Straz Center is bringing you an evening of illusion and sleight-of-hand, one where a magician might just lay their cards on the table. Your table.
Your table, one of 12 at The Magicians Table, will seat a dozen guests at a celebration of life. The honoree is Dieter Roterberg, famed carnival owner and magician. Jaeb Theater becomes the deceased’s private performance space, where you’ll witness magic at point blank range, performed for you and your tablemates, at your table.
“It’s close up magic,” said Evan Driggs, one of the show’s magicians. “At a lot of magic shows, you’re watching someone up on a stage sawing somebody in half and pulling birds out of nowhere. But when it’s right on the table that you’re sitting at, it’s a totally different experience.”
During the show, magicians go from table to table, entertaining with mind-boggling tricks, interspersed with Dieter’s widow reminiscing about his life from the stage.
The immersive theatrical experience drew raves when it premiered in London (“… intimate, funny, surprising and genuinely impressive,” said The Live Review London).
Preparing to bring the show to the U.S., producers flew Driggs to London to see and learn about the show, information he passed along to the other magicians who will perform on the U.S. dates.
In November, The Magicians Table had its U.S. debut in Charlotte, N.C., where its run of rave reviews continued (“… a mesmerizing world of magic,” said The Charlotte Observer).
The intimate setting is a big plus for Driggs.
“There’s a little bit of a disconnect when the magician is on stage,” Driggs said. “But when it’s inches away from you, it can seem inexplicable sometimes. And it’s really great to see those reactions from people in real time. You get to interact with people a lot more.
“I think one of my favorite things about the show is that a lot of people come as strangers, but they leave as friends because they connect over the magic in this really intimate, tight environment,” Driggs said.
Magic was a hobby from Driggs’ younger days until the pandemic. “I fell back into magic and began to take it seriously. I began to see it as a career path.”
Two years after he started, Driggs was able to quit his day job and be a full-time professional magician. He connected with The Magicians Table team early last year and helped plan and coordinate the U.S. tour.
Driggs may have left his occupation in apartment maintenance behind, but what he learned is relevant in his new job as well.
“I’m traveling with the show in an RV right now, so I get to use all those maintenance skills to fix all the problems that I encounter along the way,” Driggs said. “So it all worked out for the best.”
The Magicians Table runs through May 31. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit our website or call 813-229-7827.
