The Chicago Tribune loved the show! Read the whole review here.

“[The show] soars on Dennis Watkins’ brilliance as a genuine magician…Watkins gives Houdini a real run for his money with his performance of spectacular card tricks, a walk on glass shards, escape from a straightjacket while hanging upside down, the swallowing and disgorging of razor blades, and finally, a reenactment of the fabled “water torture cell.”

The Chicago Sun times loved it, too! Read about it here.

“Dennis Watkins is simply magnificent,” says the Chicago Reader.

WTTW came out to the theater to do a piece on Death and Harry Houdini, which opens this weekend.

Check it out here: http://chicagotonight.wttw.com/2012/01/25/houdini-chicago-stages

Tickets to this fantastic magic play are at: www.thehousetheatre.com

I’m thrilled to be playing Harry Houdini for the third time in this fantastic show. We’ll run Sunday night through March 11th, with a run to follow in Miami this April.

The show includes some of my favorite magic, including Houdini’s Water Torture Cell escape!

And I walk on broken glass!

And escape from a straight jacket while hanging upside down!

You can find out more about the show at:

thehousetheatre.tumblr.com

Check it out HERE!

Join me in a private suite at the historic Palmer House Hilton for an elegant evening of mind-boggling magic and mentalism. Guests will convene at the hotel’s Potter’s Lounge (in the lower level of The Palmer House) at 10:15 before being escorted to a private suite for a 90-minute performance, concluding at midnight with a champagne toast.

There are only 36 seats available for the evening, so make your reservations now.

The Magic Parlour: An intimate evening of classic magic with Dennis Watkins at the Palmer House Hilton

December 31, 2011 at 10:15 pm

At The Palmer House Hilton
Guests convene at Potter’s Lounge at 10:15 pm

All tickets are $100.

Tickets at www.thehousetheatre.com or by phone at 773.769.3832

In preparation for the show, we performed the Water Torture Cell at Chicago’s Navy Pier during the month of October.

Here’s a little video clip of the escape:
Water Torture Cell Teaser

Find out more about the show at www.thehousetheatre.com!

I’m thrilled to announce that the Water Torture Cell has opened at Navy Pier in Chicago!

Three nights a week through Halloween, I’ll be performing Houdini’s most infamous stage escape live on stage! Here’s the performance SCHEDULE.

The Magic Parlour is also still running in Chicago. The show has gotten killer reviews and has proven to sell out almost every week on word of mouth alone! Don’t miss it!

As we gear up to perform the Water Torture Cell in Downtown Chicago, WBEZ posted this fantastic article:

House Theatre, Houdini, and the underwater escape magic of Dennis Watkins

Check it out! Then join us at Navy Pier over the next few weeks to see a kind of magic rarely done these days. Houdini’s Water Torture Cell!

Here it is (still in the shipping case):

In addition to performing Houdini’s famous escape in the show at The House, I’m in the process of negotiating performances at Chicago’s Navy Pier for the month of October. I’ll keep you posted!

In the mean time, I’m gearing up for the Holiday season! Entertainment for corporate events keeps me busy most of the season, and my calendar is filling up quickly. So, if you’re looking for a world class magician (in Chicago or nation wide), drop me a line!

When I was fresh out of college I played Harry Houdini in The The House Theatre of Chicago’s original play, Death and Harry Houdini.

We produced another run of the show in 2003. This run of the show included Houdini’s Water Torture Cell. The famous escape required that I be locked upside down in a tank of water and escape in less than 4 minutes. Check out this link to see video of the trick.

I’m thrilled to announce that The House will be producing this show once again, opening on January 29, 2011! After running here in Chicago, we’ll move the show to the Adrienne ARSHT center in Miami for a month!

For those of you in Illinois or Florida, I’ll post ticket information on my blog.

On another note…The Holidays are coming up faster than most of us would like to admit. Knowing that October, November and December are my busiest months of the year, I wanted to let you know that NOW IS THE TIME TO BOOK YOUR FALL AND HOLIDAY EVENTS!

Check out www.denniswatkins.net to find out more about how I can help you give your guests and/or clients an UNFORGETTABLE experience!

Have a great week!
Dennis Watkins