Hello, magic lover. Dave Cox here, looking forward to sharing a magical evening of hysterical magical fun with you at the exclusive private club, The Magic Castle.  If you’re reading this, you already have a physical pass from me, have already been emailed a pass, or have been offered a spot on my exclusive and limited guest list for a week when I’m performing. Please remember that, if I have invited you, then you are my guest, and I am responsible for you, and the behavior of your lucky friends.  It’s kind of a big deal.  I am delighted to share with you one of my favorite places in the world.  We’re going to have an amazing time!

If you don’t know me, and you’re just here in hopes that I’ll send you a pass, let’s talk a little bit about what you’re asking me.  You must understand, it's a private and exclusive club, into which I and my fellow magicians work very hard to earn our way. We have paid our dues, both professionally and financially, every year, to be members. I'm sure you can imagine that I and my brothers in magic are bombarded by requests for passes, by people pretending to know us, or claiming to be important producers of big projects, or from companies looking to hire us (does your company have a party coming up?  What a great way to get acquainted!), or they've just read on Yelp that calling us up and working a con is a perfectly civilized way to go about getting an invitation.  It’s not.  I’m sure you’re swell, but we have all been burned by people who do not know us, got to the club without any idea how to behave, feeling no responsibility to the member who graciously got them in, and then act like total jerks. If you’re looking to go because you love magic, but aren’t lucky enough to personally know a magician, send me an email, like my Facebook page, see if I’m the type of performer or person you’d want in your home.  And, hopefully, it will be my pleasure to welcome you into mine: The Magic Castle.     

If you've never been, the Magic Castle (www.magiccastle.com) is an exclusive private 21 and over club for magicians and their guests. You must be a member or a guest of a member to get in, and, luckily, you can count me as one of your pals.  The Magic Castle is a classy Victorian supper club, and we do have a strict dress code - jacket and tie for gentlemen, and evening attire for the ladies. This is a great excuse to pull out that little cocktail number you've been saving for a special occasion. You don't HAVE to dress up. You GET to dress up. There are up to seven different shows each night in three to five different showrooms.  So, show up early, stay late, have a cocktail, and make an evening of it.

Hopefully, I'll fool the pants off of you. Then I'll very politely give them back, unlike some of those weaselly trouser stealing magicians I'm sure you've heard so much about.

There's plenty more info about the Castle on this page, or on the Magic Castle website.  For more information about me, or if you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to ask.

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The Magic Castle

7025 Franklin Blvd

Hollywood, CA 90068

(323) 851-3313

If you've never been, you might be asking yourself some questions.

Like...

What's this whole Magic Castle Deal?

Going to the Castle is a lot like going to Disneyland. Once you're in, you're free to wander around and do a lot of magical stuff. Except, much of what you do involves magic shows and drinking, and nothing smells like a churro. It's an elegant and whimsical Victorian supper club, it's the premier venue for magic in the Western world, it's a repository for magical artifacts and memorabilia from magicians from Houdini to Chris Angel... Mainly, it's just plain fun. There are three types of official shows each night, two more added on Fridays and  Saturdays, and there are impromptu and special shows all over the place. There's Close up Magic - magic done right in front of you that you can possibly touch, if you're lucky. Done 12 times a night by three different guys in the Close Up Gallery (by the main bar). Parlour Magic - magic done standing up, like in a comedy club or in the drawing room of rich folks at the turn of the century - done 6 times a night by two different guys in the Parlour of Prestidigitation. And Stage Magic - illusions, manipulation, guys making doves appear - done three times a night in the Palace of Mystery. On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights, we add Bar Magic - magic performed behind the bar while you swill drinks, done all night at the WC Fields bar, all the way across the Castle and downstairs, and the Peller Project, a special two magician show of experimental and theatrical material, done in the Peller Theater, right near the Bar.  Wherever you go, you might see  Impromptu Magic - done spontaneously by members throughout the club. There also might be Special shows - done by members or pros in one of the two additional theaters at the Club. The big Palace show is mistakenly thought to be the main attraction by many, and you have to have a ticket for the show, or wait in line and hope there's a seat. You get a ticket by having dinner, which assures you that if you spend a wad on dinner, you get to see what you may think is the big show. Often, the best shows are actually in the smaller rooms. But, the Palace is still pretty great.

How much is it?

The cover at the Castle is generally $25 to $30. That's what goes to the Academy of Magical Arts, which is the exclusive magician's organization that inhabits the Magic Castle as it's club house. It's what provides all of the magic. It's great to have dinner, and, of course, many many cocktails, but the cover is what goes towards the magic. Since I'm a MEMBER of the club, it is my privilege to get in 6 guests an evening, and, if I am there with them to use my membership to waive their cover. I hope very much that I can do this for you. I'm sure that someday you'll do something very nice for me. It's generally first come first served in a particular evening, based on when you respond to the invite. Or, on how much I love you. Or, on how much you may want to pay me to perform for your company. Basically, to ensure you get the best chance of my waiving your cover, respond early.  And then maybe start a company and try to buy my love by hiring me for a big event. For food and drink prices and such, please see the menu on the website (www.magiccastle.com) or see below. Be sure to tip the door girls.

