You’ve heard of going through the looking glass? The Chicago Magic Lounge takes you through the laundromat. That’s where you’re headed if you seek the wonders of prestidigitation in store behind the bank of washer-dryers stacked floor to ceiling in the Uptown venue. As cover-ups go, it’s not quite as convincing as the industrial dry-cleaning machinery fronting the meth lab in Breaking Bad. But it’s a good introduction to the surprises in store.
Masterson’s illusions are more intriguing than eye-popping. Scarves fly and float like tiny birds; playing cards, silver coins, and little round balls vanish and materialize via what seem like telekinesis and telepathy; a ghost puppet tells hilariously awful jokes. Masterson is a genial host, accompanying his sleight of hand with tales of Houdini and Blackstone, Howard Thurston, and “Chung Ling Soo”—the last a white man who donned “yellowface” in order to beguile audiences with stereotypical exoticism.
Through 10/2: Wed 7:30 PM, Chicago Magic Lounge, 5050 N. Clark, 312-366-4500, chicagomagiclounge.com , $35 main floor, $45 front row, 21+ (16+ to ticketed shows with a legal guardian).
