I had been waiting patiently (or rather impatiently) for work to finally finish last Wednesday. This day was not like any other day you see, because I was going where few mere mortals had gone before: The Magic Castle. I was lucky enough to have ventured there before, on assignment for my University newspaper in 2006. Back then or last Wednesday, the experience was an incredibly amazing one and I realized one thing:

That this is possibly the only place where a group of adults can get together, drink alcohol and laugh hysterically with no inhibitions. I was among a room full of kids who loved magic, who had faith in it simply because they wanted to. They wanted the mystery, the fun, the jokes. They wanted someone to make them laugh, to show them a trick that would make them gawk in amazement and here, in this Victorian house that was converted into a private magician’s club, was the only place they could do that in total unison. The Magic Castle began as a private home that was built in 1908 and was turned into its current state when Milt Larsen took over in 1963. It is a private club ( which boasts 5,000 members) and one can only gain entrance by invitation by club members. Photos are strictly prohibited as well.

I’ve always been fascinated by magic, I just never knew how deep the veins of its foundation ran. My entire perception of the ancient art form of magic changed in the time spent at the castle that’s nestled safely into the back streets of the Hollywood Hills.

I stepped inside the lobby to find that the entrance into the main areas of the Castle didn’t exist.

Instead, an owl sat on a bookshelf where the door should have been. The only way the hidden entrance would be revealed is if I said, “Open Sesame,” to the bird. As soon as I uttered the words that Ali Baba was famous for, the book shelf parted like the Red Sea and in we went into the depths of the unknown.

Hundreds of adults were crammed in every corner, enjoying their vodka tonics and martinis while elaborate decorations hung from every crevice of the ceiling and the bartender tended to their every need.

In my previous experience, I tried to get my magician interviewee to tell me how magicians levitate, but he makes it clear his lips are sealed. Give me a hint, just a little hint, I said. “I have been sworn to secrecy and cannot reveal anything,” he tells me with the utmost chivalry. I respect his loyalty to magic and question it no further.

The first magic show of the night that I see is one that takes place in the Parlour of Prestidigitation, a room dedicated to mid size acts, parlour and cabaret style magic.

That night’s magician, Adam Grace, on first glance, really looked too young to be a magician. With his sleek suit and fedora hat on, I really didn’t know what I was in for. He performed a couple of card tricks, including one which involved removing the correct card from the pants of a volunteer he had called up to the stage, after he had scoured the audience looking for a “Mr.Big Bucks.” He also did some rope tricks to a rather interesting and hilarious song he had written himself.

He made us laugh, he made us awe, he made us concentrate not only on his tricks, but his anecdotes. It was during this session that I realized magic isn’t just about the tricks. Your charisma, charm and showmanship is really what gets you through a show and gains some kind of following for you or admiration for your craft.

After the show, I walked around the Castle and discovered some of the history of this Hollywood landmark, like the theatre lantern slides, who were once used to advertise performers during the Vaudeville theatre era circa the 20’s but now serve as a backdrop for the Grand Salon area of the Castle. The Castle contains some of the most interesting and obscure uses of vintage artifacts and items. They even had a Houdini room, dedicated to all of the master magician’s belongings.

I again left the Magic Castle that night feeling a bit enchanted, if you’ll forgive the pun. Throughout the night I felt like I was being given free access to a secret world. When I entered through the hidden door, I was counting on the fact that somewhere, sometime during the night, I could figure out how these magicians did their tricks. I wanted to know how things were made to levitate or cards were made to trade places in the blink of an eye. I wanted to know how Criss Angel, David Blaine and all the magicians I met at the castle did what they did, and I thought I could figure out at least one trick by the time I left. But the truth is, after I said goodbye to the Castle I didn’t care how the tricks were done. More so, I was glad that I had had fun and had an experience that not many get to see. I was glad to add a little mystery to my life through the people and places in the Magic Castle. After all, as I learned the first time, “a little mystery is what makes life more interesting.”

All Photos taken by me

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