Do you ever wish you could read the minds of your attendees to figure out what folks really want from a great event? David Carlo doesn’t have that problem — he knows the thoughts of each and every audience member.
Do you ever wish you could wave a wand to ensure that everything you planned for an event would work out perfectly? David Carlo doesn’t need to worry about that — he has a few tricks up his sleeves.
Do you ever dream of a single book with all of the answers for you, telling you exactly what to do to make your event successful? David Carlo doesn’t need to imagine — he reads from a 19th-Century diary that tells him exactly how to put on a great show.
No need to be jealous. David Carlo’s a magician, and a very accomplished one, at that. He’s produced some of the most-iconic magic shows of the century, including Criss Angel’s “Mindfreak” and its associated mega-stage productions in Las Vegas.
Carlo is no stranger to flashy hyper-modern magic, whether it’s performed in front of sold-out theaters or in front of millions watching on TV.
So why is he hosting Modern Parlor Magic, a revival of a century-old magic show in a small parlor room?
A Curious Find
”I have always been enamored with the intimate presentations of the elevated forms of entertainment during the Victorian era,” says Carlo.
To the untrained eye, the focus on history might not be evident in his most prominent work, but the historical through-line has existed since the beginning.
You might not think of the Victorian era while watching an episode of the CW’s “Criss Angel’s Magic With the Stars” (executive produced by Carlo). But when celebrity guests like Flava Flav or Frankie Muniz attempt to levitate or escape straitjackets in front of astonished studio audiences, these stars follow a long tradition of magic dating back to 18th-Century living rooms.
Parlor magic shows, also called “drawing-room magic,” were typically performed in small, intimate settings rather than on a stage or in a theater. There are accounts of small-scale conjuring tricks performed in private homes and coffee houses as early as the 1780s.
Shows featured an exciting blend of sleight of hand, mysterious mechanical contrivances, and dramatic storytelling. In the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, parlor magic became increasingly popular in the United States, thanks in part to the rise of mass-produced magic sets and instructional books that made it easier for amateurs to learn and perform tricks.
Carlo was researching this crucial period of magic history when he made a unique discovery: a genuine historical artifact.
“In the process of researching shows of the era,” Carlo explains, “we were blown away to find a diary of a woman who actually hosted a show in New York City in 1895 and wrote extensively about the show.”
The diary was immediately a source of inspiration, but Carlo hints that the circumstances around the diary’s discovery were equally inspiring.
“How we found it is part of the show itself, so we don’t want to spoil the story, but needless to say, we decided to write Modern Parlor Magic to be a modern retelling of that very show that took place in 1895,” says Carlo.
A Historic Host
Naturally, an accurate retelling of a Victorian magic show can’t be anything like a Vegas spectacle or involve any TV show trickery. There would be no walking up the Luxor pyramid or celebrity guest stars vanishing into thin air. To truly transport audiences back to a turn-of-the-century New York City parlor, Carlo needed an intimate and suitably historic space. (Bonus points if the space for the event was a little mysterious … or even a bit spooky.)
Enter the Biltmore Hotel, a place that is no stranger to mystery and intrigue.
Built in 1923, the hotel has been the site of countless fascinating stories, from secret tunnels and hidden speakeasies to infamous ghostly hauntings and juicy celebrity sightings.
From hosting notorious gangster Al Capone to being a satellite office for President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to being prominently featured as the home of “Slimer” in Ghostbusters, the Biltmore has been through it all. Its parlor room, in particular, has captured guests’ imaginations over the decades, including the great magician Harry Houdini, who stayed at the hotel in 1924.
Although Carlo has produced TV shows that famously take magic into places away from the traditional stage, he says that the setting for his Modern Parlor Magic show is a massive part of the experience. When guests step from the historic hotel halls into the parlor room that’s fully restored into its early 20th-Century glory, it’s genuinely transporting.
“Los Angeles is a city that has a lot of choices for entertainment, so we’re always working to stand out above the competition,” says Carlo.
To complete the experience would require a dark and stormy night, but those might be hard to come by in sunny Los Angeles. The intimate staging makes up for this: “We ensure the show is a very curated experience in a small space, which means guests have an incredible immersive experience,” says Carlo.
Maintaining this level of immersion takes a toll, but Carlo says it’s all worth it in the end. “There is nothing quite like pulling off a successful event, but there’s also a flip side to that,” he warns. “Events are not for the weak of heart!”
Creating the Modern Parlor Magic Moment
In fact, Carlo says that giving guests a personalized show is the most important aspect of everything he does with Modern Parlor Magic: “Participation by all audience members is the key ingredient for making each show special! For me, as a performer, there’s nothing quite like hearing laughter or seeing the complete shock on someone’s face.”
Hosting intimate audiences often presents fun challenges, and Carlo has to work on the fly to ensure that audience members of all kinds feel as if they’re part of the show.
Carlo recalls a recent instance in which a large family attended the show to celebrate the birthday of their 95-year-old patriarch. The man was nearly as old as the Biltmore hotel, and old enough to remember the heyday of parlor magic in his youth.
“It turned out he was a huge magic fan” says Carlo, clearly excited by the fond memory of this particular attendee. “I was honored and thrilled his family chose to spend it with us, and we were able to incorporate him into the show, which made it a great evening out.”
Keeping the Magic Alive
Carlo’s work with large-scale magic seems to have only magnified the amount of care he puts into this work with a smaller audience. This need for personal connection with their attendees was actually a big part of why Carlo chose Eventbrite.
When he was deciding on an online ticketing platform, “the ability to interact with our guests via personalized email updates was a key feature.” He ensures that there’s “always an open line of communication” with every attendee.
As he reflects on his 25-year career in what he broadly calls “magic-related content,” Carlo constantly references the great people he’s worked with to get to this point.
Carlo admits that, “producing a live event is a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week job,” and with plans to take the Modern Parlor Magic show to other cities, that 24/7 gig might turn into 25/8. This doesn’t seem to faze Carlo.
“We have been blessed,” says Carlo, “to create, build, and produce with other passionate professionals who take joy in sharing their craft.” In Carlo’s words, the challenges of growing your show don’t seem as challenging when you have “a team that can wear many hats.”
So what’s the real magic touch that makes Carlo’s shows work so well? Is it making every audience member feel as if they’ve received a fully personalized show, or is it finding the perfect setting to create an immersive event experience? Or is the magic perhaps found in hard work and constant communication with your audience and team members alike?
I’d press Carlo to answer these questions, but I know better than to ask. After all, a great magician never reveals his secrets.
