How did the Chicago Magic Lounge come to be?
Chicago has a long history of invention. The skyscraper, the Ferris Wheel, Crackerjack, etc. What Chicago didn't invent; we made better, and called it “Chicago-style”. We didn't invent the hot dog, but we made it unquestionably better by putting a salad on top and calling it Chicago-style. We didn't invent pizza, but we put sauce on top of it and baked it for an hour in a pan to create Chicago-style pizza. But what about Magic?
What is Chicago-style Magic?
At the turn of the century, Magic was performed across the country on the Vaudeville circuit and separate national tours. These superstars of Magic were household names, performing to thousands of patrons every night of the week. Miracles like levitation and sawing people in half became synonymous with Magic. However, in Chicago, there was a different type of Magic taking hold.
In the early 1900s, at 1800 N. Halsted, in a little place called "Schulien's," the owner's son would greet patrons at their tables and sit down with them to show them close-up Magic while waiting for their food. Close-up is typically done with cards, coins, and other quite common items. This was the first time that Magic was presented in this intimate setting. Now, it's important to note that Matt Schulien didn't invent close-up Magic; instead, he changed the overall experience, creating tableside, restaurant magic.
Next, at a little bar called inside the LaSalle Hotel in Chicago's Loop, a bartender named Johnny Paul added the next chapter of Magic innovation, instituting "Bar Magic." He used to juggle bottles behind the bar but knew close-up Magic as well. He was an associate of Schulien and once said, "What he was doing at the tables, I began doing behind the bar." While patrons were drinking, Johnny would entertain them with jokes, gags, and close-up Magic.
Shortly after, and for decades since, almost every working magician in Chicago could be found in the bars and restaurants of Chicago performing close-up Magic. Magic Bars began to open on all sides of the city as well. Bars and restaurants like New York Lounge, Little Bit O' Magic, Johnny Paul's Magic Lounge, Ryan's Magic Tap, the Ivanhoe, Houdini's Pub and Pizza, Mr. C's Magic Lounge, and, of course, Schulien's, would become world-famous for a particular style of Magic that came to be known as "Chicago-style." Fast, funny, personal, close-up Magic performed in a restaurant or bar setting. Magic with a drink in hand. As nature intended.
These bars would begin closing in the 1980s and '90s as Magic started to taking hold in Las Vegas, and the lure of Hollywood would be too much as well. Chicago's well-known Magic Bar Scene officially ended in 1999 with the final closing of Schulien's. It's not a prominent part of Chicago's history, but to those who were there, remember it fondly. A book was written about these bars, called Now You See Them, Now You Don't. My Life in the Magic Bars of Chicago, by Bill Weimer. It recounted his days performing in several magic bars. It captured the energy, the laughter, and the mystery of this lost era of Magic. Upon reading this book, I had a vision to bring it all back.
In 2015, I started a once-a-week show comprising all the lost elements of Chicago's old magic bars. Magic at the bar, Magic at your tables, and Magic on a small stage, but most importantly, I wanted to bring back the fun and lighthearted nature at the core of Chicago-style Magic. Our little show caught the imagination of nightlife audiences and became popular enough for us to expand. Redefining their concept of what a magic show could be—a truly immersive experience with Magic everywhere. We also built a large community of local, professional magicians who had long been without a clubhouse to call their own through this show. The Magic was back.
This was when I met my business partner, and we began to realize Chicago needed a permanent home for Chicago-style Magic. We partnered with the best architects, designers, and builders in the city. We created a custom, Art Deco-style theater specifically built for close-up Magic. We broke ground on June 7th, 2017; Cook County Commissioners were on hand to dub June 7th "Magic Day" in Cook County. We now have a Magic Bar, the Blackstone Cabaret Theater, and the Close-up Room known as the 654 Club, all under one roof. Through the years, we've been internationally recognized, hosted hundreds of magicians, entertained tens of thousands of people, and created a new home for magicians and magic enthusiasts alike.
On March 16th, 2020, we shuttered our doors to do our part to prevent the spread of Covid-19, and we remained shuttered for 15 months. It was a long road; we were innovative with digital programming, bringing close-up Magic into living rooms during a stay-at-home pandemic. Even Matt Schulien had to innovate Chicago-style Magic during prohibition, performing in people's homes alongside bootleg whiskey. Chicagoans always find a way. The intermission is now over. We cannot wait to welcome everyone back to the Chicago Magic Lounge to rediscover or experience for the first time a lost Chicago tradition; Chicago-style Magic.
The Magic is Back.
Joseph Cranford
Co-Owner / CEO
Chicago Magic Lounge