If you’re a fan of magic, don’t sleep on the Artist-in-Residence series at the Chicago Magic Lounge, a series showcasing a single act over the course of several Wednesday evenings.
Last year, for instance, the residency featured the loose, goofy Ondřej Pšenička, as well as Justin Purcell, who brought a punk-rock sensibility to the stage under the direction of Mick Napier.
For its first residency of 2025, the Chicago Magic Lounge has booked another highly talented and entertaining magician, Trent James. The son of a professional magician, he specializes in silly setups that seem to lead to minor payoffs only to finish with stunning twists.
It’s a winning formula. Like when James brings an audience member onstage to name a snack food seemingly at random, pulls an “invisible” version of it out of a cloth bag, then hands it back to the volunteer whom he asks to reach in again–only to pull out the actual item. The night I saw the show, the food in question was a round of Babybel cheese.
When he told the woman she might want to avoid actually eating the cheese because it hadn’t been refrigerated, it came off as an awkward parting thought shared to head off a potential bout of food poisoning. What a delight, then, to think back to that line and how he delivered it when he asked her to peel the wax off the cheese toward the end of the show to reveal an even more impressive payoff. That is good stagecraft. (You can see James do the first part of the illusion with an apricot on his website.)
Also fun was the bit incorporating a static-y VHS tape of a precocious young James performing magic for a small group with a partner followed by a live appearance reuniting the two for a present-day encore. It’s an amusing sequence that also underscores his lifelong devotion to the craft.
If you haven’t been to the venue, pro tip: Get there a bit early so you can experience tableside close-up tricks performed by magicians who roam the theater. After the main 80-minute show (with intermission), you’ll find even more illusions on tap at the front bar most evenings.
In the main theater, waiters deliver well-made craft cocktails and small bites to the audience throughout the show. I highly recommend pairing the Mischievous Imp, a blend of habanero tequila, mango syrup, lime juice and orange liqueur, with an order of the addictive fries served with aioli mayo. It’s a wonderful venue for date nights and friend outings, but even going solo, as I did, you’ll fit right in.
Trent James’ Static Magic runs Wednesdays through March 26 at The Chicago Magic Lounge.
Photo by Sarah Elizabeth Larson
