In our adventures around the five boroughs, the Untapped New York team has often found that our city’s storefronts and facades aren’t always what they seem. We have found a pinball arcade behind a laundromat, a bookstore in a townhome basement, and an Art Deco coffee house with a suspicious backstory, among other discoveries. The latest surprise reveal we experienced was in Manhattan’s Flatiron District. On a warm summer evening, we set out to The Overlook Bar on 24th Street to experience an immersive close-up magic show, Speakeasy Magick. While we expected to be dazzled by the tricks, what we didn’t expect was the route we’d take to get there.
The magical evening begins at The Overlook Bar, a swanky cocktail spot. There, you can enjoy a drink before being escorted through a secret location to the intimate performance space. Here we settled in for a night of entertainment by a cast of “master deceptionists, con artists, grifters, card sharks, hustlers, swindlers, and prestidigitators” of a secret society.
Once inside, you are guided to one of the candle-lit tables as live jazz music fills the air. Magicians circle the room and stop at each table to dazzle you with card tricks and illusions right under your nose. Close magic is nothing like the traditional magic shows seen from a distance—it requires deft sleight of hand to perform tricks when your audience sits inches from you. We’ve seen our fair share of close magic here at Untapped New York but these magicians were very impressive, each with their own particular set of special tricks.
There were the traditional card tricks and hat tricks (even a live rabbit appeared out of nowhere!), but also a mind reader who boggled our minds, tricks with fruits, tricks with wine, and even iPhone cables. There was a lot of humor throughout the evening—many magicians could have doubled as stand-up comedians—and additional magic performances and entertainment on the stage.
Speakeasy Magick is produced by Emursive, the immersive theatre company behind shows like Sleep No More, and Life & Trust which recently debuted inside the historic Art Deco banking hall of 20 Exchange Place. Their shows are known for incredible attention to detail and convincing backstories.
