When Elizabeth Messick, the more attractive half of the magical duo the Cosmic Romantics—that’s straight out of her partner Eric Thirstin's introduction, not my own editorializing—first appears on stage during Magically Ever After: An Evening with the Cosmic Romantics, she doesn’t pull a white rabbit out of a hat. Instead, she coos a cabaret-style cover of Jefferson Airplane’s 1967 hit “White Rabbit,” making it immediately evident that audiences are in for more than mere magic.
Indeed, the Cosmic Romantics won’t make the Statue of Liberty disappear or saw each other in half on the Den Theatre stage during this enchanting hour-long show. Yes, there are plenty of tricks that will make audiences wonder, “How did they do that?” But soon enough, you’ll realize that attempting to decipher the mechanics behind the magic is not only futile, but might cause you to miss a clever gag that outshines the trick itself.
“We’re trying to present magic a little differently than it’s normally seen,” says Thirstin. That means opening and closing musical numbers from Messick, a scrappy full-body juggling routine by Thirstin, and a pun-packed two-minute offstage exchange between the magicians guaranteed to make you groan. “We’re not necessarily the greatest sleight-of-hand performers in the world,” Thirstin acknowledges. “But other magicians maybe don't have the stage presence we do.”
“He's amazing at sleight-of-hand,” Messick insists. “He's just humble.”
That sincere, mutual support is evident throughout Magically Ever After. The performers’ love of vaudeville undeniably underscores every element of the show, but it’s their love for one another that makes the show especially charming. The pair met in the Los Angeles magic scene, initially as rivals involved in a fake feud. A series of juggling videos Thirstin posted during COVID lockdowns helped Messick see him in a different light, however: “I have a thing for jugglers,” she says. She was ecstatic when he asked her if they could team up for a show at the legendary Magic Castle.
Much to Messick’s chagrin, the invitation was solely for professional reasons, but “I eventually came to my senses,” Thirstin says. They got engaged on Thirstin's birthday last year, with Thirstin naturally popping the question via a magic trick—you’ll see it in the show, along with Messick’s “four of diamonds” ring. The L.A. wildfires brought them to Chicago a few months ago, and they couldn’t be happier to have made the move.
“I've just been so grateful with how Chicago's been treating us,” says Messick. “The community here is so incredible. It feels like the universe is telling us to stay.” She’s even signed up for her first improv class at Second City, and Thirstin has also enjoyed reconnecting with the city’s comedy scene, having honed his chops at Second City and iO before making the move to L.A.
That training pays off in Magically Ever After, especially during a bit where Thirstin promises to “make a fifth of whiskey disappear.” What seems like an easy punchline turns out to be subterfuge for a truly impressive card trick, perhaps the one instance of the show where the “How did he do that?” factor outshines the silliness that sandwiches it. A bit where Messick disrupts the show, wearing a fake mustache and adopting a gangster accent to accuse Thirstin of selecting an audience plant—“I know a stooge when I see one!”—is pure comedy, however.
The Cosmic Romantics’ combination of magnificent magic and wonderful whimsy has earned accolades from celebrity fans, including Cher and Paul Reubens. They even bewildered Penn and Teller with their “ukulele ESP” bit on a 2023 episode of Fool Us. But perhaps the greatest testament to their talent came a few minutes after they finished performing at the Den on Thursday. Messick and Thirstin made it a point to thank the camera operator and the tech director for their hard work, and both men admitted that they got so caught up in watching the show that they almost forgot to do their jobs.
“We're trying to just have people escape from the reality of the world right now,” says Messick. “It's not even about fooling people. It's about taking them to our world and being happy for an hour.”
The Cosmic Romantics’ delightful debut at the Den did that in spades—and clubs, diamonds, and hearts too.
Magically Ever After: An Evening with the Cosmic Romantics runs Thursdays through September 25 at 7:30pm at the Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave. Tickets ($30) are on sale now.
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