CHICAGO—What is it about magic that captivates us? Is it that we love watching the rules of reality broken, or that we appreciate things that can’t be explained, or that we get mischievous pleasure from the unexpected because it doesn’t occur in our daily lives? Whatever the reason, “The Magic Parlour,” now playing in downtown Chicago, is a bewitching escape that will make you feel like a kid again.
In partnership with the Goodman Theatre, the Petterino’s Restaurant has converted its lower level into what resembles a 1920s’ era cabaret space. It’s an intimate room with seating for about 60 people that works well for the unique one-man show.
Dimly lit, the opulent setting creates an aura of anticipation. It’s a fitting atmosphere for magic and illusion. The show, created and performed by Dennis Watkins, is pure enchantment as Watkins amazes the audience with 90 minutes of surprising and phenomenal wizardry. The fantastic tricks are so incredible that you won’t believe your own eyes. What you’re witnessing feels as if it can’t be real.
Watkins not only captivates with his sleight-of-hand mastery, but he also has a warm connection with his audience. Right from the beginning, he reveals how he came to magic, telling the audience that he learned the gift of magic from his grandfather.
Watkins’s grandfather told him that it’s best to ply one’s illusions to a small, intimate group, and that “if you put someone inside of a box and cut them in half, people rarely believe that it’s magic.” They'll believe that there’s a secret about the box, which can be discovered. “But, if you can tear up their dollar bill and restore it right under their nose, or look into their mind and read their thoughts, or create any number of miracles inches in front of their eyes, that is an experience they will never forget.”
It’s apparent that Watkins has stayed true to his grandfather’s words. “The point,” Watkins tells the audience, “is not to fool your audience, though fool them you must, but to awaken in them a sense of wonder.” That’s exactly what the enchanter succeeds in doing. He asks members of the audience to write their names on scraps of paper, which he then shreds and makes whole again. With rapid-speed, he uses a deck of cards, in which he makes cards appear and disappear from one place to another in ways that defy logic.
Watkins explains to his audience that they are the real magicians because they project their thoughts to him. All he does is say them out loud. He asks his guests to project their thought sentences over his head so he can “catch” them. Furthermore, he reveals their pre-chosen numbers and the names of people they know, facts that Watkins should have no way of knowing.
The highlight of this fascinating show, though, is when Watkins demonstrates an uncanny ability not only to read audience member’s minds, but to also influence their thoughts and predict what they’re thinking about. Watkins engages the audience and has volunteers participate in these moments. The spell he casts on them with his phenomenal psychic prognostications is jaw dropping. At the performance I watched, I could see theatergoers next to me, eyes wide open, questioning how Watkins was creating his sorcery.
That desire to figure out how the unbelievable illusions are done may be one of the reasons that I heard one audience member say to her partner that they had to come back to see the magic tricks again.
What makes Watkins’s mind-bending skills even more enjoyable are his warmth and charm, and his down-to-earth ability to engage with his audience. He talks, laughs, and seems to be having as much fun as his guests. Indeed, fun is the perfect word to describe the extraordinary showcase of Dennis Watkins’s dazzling talent.
Whether you’re a magic aficionado or out for a casual evening of entertainment, on a date or with a gathering of friends or family, this is a show that will leave you spellbound. For many, it may spark a desire to learn a few magic tricks of their own.
