we’ve remained in touch over the years. A few years back, they visited New York City, and I organized a lavish luncheon in David’s honor at the Waldorf-Astoria. Here is the personalized menu from the Peacock Alley private dining room.

This was a fancy lunch – with a high price tag – and we pulled out all the stops. There were 23 guests present – all well-known magicians – and some traveled several hours to be there. You can see Richard Kaufman in the background here:

Kaufman recently wrote and published a book about David Berglas’ card magic. An essay I wrote on this blog about The Berglas Effect is included in the book.

The other magicians and mentalists who attended were: Eric Anderson, Bob Baker, Nick Bellias, Allen Gittelson, Bill Kalush, David Blaine, Ken Krenzel, Michael Matson, Carl Mercurio, Mark Mitton, Ben Nemzer, Alain Nu, Marc Salem, David Roth, Mark Sky, Patrick Terry, Bob Torkova, Dan White, Meir Yedid and Herb Zarrow.

It was essentially a mini-magic convention.

Magicians generally meet in the back rooms of diners, delis, or downscale restaurants. My aim with this lunch, though was to give some dignity to magic, by bringing everyone together in the back room of a classy establishment. I felt that the venue matched the personality of the man – David Berglas.

Judging from the comments I received, everyone seems to have had a great time. I hope to plan more of these elegant lunches at the Waldorf. Not sure when, yet, or who to honor, though. It may be the case that there are not many people in magic who could draw 25 magicians at that price. I had a lot of fun organizing this, though, so let’s see how things pan out.

If you’re a magician, can you think of anyone else I should approach as an “honoree”?

The post Legendary magician David Berglas visits the Waldorf appeared first on Chamber Magic.

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 of the outside of my client’s house. (In order to maintain privacy for him and his family, no further details will be included here.)

“Think-a-Drink” has become a signature routine for me. As a result, I’ve become quite enamored with the trick and its history. You may be interested to read of a legal dispute that arose over its performance by two rival magicians in 1943: “Think-a-Drink Hoffman” and “Have-a-Drink Count Maurice.”

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