The true marker of a successful magic show is not whether the audience speaks those five inevitable words—“How did they do that?”—but in the magician’s ability to captivate the crowd so much that they’re too entranced and caught in the moment to wonder about the secret behind the illusion.
With 21 years as a full-time professional magician under his belt, Luis Carreon is a master showman, and his new Chicago Magic Lounge show Intimo is full of surprising sleight-of-hand tricks that will impress and delight audiences. The intimate performance involves a great deal of audience participation and banter from Carreon, whose shuffling skills alone are nearly worth the price of admission.
“I promise to give you the best of my heart,” Carreon said at the start of the show, and he delivered. The effortlessly funny magician is not afraid to throw in a silly pun or self-deprecating joke as often as possible. He even shared a few pictures from his teenage emo stage, but alas, not from the wrestling career he has outside of magic.
Carreon’s performance is the second half of a two-hour spectacle. The first hour is dedicated to close-up tableside magic. A handful of magicians moved from table to table demonstrating card tricks and answering questions—no “How did you do that?” allowed of course. I was entertained by the charming Alejandro, who showed me one of the first tricks he ever learned, the “ambitious card.” There are a number of YouTube tutorials that break down the trick, but I prefer to maintain the mystery.
Since the performance consists almost entirely of card tricks, it can feel repetitive in parts, though Carreon always keeps it fun and conversational, and there’s enough visual variety to keep audiences enchanted throughout the entire performance. At the end of the show, I overheard a patron at a table near me say, “I would see this exact same show again,” which is about the highest praise one could have for any performance.
Those who aren’t ready for the magic to end can stick around for a free additional two-hour(!) set by one of the Lounge’s house magicians. I wasn’t quite up for that on a Wednesday night, but maybe next time—after this performance, I definitely intend to return to Chicago Magic Lounge.
Intimo runs Wednesdays at 7pm through June 24 at Chicago Magic Lounge (5050 N Clark St). Tickets ($42.50-47.50) are on sale now.
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