This past weekend I had planned to celebrate my two son's 10th and 8th birthdays together. Both sets of grandparents came into town and I was looking for an event to close out the night after dinner. I remembered reading about a family magic show at the Houston Improv awhile back, but a search showed me that this hasn't been happening for some years. So, knowing that Houston always has something going on somewhere, I decided to google "Houston Magic Show." The Magic Show Theater was a top result and already had plenty of positive reviews on google. The tickets were also very reasonably priced which was a must for our group of 8 that I was trying to book. So, I booked it. Jumping over to Saturday, the night of our show...
The showtime was for 8:00 pm. I arrived with my family about 20 minutes early. First of all I want to let anyone people know that the location of this theater is deceiving by its looks. It is located in a shopping center off of hwy 6. The area is not the most immaculate, fancy type of area, however, I did not feel unsafe at all. There is plenty of parking, and the theater is located on the bottom floor next to a restaurant called Chez Michelle. Once inside, there was a very sweet woman who checked us in and verified my tickets. She offered free popcorn and snowcones to all of us. This was a lovely surprise for us! How many places offer free popcorn and snow cones? My kids were thrilled. I believe they also sell sodas and adult beverages, however, we did not partake this time. The theater is expertly decorated in a very steam punk 1900-s style. Lots of things to look at on the wall, old magicians posters, antique trinkets, just something really cool everywhere you look. The chairs were comfy theater seats, cushioned and very padded. The magician, Lanny, was preparing for the show at this time, he personally greeted us, and was very warm and inviting. Another magician came on first and did some card tricks for us. He was very funny and engaging. He invited the audience to participate and was so fun! Apparently the opening act changes, so I would be interested to see what other magicians come to open the show as well. Next Lanny came on. He was great, he told hilarious stories and jokes while amazing us with his tricks. My two sons were in stitches the whole time! He did traditional magic tricks in a very intimate setting. I would say there is only room for about 50-80 seats. Lanny had every child in the audience that night participate in at least one trick, including several adults as well. This was a completely wonderful experience to close out our night, all adults and kids had a great time. There were plenty of moments when we were all amazed and in awe of Lanny's act. Valerie (the magician's assistant), was not there this night, and I would love to have seen the act with her in it as well. I will definitely come back if given the chance with more guests from out of town. A big recommend!