The Magic Castle

Last week I received an invitation to "the most unusual private club in the world," the Magic Castle! It was equal parts bizarre, cheesy and awesome as it is a glorified nightclub for magicians. The Magic Castle is home to the Academy of Magical Arts, whose president is none other than Neil Patrick Harris (Doogie Howser). That fact alone blew my mind. According to the website, the academy is a non-profit social order devoted to the advancement of magic. The Magic Castle is their private (very much for-profit) clubhouse. They have a strict (formal) dress code. You have to be invited by a member, or in our case, a friend of a friend of a coworker of a member (super exclusive, right?). Since this is not the type of invitation that comes around every day and the haunted mansion above the Hollywood strip is an LA institution, a group of eight of us jumped at the chance to experience a bit of “magic” on a Thursday night.  

As a disclaimer, I dislike theme parks or anything overly touristy. You arrive at the Magic Castle, leave your car with the valet and enter a foyer that was plucked straight from Disneyland. Similarly to the “Magic Kingdom” you are then greeted by a friendly woman who takes your money. You walk up to a bookshelf/ secret passage way with a magical owl statue and say “open sesame.” The passage way opens and hallelujah you are at a bar.  The Magic Castle differs from Disneyland is that there are bars everywhere (you can even order drinks inside the theaters before the magic shows). The opportunities to purchase mediocre overpriced cocktails are limitless. This makes the experience much more “magical.” 

After a couple drinks you head upstairs to the “Victorian dining room” for your dinner reservation (this is mandatory, every guest must order an entrée). I tend to be a fairly harsh food critic, so I’m not even going to review the meal. I will simply say I've had better salmon in a Lean Cuisine. We split the check between the four couples, and it ended up being about $180 per couple (with tip). This includes six bottles of wine. Don’t judge. We are a thirsty group. The food is overpriced for what it is (bland, overcooked) however you are not there for the food (this is a hard concept for me to grasp). 

After dinner it’s time for the magic shows! There are three theaters, showcasing different magicians and their acts. I think you can see up to five shows in a night, plus there are little side exhibitions in the smaller room. If you do it all, you have the opportunity to see a lot of magic. Since it was a week night for us, we stayed for two shows and felt satisfied.

All in all it was a fun evening. I love any excuse to get dressed up and drink cocktails with my friends. I recommend going with a group, since the audience involvement portion is just far more fun when you’re with friends.  Plus good conversation is the best distraction from a mediocre meal. I’m not overly eager to return any time soon, but it was a unique experience and I’m glad I can now cross the Magic Castle off my Los Angeles bucket list.

Did you know that Neil Patrick Harris is a magician? Have you ever been to the Magic Castle?