The Magic Parlour

"Teleportation" is the name given to slight-of-hand tricks involving an object disappearing, then re-appearing somewhere else. Actors can also find themselves working in two productions running concurrently, hurrying from curtain call at one theater to sign-in at another. The distance may span a few blocks or hundreds of miles, as it did for Philip E. Johnson in 2005, when he would finish his solo act at a Renaissance Faire in Kenosha, Wisconsin, then drive to a Shakespeare Festival in Bloomington, Illinois—a commute of nearly four hours—to portray the lead role in Macbeth that same evening.

Dennis Watkins premiered The Magic Parlour, his late-nite magic show, in 2010 at Wicker Park's Chopin Theater, also home to House Theatre of Chicago, in which he is a founding member. Two years ago, however, he received an offer to do his popular one-man show at the sumptuous Palmer House in the Loop. With the opening of House Theatre's play, The Magnificents, Watkins has barely an hour to travel from the playhouse at Ashland and Division Streets to the landmark hotel at Monroe and Wabash Avenues, where he arranges his equipment in the wood-paneled private salon set aside for his weekly appearance, dresses in his formal clothes, and at 10:30, proceeds to dazzle the guests in attendance with his legerdemain.

"I wish we could have [parking] spaces marked off in the hotel garage!" Watkins sighs, "What I usually do after Magnificents is to jump into a taxicab. We usually take the expressway to Monroe Street and I enter through the front doors. This means I have to take a cab back to the Chopin later, to pick up my own car, but at least I don't have to deal with downtown parking, myself."

Does he keep a spare supply of Magic Parlour props and costume pieces at the Palmer House to guard against—heaven forbid—forgetting to bring some important piece of paraphernalia? "Some of the bigger set pieces stay at the Palmer House, where a stage manager sets them up in the room, along with the lights. When I arrive, I unpack my gear, load up my pockets and I'm ready to go!"

Watkins first determined his route while starring in last summer's Death and Harry Houdini, a biodrama with action encompassing strenuous stunts involving escapes from padlocked chains and water tanks. The Magnificents is a quieter play, about an aging prestidigitator, played by Watkins. "I'm not as drained for the Magic Parlour this time as I was during Houdini, when I was sometimes slow getting the show started," he confesses, "but once we're rolling, it's so much fun that I can't help but be caught up in the excitement, no matter how tired I am."

The Magic Parlour is swiftly-paced, and front-row spectators have reported seeing Watkins break a sweat onstage. Asked whether he maintains any special fitness regimen to achieve his stamina, he admits, "I'm not as diligent as I'd like, but I'd say I live pretty healthy."

Has he ever been late for The Magic Parlour? Watkins smiles ruefully, "The closest we ever came was the Friday that Lollapalooza ended, just as I got downtown. The streets were choked with people, and traffic in the Loop was shut down completely! Fortunately, most of the audience didn't anticipate the delay either, so we were all in the same boat, waiting at the dock to sail."

The Magic Parlour runs at the Palmer House in an open run
The Magnificents runs at the Chopin Theatre through March 10

Mary Shen Barnidge
Contributing Writer