“The Rosenkranz Mysteries: Physician Magician”

Highly Recommended ***** I always find magic, amazingly magical! Watching magicians, such as Dennis Watkins, close-at-hand is always a special experience. In 2016, we were able to witness the physician magician, Dr. Ricardo Rosenkranz do his one man show ( although he does have an assistant) at The Royal George Cabaret on Halsted.  For those of you who missed this marvelous experience, an intimate view of a magical performance, up close and very personal, you are in luck- IT IS BACK!

While this year the show pretty much follows that of the 2016 edition, as the Doctor explained to me after the performances, the “tricks” are to him like old friends, or even family members, so they do not leave easily. They want to linger on, and to be honest, I enjoyed them just as much this go-round as last. In fact, most of us, when seeing a magician for a second time, work harder at watching him to get a glimpse of what he does, or how the trick is handled. Try as we might, we will not get the answers and for my part, why bother. Just sit back and relax and let the good times roll!

Rosenkranz divides his show into two acts composed of 8 tricks in the first and only four in the second. The show probably could be shortened to 90 minutes with no intermission, but with his tricks being “family” where do you cut, and why? The entire performance art is two hours including 15 minutes for the intermission, and no time is wasted or less enjoyable than another part. Because it is magic and mysterious, I will not give away much of the glamour and the glitter of what you will see except to tell you that you will be amazed at what you see on the stage at The Royal George.

The audience participation is high, with members being used for almost every scene/trick. His opening explanation of the “puzzle of life” is the perfect start-up allowing us to see that the hand is indeed quicker than the eye. He tells us of his childhood and where he gained his love of magic and then his medical school and career leading into the understanding of empathy. Watching his water bowls is powerful, as I was in the first row with clear vision to his every action and could spot nothing out of the ordinary.

In one of his “numbers” he has an audience member hold a box of blocks. The blocks have letters in them and while closed with a shake they spell out a name. The name is not hers, but that of another audience  member ,who is then brought into the picture and with the help of his “skull”, Balsamo, they have a one-on-one with , taking us deep into the mind of the audience member, who before this was just that, a spectator, and the Doctor tell us info about this member that he cannot know.amazing! Then the letters in the box are shuffled again to name the luxury place that the woman volunteer would like to go. This was also correct. Stunning! I am leaving some of the actual event out, so you will enjoy the same surprises that we did. Even though I saw this performance art two seasons, ago, it seemed fresh as a daisy to me and the good Doctor is a very personable gentleman.

In the second act, we are treated to a wedding band leaving the room and then re-appearing on an orange tree as a symbol of love. Here, I almost thought I had seen what they did to make this work. At last, I had him. However, as always, when the magician is in fact a genius, I was in error and what I saw turned out to be extraordinary in every way. We then learned about the Bang Sisters who during the “roaring twenties” held séances where we witness a recreation of their ever so spirited portrayals.. In this case, the good physician does his magic right before our eyes and the audience participant gets a stunning surprise to take home. Another stunning act! I for one wish to thank his mentor, Eugene Berger, for leading Dr. Rosenkranz in the right direction. With this knowledge and spirit, we are all privileged to see the magic of his art!

This is a show that is worth putting on your “must do” or “must see” list. The performance schedule for “The Rosenkranz Mysteries: Physician Magician” are as follows:

Thursdays  8 p.m.

Fridays  8 p.m.

Saturdays  2 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Sundays  2 p.m.

Tickets range from $50, table up front $75 with discounts for seniors and students ( suggested 12 and up for youngsters) and can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com, by calling 312–988-9000 or at the box office located at 1641 N. Halsted Street . Valet parking is available and there is metered parking on Halsted as well as the Steppenwolf garage.

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “The Rosenkranz Mysteries: Physican Magician”