Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended
"...For magic aficionados. Rosenkranz has studied with the great mentalist and illusionist Eugene Burger, a man with a formidable pedagogical reputation, a cult following among magicians, and who claims a divinity degree from Yale University. Presumably with Burger's help - and a successful physician's pocketbook - Rosenkranz has acquired a formidable collection of classic props and set-pieces from auctions and the like. This is not a show of mostly silks or card tricks but several complex numbers using parlor-size tools that one rarely sees, partly because few magicians can afford them. I won't spoil the show by saying what they are, but if you're into this kind of thing, you won't be disappointed by what lies under the various cloths."
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"...We’re born with a vast sense of wonder, and in our final moments, we die with the same. So notes “physician magician” Ricardo Rosenkranz. With “The Rosenkranz Mysteries,” the neonatologist succeeds in putting some wonder into that great, long middle part that passes between the beginning and the end of our time on earth."
Chicago Reader - Recommended
"...There's something decidedly amateur about this new show (slotted in at the last minute) at the Royal George Theatre. Presumably inspired by or adapted from a class he teaches at Northwestern for medical students, Medicine and Magic, physician Ricardo Rosenkranz's 90 minute one-man performance is full of fascinating bits, from our contemplation of Wittgenstein's duck rabbit to Rosenkranz's meditation on how medicine is, like magic, a performance art. Including many audience members in the show (so be prepared), Rosenkranz moves us through the illusion of health, the magic of empathy, the power of sympathy."
Windy City Times - Highly Recommended
"...Rosenkranz's soothing voice and benign countenance-remnants of his former profession-are a departure from the staccato delivery of, say, the Palmer House Magic Parlour's Dennis Watkins, but any potential somnolence arising from its tranquil tone is counteracted by the vivacious visual display inherent in a scenic decor featuring serpentine motifs drawn from Symbolist art and a collection of tschotchkes constituting a veritable museum of prestidigital paraphernalia."
ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended
"...The illusions themselves are all delightful. And not, I think, in the typical way. Few use the standard tools of the magician (e.g. pack of cards, coins, silk scarf), but even those that do Dr. Rosenkranz adds a little something extra to, to exceed our expectations; for instance, not only does he mystically read the minds volunteers, but after he then shows us convincing proof that those numbers had already been written down, before the show. Very delightful!"
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...I always find magic, amazingly magical! Watching magicians, such as Dennis Watkins, close-at-hand is always a special experience. In 2016, we were able to witness the physician magician, Dr. Ricardo Rosenkranz do his one man show ( although he does have an assistant) at The Royal George Cabaret on Halsted. For those of you who missed this marvelous experience, an intimate view of a magical performance, up close and very personal, you are in luck- IT IS BACK!"
Chicagoland Theater Reviews - Recommended
"..."The Rosenkranz Mysteries" accomplish what any successful magic show must achieve-continuously entertain and baffle the audience. The doctor/professor elicits gasps and applause of his viewers for almost two hours. Some patrons might believe they have figured out how a certain illusion is pulled off, but they are kidding themselves. Rosenkranz's mysteries remain deliciously mysterious, and the engrossed audience wouldn't have it any other way."
Chicago On Stage - Highly Recommended
"...To that end, Rosenkranz does not merely perform tricks; he spends time meticulously setting them in a metaphysical space and working to make sure the audience is not only mesmerized but educated. In one early number, he magically creates holes in a scarf before revealing that scarf whole again. "Many magicians would have ended the number with the reveal of the holes," he noted. But Rosenkranz wants his audience to understand that magic can be healing, and what better way than to "heal" the scarf?"
Picture This Post - Somewhat Recommended
"...Rosenkranz doesn't have the flair of a magician pro or a natural theatrical ability of a seasoned actor,He brings himself to this stage to share what he loves. The Rosenkranz Mysteries will indeed have you leaving the theater with a sense of awe and asking your friends, "how did he manage to do that?" Is it all planned in advance? Or is it all truly happening by chance in that moment?"
