The Story

How Chicago-Style Magic Found Its Way Back.

Chicago has a long history of invention. The skyscraper, the Ferris Wheel, mail order catalogs, the Twinkie… the list goes on. But what Chicago didn't invent, we made better, and proudly called it “Chicago-style”. We didn't invent the hot dog, but we made it unmistakably our own by piling a salad on top and calling it “Chicago-style”. We didn't invent pizza, but we shaped it in a pan, topped it with sauce, and baked it for an hour to create Chicago-style pizza. But what about magic? 

What is Chicago-style magic? 

During the “Golden Age of Magic”, at the turn of the 19th century, large-scale magical performances defined entertainment across the country. Magicians became household names, performing to thousands of patrons at every stop. Illusions like levitation and sawing people in half became synonymous with magic. However, in Chicago, a different kind of magic was taking shape – what would become a defining part of Chicago magic history – an up-close and personal experience.  

In the early 1900s, in a restaurant at 1800 N. Halsted St called “Schulien's," the owner's son, Matt, would greet patrons at their tables and sit down with them to show them small miracles with everyday objects - “Close-up magic”. Matt Schulien didn’t invent close-up magic, but rather, he was doing something unique with it; he changed the setting, creating an intimate tableside experience, or “restaurant magic”, unwittingly paving the way for a new style of performance.   

As Schulien’s quickly became known for its magic, a bartender at the long-gone LaSalle Hotel in Chicago's Loop, Johnny Paul, added the next chapter of magic innovation. He used to juggle bottles behind the bar to entertain his guests, but he was inspired by the way Matt Schulien was performing magic at his restaurant. He was an associate of Schulien and a practicing magician, and once said, "What he was doing at the tables, I began doing behind the bar." While patrons were drinking, Johnny performed jokes, gags, and close-up magic, helping to create a new genre called “bar magic”.  

Over the next few decades, almost every working magician in the region could be found in bars and restaurants performing close-up magic in Chicago. Themed “magic bars” began to open across Chicago, becoming the heart of a thriving local magic scene. Dozens of bars and restaurants, including “New York Lounge”, “Little Bit O' Magic”, “Johnny Paul's Magic Lounge”, and, of course, “Schulien's”, would all become locally known for a particular style of magic - "Chicago-style Close-up Magic." It was fast, funny, personal, and performed inches away from the audience. Magic with a drink in hand.  

After decades of popularity, these bars would slowly begin to close. Owners became older, entertainment was changing, and magicians began moving to Hollywood and Las Vegas seeking new opportunities. Chicago's once-thriving magic bar scene officially ended in 1999 with the final closing of Schulien's after the passing of Matt’s son, Charlie. This era of magic is not necessarily a widely known part of Chicago history today, but to those who were there, it is remembered fondly. One book captured these times, called “Now You See Them, Now You Don't. My Life in the Magic Bars of Chicago”, by Bill Weimer. It recounts his days performing at several magic bars, capturing the energy, laughter, and mystery of this lost era of magic.  

Upon reading this book, I had a vision to bring it all back. 

In 2015, after many chance encounters with magicians and an underground venue on Chicago’s North Side, I started a once-a-week show that brought together all the lost elements of Chicago's old magic scene and its rich magic history. More than anything, I wanted to bring back the fun, lighthearted nature that was at the core of Chicago-style magic. We featured bar magic, tableside magic, and stage magic. Our humble show captured the imagination of nightlife audiences throughout the city, redefining what a modern magic show could be while also building a large community of local, professional magicians who had long lacked a performance space of their own. Eventually, this show became popular enough to consider expansion, and conversations about opening a new, dedicated magic venue began in earnest.  

The magic was coming back. 

This was when I met my business partner, and we began to realize Chicago needed a permanent home for Chicago-style magic and a place for that tradition to live again. We partnered with some of the best theater architects, interior designers, and builders in the city to create a custom Art Deco-style theater built specifically for close-up magic. Ground was broken on June 7, 2017, a day officially dubbed "Magic Day" by Cook County. We opened our doors in February 2018, bringing together a magic bar, the Harry Blackstone Cabaret Theater, and Chicago’s first formal close-up room, the 654 Club, all under one roof. Over the years, we've been internationally recognized, hosted hundreds of magicians, entertained hundreds of thousands of guests, and created a new home for magicians and magic enthusiasts alike. 

Today, Chicago magic lives on at the Chicago Magic Lounge through our Cabaret shows and Performance Bar experience, where guests can enjoy close-up magic in a relaxed setting.  

We welcome you to the Chicago Magic Lounge to rediscover - or experience for the first time - a lost Chicago tradition: Chicago-style magic.  

The magic is back. 

Joseph Cranford

Co-Owner / CEO

Chicago Magic Lounge

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