Chicago Magic Lounge: Diary of a Black Illusionist Review
Walter King Jr.
Chicago Magic Lounge Presents DIARY OF A BLACK ILLUSIONIST Review - A Moving and Grooving Evening with The Spellbinder
TLDR: Coming from the South Side of Chicago, we’re treated to the funky sounds and performance of Walter King Jr. aka The Spellbinder. He impresses audiences with his smooth, and nonchalant persona that leads to some incredibly mind-blowing tricks.
Walter King Jr.
DJ, Play Me Some of That Funky You’re Not Going To Believe Your Mind Kind of Music
As far as intros go, The Spellbinder has one of the most memorable to date. The lights dim and a projector screen rolls down in front of the red curtain. A video starts to play with Walter King Jr.’s voice talking to his dad in the form of a diary entry,
“It happened exactly as you said it would, Dad.”
We see the aftereffects of a fire that ravaged the Chicago Cultural Center where King regularly performed. But that fateful event led him to where he is today, here in front of us performing at the Chicago Magic Lounge. But the intro video is only just a taste of what’s to come from The Spellbinder.
King’s background lies in performing since a very young age and coming up through the different clubs in Chicago has allowed him to develop a unique performance style. He blends his illusions to club and funk music. As the curtain rises, we are treated to his very own intro music and he steps forward as the crowd bursts into applause. He breaks out robotic dance moves to the electronic beat and begins some illusions starting with a cane turning into a handkerchief in the blink of an eye. The handkerchief then develops a mind of its own and peeks out from the suitcase when King discards it there.
Throughout the rest of his performance, he calls out to DJ Taylor Quick up in the booth and asks her to play him some funky music as he performs each of his illusions.
Walter King Jr.
The Charm and The Persona
King has the comedic chops of Penn Jillette, the swagger of Michael Jackson, and the aura of a Matrix character. He comes onstage wearing an all black suit and sunglasses. His fedora and shoes have bedazzled, royal blue accents.
His illusions are very Chicago style with some sleight of hand like a deck of cards getting smaller and smaller right before your eyes. He pulls an audience member onto the stage and though it may be the stereotypical is this your card trick, he adds a different twist where the matching card appears out of a veil of smoke. He even throws in some good old fashioned levitation for good measure.
The atmosphere in the Blackstone Cabaret theater is electric as we watch each illusion. Our thoughts quickly turned from oh no, something went wrong to everyone losing their minds when King was actually able to not only predict what the audience member had written on her piece of paper, but also pulls said object out of thin air. It literally felt like this meme:
He has the art of misdirection down as we fully believe he hasn't gotten the trick right to the big reveal when in fact he does.
Walter King Jr.
The After Party Thoughts
King comes off as lowkey, very nonchalant, and very cool on stage. He has a different aura to his performance than many modern illusionists nowadays. He takes his time with his set-up and doesn’t speak fast to fill the silence. And though he comes off as casual and imprecise, it’s all a masterful act as everything he says and does is leading up to the big reveal of the illusion.
I try not to be one of those audience members who picks apart magic acts by trying to figure out how they did it. It doesn’t always work, and sometimes I can’t help but become that person. However, with some of King’s illusions, both my and my fellow after party member’s minds were blown right along with every other audience member’s.
If you’re looking for an evening out at the Chicago Magic Lounge and are looking for a show with an old school, funky feel with illusions that will surprise you, seeing The Spellbinder would be a good choice for you.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Walter King Jr.
When
Now playing as the Wednesday evening performance
Where
Chicago Magic Lounge
5050 North Clark Street
Chicago, IL, 60640
Runtime: 80min, with a 10min intermission
Tickets
$42+
Tickets can be purchased through the Chicago Magic Lounge website
Photos
Trainman Photography and Sarah Elizabeth Larson