How do I get into the shows?

To get into most of the shows, you line up. The Close up room only seats 20. The Parlour seats around 50. The Palace seats around 125.  The Peller seats around 45.  Everything except the Palace is first come, first served. There's a great little area outside of the Parlour where you can grab a cocktail and sit down to wait. Wander around and see a bunch of stuff. There are many bars. The food is delicious. There's a lot of cool stuff to see. And, don't forget Invisible Irma - the ghostly piano player. She'll play requests and answer questions musically.  Try and ask a few. She's on the other side of the main bar, in her own special lounging room. She manifests most of the night until midnight.

Aren't there lots of secret things around the Castle?

Yes. Yes there are.

What if I'm hungry?

You can order appetizers and deserts from any bar, and eat them at various places throughout the Castle. Many of the appetizers are very VERY meal worthy. If I haven't had dinner earlier, you can find me after my last show eating a table full of appetizers and deserts. Desserts and appetizers are available at all of the bars, until 11PM week nights, and until 1AM on weekends. Desserts are $9, and appetizers start at $6 for a heaping bowl of the delicious chili, hover around $10-12 for most of the others (try the Castle burger, the steak tips, and the sweet potato fries), and go all the way up to $23 for oysters or lobster tails. Dinners are in the $25-45 range, for great steaks, excellent lamb, great pasta, and, from what I've heard, very good vegetarian fare, though, if you know me, you know I'm not going to be ordering it. If you ask them nicely, they might throw some meat in there. Almost all entrés come with delicious parmesan mashed potatoes and a vegetable, and the sides are a la carte, and are spectacular - I love the gourmet mac and cheese, the sweet corn, and the sauteed mushrooms. Cocktail prices are pretty average for LA, but are slightly low for Hollywood, except for the wine, which might seem a little high, but is usually very good, and they do pour an awfully big glass. Me, I'm drinking a madras tall after the show. If you want to have dinner, and haven't made an actual reservation yet, you can call (323) 851-3313 and make a reservation with the Castle. They will ask for the number on your pass, so, if you don’t have one and are just hoping to bluff your way through, you will be disappointed.  If you're looking at Friday or Saturday, they may tell you that they're sold out. Do not cry. That's what they WANT you to do. It may not be at all hopeless. Seating is generally sold at 125 guests per dinner seating, since that's how many people can be sat in the Palace. We actually have slightly more table space. You can sometimes get a reservation for dinner on a sold out night or in a sold out seating if you tell them that you aren't concerned with getting tickets for the Palace show - you just want to have dinner, have some cocktails, and enjoy the Castle. And see me, of course. If you have these type of "non Palace Show" reservations, if someone cancels, or a party is smaller than expected (as frequently happens) you should get their tickets to the Palace. Be sure to tell them that you're the guest of Dave Cox, and that I'll be performing there that night. It helps.

But what if they're sold out and I HAVE to have a sit down dinner? You know, for religious reasons or charity or something?

Sorry about the potential sold outedness. BUT, even if you can't make a regular dinner reservation, you still have options - 1) Relax, and order a mess of delicious appetizers and desserts and eat them at one of the many tables throughout the Castle - you'll stand in line a bit, and possibly won't see the big show in the Palace, but you'll definitely see me and some other great magic. 2) Call the Castle several times over the next week and try and catch them when there's a cancellation. 3) Book the Seance room - you can do this two ways. You can actually try to book a Seance which is $95 per person (since you're booking it as the special guest of a member), all inclusive, including wine and desert, which allows a group of 12 to dine in the Houdini Seance Room (the same room we used for my birthday dinner at the Castle a while back) with a private chef, and, at the end of the meal, you get a private Seance with Leo Kostka or Rob Zabrecky, the Caste's Spirit Mediums. It's a once in a lifetime sort of thing. Another option is to gather a group of ten to 12, and just try to use the room, if there's no official Seance. You get to dine in the room, order from the regular menu, etc. There's also the Brunch, served on Saturdays and Sundays. It's an all you can eat amazing champagne breakfast buffet. It's also the only time you can bring kids. The shows are a little shorter and more kid friendly, and there's not nearly as much drinking. It's not the same as it is at night, but, as a buffet aficionado (my spell checker couldn't spell "conessuir" and I didn't want to look like an idiot), let me tell you that it's still awesome. For Reservations, call the Castle at (323) 851-3313.

That's it, my friends. If you haven't done so, be sure to respond to the invite I sent you to let me know what night you're coming, how many of you there are, and, if your email is cryptic, your real name, so that I can have you on the list. Be sure to tell them you're my guest, and to throw a couple of bucks to the door girls. Thanks for joining me at one of my favorite places in the world. We're going to have a swell time.

Cheers,

Dave