George Schindler, the beloved Dean of the Society of American Magicians, wrote a nice column about parlor magic shows in his monthly column in M-U-M magazine. I was delighted to host the Dean and his wife Nina to my show at the Waldorf-Astoria last year, and he wrote a kind review in his column this month (March 2010). Thanks George!

Here are the first two paragraphs of George Schindler’s article:

In the past few years you may have noticed a resurgence of the “Parlor” show. The Magic Castle has the famous one. Looking back in history there were many “Parlour” shows in the 1800s listed as “soirees.” These small exclusive shows were often performed in the drawing rooms of affluent clients. Today’s parlor is the living room, but it is still a room set aside for the entertainment of your guests. Magic done in the parlor can be close-up, stand-up, and sometimes even uses small illusions. One-man shows such as Ricky Jay’s are in vogue again.

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Probably the most successful of the commercial parlor shows is Chamber Magic in New York. Steve Cohen performs in a real “living room” at the posh Waldorf-Astoria hotel and gives shows each weekend to no more than fifty guests at a time. The first row seats are sold at higher prices than the rest of the room. There are two evening performances on Friday and Saturday nights in the very room used by royalty when they visit the Waldorf. The magic is a superb blend of sleight of hand, mentalism, and mind-boggling visual magic. Steve’s Magic Tea Kettle, which pours any drink “thought of,” and his rising cards under a glass dome are my favorites.

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He continued the article with reviews of intimate magic performances given by my esteemed colleagues Eric DeCamps, Paul Gertner, and Richard Garriott. Thank you to George Schindler for including me in this parlor magic overview!