Victorian Parlor Magic: Summer Soiree

The Storyteller’s Cottage will host its signature “Victorian Parlor Magic: Summer Soiree” event on Saturday, July 20 from 8:00 - 9:30 pm. This unique live show begins with cocktails and croquet on the lawn, then just as dusk falls and the luminaria begin to glow, guests withdraw to the historic Victorian salon to thrill at amazing feats of skill by master illusionist, David Reed-Brown. Guests are welcome to come dressed in white tea dresses or light linen pants and straw boater hats to complete the immersive experience.

This unique event will immerse guests in historic Victorian splendor as expert magician David Reed-Brown performs fascinating sleight-of-hand tricks while walking among them in this circa 1896 house. Close-up magic was popular at exclusive house parties in the Victorian era, and the elegant, candlelit rooms at the Storyteller’s Cottage set the mood perfectly.

One of the most unique live magic shows in Connecticut, this up-close event features fascinating tricks performed right before the eyes of the formally dressed audience, perched breathlessly on the edges of their seats in the red and gold Victorian parlor. From items that disappear and reappear in unexpected places, to impossibly linked rings and mysteriously floating furniture, David Reed-Brown’s illusions never fail to thrill.

The Victorian Parlor Magic show stands apart from the typical magical production because of its formal vintage flair and unusual up-close access to the magician. Guests are encouraged to dress in their cocktail finest, and the evening begins with brain-teaser games over elegant hors d’oeuvres and drinks. The mysterious Victorian atmosphere in the Jules Verne Library sets the stage for a fascinating and immersive experience. Sherlock Holmes and Charles Dickens would feel right at home observing this enchanting spectacle.

David has been performing as a magician for over twenty years, and has loved magic since he was a small child. The magic that he performs does more than entertain people, it gives them the experience of wonder and hope. “These days the world is so very dark. I get to shine light,” David says. “Some people say that magicians practice misdirection. I think it's the other way around, I am directing your attention towards very real wonder and magic and inspiration in our world. After all, the only place the magic really exists is in your experience. I'm just helping you paint the magical picture on your canvas.”

Also an ordained minister, David was recently named an instructor at McBride’s Magic & Mystery School in Las Vegas, where he himself studied with master magicians Jeff McBride and Eugene Burger.

Each Victorian Parlor Magic show actually features two distinct programs. First, David performs close-up magic in one of the smaller spaces at the Storyteller’s Cottage, while guests nibble on dainty desserts between applause. Later, the group moves to the Victorian Library to enjoy larger and more dramatic illusions in the glittering vintage space.

These evenings are a fine time to meet dozens of other fans of history and illusion. Before the show begins, guests are tasked with working together to solve puzzling mental riddles, like identifying famous book titles by looking only at cryptic clues. During each portion of the show, David incorporates audience members into his illusions, sometimes at their (imagined) peril. By the end of the night, guests who have “survived” the excitement feel like family!

David’s favorite illusion to perform comes at the end of his show when he levitates a table with a lit candle on it. Without moving a muscle it rises in front of David and flies around the room. “Even a woman from the audience gets to do it. I can perform it most anywhere, and it just seems impossible, David says. “When it first ascends into the air, it moves people deep inside. Like whoa... People often make a low guttural sound. Levitating something in air gives a lot of people hope - hope that they can overcome the things that hold them down. That I do it with a voice like Yoda's only ads to the joy.”

The elegant period atmosphere at the Storyteller’s Cottage transports guests back to the Victorian era, the golden age of magic, and the house seems a part of the illusion as well. Fine Parlor Magic occurs quarterly. The next show takes place Saturday, July 20th from 8:00-9:30 pm. Tickets are $50, and include soft drinks and dessert (cash bar available). https://www.storytellerscottage.com/book-online/fine-parlor-magic-july

The Storyteller’s Cottage is located in a vintage Victorian house in the center of historic Simsbury, CT, and hosts all manner of immersive literary events throughout the year, including Agatha Christie inspired live murder mystery parties, Great Gatsby themed Jazz Supper Clubs, fascinating close-up illusions at Fine Parlor Magic nights, a Literary Dinner Party series on select evenings at midnight, and more.

The Storyteller's Cottage is located at 750 Hopmeadow Street in Simsbury. Parking for The Storyteller's Cottage is free, and is available on the street in front of the building, and in the Fiddler's Green parking lot on Wilcox Street (behind the house). For more information, please call 860-877-6099 or visit www.StorytellersCottage.com.

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