On July 27, award-winning magician Patrick Livingston’s “An Evening of Magic” took place at the Center on Halsted as eight illusionists performed. Said performers included David Kovac, Trent James, Robert Charles, Benjamin Barnes, Eugene Burger, Jan Rose, Danny Orleans and Livingston. The event generated $5,000, with all proceeds benefitting the AIDS Foundation of Chicago.
“An Evening of Magic” was well-designed and entertaining. Kovac, known as a modern-day vaudevillian, charmed the more-than-150 audience members as the emcee, telling jokes and magically unweaving rubber bands for a 9-year-old in the front row.
James is only 17, but he is one of the top teen magicians in the country as well as one of the finalists representing the United States at FISM’s World Championship of Magic in Rimini, Italy, next year. James’ act was quite beautiful; he turned brightly colored hankerchiefs into umbrellas and magically compelled the parasols to float around his body. The day after “An Evening of Magic,” James emailed Windy City Times that “[t]he show last night was fantastic. Such a great group of magicians performing together for a great cause, the audience was phenomenal, which makes our job even better!”
Charles and Barnes had audience members on the edge of their seats as well. The duo co-hosts a monthly variety show called Magic Chicago at Stage 773, and both have individually performed at the world-famous Magic Castle in Hollywood. Barnes mystically caused steel rings to link and separate while Charles told a humorous story about the innumerable categories of straight and gay couples that exist in 2014 as he incorporated card magic.
Orleans and Rose have been married for more than 30 years and have been performing their intersecting magical and mind-reading act for just as long. Rose psychically recited random numbers chosen by audience members as Orleans entertained the crowd.
Seventy-five-year-old Burger—the dean of students at the McBride Magic and Mystery School in Las Vegas—is universally recognized as one of the leading instructors in magic across the globe. He performed wonderful feats of magic that charmed the attendees, but simply his presence at “An Evening of Magic” rounded off the entire night as a success for the growing culture of magic in Chicago and for the AIDS Foundation of Chicago.
Finally, Livingston—who also performed tricks such as subliminally knowing a country and wild animal that random audience members chose—produced a well-thought-out and professional program. “The AIDS Foundation of Chicago individually challenges people to raise money however they can,” said Livingston, “some people run marathons or organize bake sales, but I wanted to produce a magic show.”