The almost forgotten history of magic Bars in Chicago
Chicago-style magic is fast, funny, sometimes crude, often tipsy, and always amazing. Its roots in this city go back to 1915 in a little family tavern called Schulien’s.
This was the Vaudeville era, when magic was only seen on large stages from 50 feet away, performed by dapper men in tails and top hats. Audiences watched in awe as assistants were levitated or sawn in half, but there was no interaction between the spectators and the performers on stage. The young son of a tavern owner, Matt Schulien, had a different idea. Just as the Compass Players broke the proverbial "4th wall" in 1959 to lead Chicago into the next generation of comedy, Matt Schulien brought magic so close to the spectator that it was happening right under their nose. Once food was ordered and drinks were in hand, Matt would sidle up to the table, sit with the patrons, and break out a deck of cards.
Schulien’s became world-renowned for it
Mixed with laughter, libation, and an adult crowd, "Magic Bars" would begin to emerge on all sides of the city. From "Ryan's Magic Tap" on Division and Mayfield, the "New York Lounge" on Lincoln Ave., "Little Bit O' Magic" on S. Pulaski, "Frank Everheart's Magic Bar" in the Ivanhoe, out to the near suburbs in Cicero with "Jonny Paul's Magic Lounge", "Mr. C's Magic Lounge" in Berwyn, "Houdini's Pub" in Oak Forrest, the "Magic Touch" in Palatine, and countless other restaurants in town like the Cairo Supper Club, and The Old Barn, magic bars and restaurants dotted Chicagoland's nightlife landscape.
By the end of the 1980s, most of the magic bars and restaurants had closed, and in 1999, the first one to open, Schulien's, was the last one to close its doors. Chicago-style magic was nowhere to be seen in this city anymore, but our style of magic lived on, spreading across the country and the world.
On a trip to Bath, England, I was surprised to see "Sleight Magic Bar" as I exited the bus station. I've visited the "Le Double Fond," a renowned magic restaurant and theater in Paris. You will find footsteps of Chicago magic all over this country, such as the Doc Eason Magic Show at the Stonebridge Inn in Snowmass, Colorado, and Frank Everhart Jr. performing at the Schooner Bar in Key West.
As with anything else created in Chicago, it should be remembered and celebrated. Just as Muddy Waters changed the blues when he plugged in his guitar, and Paul Sills changed comedy by bringing improv games to the stage, Matt Schulien sat and had a laugh and a drink with his patrons, changing magic forever.