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Monday Night Magic
Monday Night Magic is New York’s longest-running Off-Broadway magic show produced by Michael Chaut, Frank Brents, Todd Robbins, Peter Samelson, and Jamy Ian Swiss.
“Monday Night Magic” is geared toward adult audiences. Each show features four performers on stage with an intermission where magicians present intimate close-up magic throughout the theater.
The show’s parent firm, Magical Nights Inc., provide magic and more for corporate and private events.
History
In the 1970s the Magic Towne House presented close-up magic on Manhattan’s Upper East Side in New York City. Then in the 1980s, Imam, a Magic Towne House alumnus, opened Mostly Magic in Greenwich Village, which eventually closed in 1993.
In 1997, Michael Chaut, due to the absence of a live magic venue in New York City, began by assembling a team of expert to do something about it. Peter Samelson, who had been a regular performer at the Magic Towne House, referred Michael to Jamy Ian Swiss, who had been a regular at Mostly Magic. Swiss brought in another Mostly Magic performer Todd Robbins. Chaut then invited on board his longtime mentor Frank Brents and another Magic Towne House regular, magician and film actor Peter Maloney.
Together they debuted "Monday Night Magic" in Greenwich Village as a weekly show at The Sullivan Street Playhouse. The lineup for the first show in June 1997, featured Chaut, Meir Yedid, Peter Kougasian and Rocco.
It played there for four years until the aftermath of the theater industry down turn after September 11th. "Monday Night Magic" moved to smaller quarters at the McGinn-Cazale Theatre. After surviving, Monday Night Magic returned downtown with a move to the larger Soho Playhouse, not far from the original Sullivan Street location. After a stay of several years, the show relocated to the St. Clement’s Theatre, in June of 2005.
After over 500 performances, in June of 2008, the show celebrated its eleventh anniversary by moving to the larger Bleecker Street Theatre.[1]
Magicians
Over 300 performers have played at Monday Night Magic including: Gazzo, David Acer, Card Andrews Jr., Banacheck, Rich Bloch, Eugene Burger, Paul Daniels, Marc De Souza, Doc Eason, Bob Fitch, Jackie Flosso, Lennart Green, Joshua Jay, Mac King, Simon Lovell, Max Maven, Jeff McBride, Billy McComb, Eric Mead, Alain Nu, Bob Sheets, The Great Tomsoni & Company, David Williamson, Harrison Greenbaum, and Meir Yedid.
Reviews and awards
- Voted “New York’s Best Magical Venue” by “TimeOut NY” magazine
- Awarded a “Best of Manhattan” by the “New York Press,”