Originally published in Whatshouldwedo.com

Since 2000, Steve Cohen has wowed audiences with sleight of hand illusions performed close-up as part of his Chamber Magic show at the Waldorf Astoria. He’s also performed for folks like Barry Diller, Martha Stewart, David Letterman, and Carl Sagan. After a long run at the famed hotel, he’s moving the show to the Lotte New York Palace, where he’ll bring his patter and bag of tricks (which includes some mind reading and something he calls the Think-a-Drink) to intimate audiences in a new magical setting. Here, he answers our questions about his magician’s apprenticeship, his favorite illusions, and his show’s new home.

What Should We Do: How does parlor magic differ from other types of magic? 

Steve Cohen: Most magic shows are the equivalent of stadium rock concert—the audience sits far from the stage and is overwhelmed with pounding music and flashing lights. The genre I specialize in—parlor magic—is much more intimate: It’s an acoustic, unplugged experience. Since there are only 50 or so people in the audience, everyone gets a chance to participate. From beginning to end, the entire show is interactive—much of the magic actually happens in your own hands. The props I use are ordinary, yet they appear to do extraordinary things. Objects materialize in an empty hat, borrowed wedding rings appear inside of genuine walnuts, and playing cards transform inside people’s pockets. Oh, and I read people’s minds. As you can see, parlor magic is entertainment on a human scale—no big boxes or buzz saws. 

WSWD: Are some audiences harder to impress or more skeptical than others? 

Cohen: Over the past 16 years, I’ve entertained more than 500,000 people, so I’ve interacted with a wide range of audiences. Most people come to the show with a healthy dose of skepticism, and I encourage this! Unlike a play, there should be no suspension of disbelief at a magic show. I would hope that people bring all of their rational faculties, all of their analytical brainpower, since the show is even more impressive to those people. I performed a private show for Carl Sagan and a group of astrophysicists—they were extremely skeptical, probably the most skeptical group I’ve ever met. At the end of the show, they gave me a standing ovation. 

WSWD: Did you always want to be a magician? What did your parents think about your career ambitions?

Cohen: My uncle was an amateur magician, and he hooked me at the young age of six when he changed a red Swiss Army knife into a white knife, and then into a green knife. Every time we met, he showed me more tricks, and later he began teaching me how to do them. Like all Jewish families, my parents wanted me to become a physician. Instead I became a magician! They’re very proud of my success. Now that I think about it, they were supportive of my passion all through childhood and my teenage years, taking me to magic shows (David Copperfield, Doug Henning, Harry Blackstone Jr.) and annual conferences for the magic industry. Early in my career, I used to perform everywhere I could: at libraries, birthday parties, talent shows, and Cub Scout dinners. Since I was still too young to drive, my parents drove me to these gigs and waited in the wings until the show was over, like good stage parents. I later attended Waseda University in Tokyo and graduated from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. I’m probably one of the few Ivy League magicians. 

WSWD: How long does it take you to master a new trick/illusion? 

Cohen: It takes between 12 and 18 months before I am ready to add a new illusion to the Chamber Magic show. I don’t have a place to be “bad” anymore, so I need to work out all of the kinks in private. Usually in a studio with mirrors, to ensure everything looks perfect from all angles. My collaborator, Mark Levy, and I take old tricks that haven’t been seen for 100 or more years, and then create compelling presentations that make these classics feel modern. Sometimes that means building a prop from the ground up, and other times it means mastering a challenging sleight of hand maneuver by practicing it thousands of times. 

WSWD: Do you have a favorite trick/illusion? 

Cohen: My favorite illusion is called Think-a-Drink. I ask people to shout out their favorite cocktails, and I magically pour them all, one by one, from a silver teakettle. Any drink called for—I feel like Harry Potter! One guest may ask for a Moscow Mule, and I instantly pour it. The next guest calls for a cosmopolitan, and I immediately pour it from the same spout. Followed by Montepulciano wine, green tea with honey, a strawberry milkshake, and on and on. Each guest drinks the beverage he or she requested, to confirm that the drinks are real. 

WSWD: Have you ever flubbed a trick during a Chamber Magic show? 

Cohen: Of course—if you perform enough, you’ll eventually face every possible problem that can occur. I’ve presented Chamber Magic 4,850 times at the Waldorf Astoria and have seen it all. I’ve dropped props, forgotten lines, and even fouled up the big finale. These are the moments that I feel most alive; I need to call on all of my training to engineer a satisfactory outcome on the fly, while giving the outward impression that nothing has gone amiss. 

WSWD: Do you have any favorite places in New York that have a magic-related history or significance? 

Cohen: I like to visit Harry Houdini’s home in Harlem: 278 West 113th Street. There is a historic landmark plaque affixed to the front that reads: “Famous magician Houdini lived here.” Also, I recommend Tannen’s Magic Shop, a supply shop for professional magicians located near Macy’s that I’ve been going to since I was 8 years old. It sponsors a magic summer camp that is one of the best training programs for youngsters who are passionate about magic. 

WSWD: Do you hang out with other magicians? 

Cohen: Yes! Many of my closest friends are magicians—we share a common knowledge base and can talk freely about secrets when we are together. However, we pepper our speech with technical jargon, so if a nonmagician were to listen in, it would likely sound like gibberish. Many of the world’s most notable magicians have come to see Chamber Magic, including David Copperfield, David Blaine, Teller (Penn & Teller), Derren Brown, David Berglas, and Juan Tamariz. It’s an honor to perform for so many of my personal heroes. We always spend time talking shop and comparing notes after the show. 

WSWD: What do your kids think of your magic? 

Cohen: My two children have grown up in a magical household, with handcrafted magic wands on display and hundreds of decks of cards stacked on shelves. When they were younger, they believed that I was a wizard, but as they grew up they developed a critical eye for sleight of hand technique. When I practice a new routine, I always show it to my children and listen to their feedback, since they can usually pinpoint any weak moments that need to be worked on. On Father’s Day a few years ago, my children gave me the best present of all—they appeared with me at the Waldorf Astoria in front of a live audience, and we performed the Chamber Magic show together. My kids each learned a professional-grade trick that they performed beautifully. I think this experience gave them a boost in self-confidence, only learnable under fire. 

WSWD: Did you ever use magic to get a date?

Cohen: When I was a student at Cornell, I began dating my wife, Yumi. I purposely hadn’t told her that I was a magician, because I wanted her to admire me as a person first. On Valentine’s Day, we had lunch together in the dining hall, and I magically produced a bouquet of one dozen red roses from an empty cloth napkin. I think that was the start of something beautiful, since we have now been married for 23 years. 

WSWD: What do you find most magical about New York? 

Cohen: I’ve always said that New York is the smallest big town in the world. I get stopped on the street every day by fans who are respectful and kind. My line of work crosses the boundaries of race, age, gender, and nationality, so I find myself chatting with people who are very different from me. In the current environment where there is increasing suspicion of outsiders, I feel fortunate that magic allows me to interact positively with all New Yorkers. 

WSWD: Anything else you’d like to mention or think we should know? 

Cohen: Chamber Magic has been playing weekly at the Waldorf Astoria for 16 years, but the hotel is closing for a multiyear gut renovation project. A Chinese insurance company bought the hotel and plans to convert it into condominiums, with a smaller boutique hotel inside. As a result of this historic change, I needed to find a new home for the show. I’m excited to announce that I’ve signed a long-term contract with the Lotte New York Palace hotel, located on 50th Street and Madison Avenue. My new showroom is a historic landmark that looks like a private ballroom in Versailles. Chamber Magic will continue to run with no interruption, five shows weekly at the Palace.