Saw Ivan's show a few years back in Beverly Hills. He has some very visual tricks but felt like he was cramming too much into one show, one trick after another. What was the best illusion? I don't know. It didn't give any space for the tricks to breathe and let the audience take it in. I would rework the show to change the pacing and create escalation of smaller tricks that build to a big finish. read more

We saw this show at the Hobby Center in Houston, TX, at a sold out house (only 2 performances, both sold out.!). This magician practices slight of hand. Yes, we realize that it is not truly "magic", but when the staff goes into the audience prior to the show and openly obtains a viewers name, and then later in the show, the magician "guesses" the name, perhaps a more covert way of obtaining the name could be utilized. I've seen dozens of magicians and love them. This was a good show, but could have been better with a more refined method of using audience "confederates". The person utilized might realize he is being used, but the others in the audience should not. read more

Ivan Amodei - At the Hobby Center In HOUSTON, TX! - Magicians Near Me - Beverly Hills, California

Amazing illusionist! An incredible experience that we cannot still understand how in the world he was able to find out about the answers to so many random questions from the audience. The guy is outstanding and he blew my mind! Best show ever read more

Ivan Amodei - Magicians Near Me - Beverly Hills, California

There's a Travelzoo deal for this Magic Show for only $29! Definitely a unique and fun date night. http://www.travelzoo.com/local-deals/Los-Angeles-Area/Entertainment/14293?utm_source=top20_us&utm_medium=email read more

FANTASTIC! This is definitely a special treat. If you have a special someone in mind, this is the place to take him or her. Ivan is very friendly and tries to keep everyone involved. I do recommend that attendees understand English though because he talks a decent amount. I would spend the money just to watch him again. Three tips: - Definitely wear a suit jacket. I thought just dress shirt, tie and dress pants were enough. I have never felt so under dressed. - There's parking nearby for much cheaper if you don't mind the walk. - He talks a lot. Don't expect just a magic show. read more

I'm about a year behind in writing this review (saw the show Dec 2011) but most of it is still vivid in my memory. Took advantage of the Travelzoo promo at that time ($29/pp) & purchased 6 tickets to take my family as an early Christmas present. I see lots of promo tickets popping up all the time so definitely be on the look out to save $$$ (I'm not sure I would pay full price for this show). Ivan Amodei is a great entertainer. Not sure about the authenticity of his "magic" but he has great stage presence & charisma. I really liked that the show was very intimate in a small show room (~60ppl?) and his tricks are very family friendly. I brought my mom who doesn't understand too much English but that did not hinder her from still really enjoying the show. If you are looking for some grand production with fire & animals, this isn't quite it. But it is a great family friendly/date night outing and especially around the holidays, the Beverly Wilshire is beautifully decorated so you can also get in some photo ops! Rodeo Drive was nearby so we also checked out their Christmas tree. - Valet parking is $$$ but we were lucky and found free street parking - seating is not assigned: the earlier you show up, the better your seats are. the 1st row is reserved for VIP tickets but everything else is up for grabs. Not stadium seating, so I would get there a tad earlier to get a leg up on seating choices. - the suggestion is "formal" dress, but some people were definitely dressed casual & didn't have any issues. I think dressing up makes the night more fun though, but I wouldn't go over the top. read more

I've never been to a magician show before, and based on my knowledge from watching those shows on TV while I was a kid, I thought the show would be very structured, a little stuffy, and just purely magic. But the show was completely different from what I was expecting. I watched the show at the Ritz Carlton hotel in Chicago. It's in one of the meeting rooms I think, so maximum there were 60 people. It felt very intimate. Ivan was FUN and entertaining. Multiple times during the show, I forgot I was at a magic show and thought I was on comedy central. The "magic" itself was interactive, some were more amazing than others. But for almost for every trick he did, there's participation from the audience. In the end, I thought everyone else in the room was working for him. A few last words--I'm very glad I watched the show. But if you were expecting doves flying all over, rabbits got pulled from a hat, or the magician himself being cut into half, this is not the show for you. It's all less grand tricks (there were some gold fish though) but more "numbers" or "facts" related. read more

Ivan is based in Beverly Hills, but travels a couple times a year. I saw his Intimate Illusions show at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC. It was an okay show with unimpressive tricks that didn't live up to its advertisements. The show's advertising (photos with classy attire, a live cellist, a fancy hotel, the name "Intimate Illusions") will make you expect a classy show with a small audience and up-close sleight-of-hand. That's not the reality. The show occurs in a large hotel ballroom with about 200 chairs arranged auditorium-style. Ivan appears on a small stage and mostly does mentalist tricks, not slight-of-hand. He has a good amount of audience participation, mostly with the first couple rows. The vibe is typical hotel ballroom (nice but sterile) and not classy. The large audience and atmosphere are not intimate. The cellist is a gimmick. She provided some background music during some tricks, but often her timing was wrong. They also use other recorded music. We were told to arrive 30+ minutes before showtime. This is only necessary if you want to sit in the first couple rows and get a chance to participate in tricks (most likely if you sit on the aisle within the first 10 rows). This also gives staff time to meet people, ask them their names, and ask them to pick a foreign country -- all to setup tricks for later. We were finally let into the auditorium about 15 minutes before showtime, and the show started about 5 minutes late. Ivan did about 7 tricks in 100 minutes, which is not a good value for your money. Each trick was about 15 minutes long, with a lot of banter, setup, and audience participation. This made the show drag; he could easily add more tricks or tighten it up to 60 minutes. Some tricks had a bad payoff and were not worth the time, like his first trick ("sit/stand"). Ivan claims to value quality over quantity. Unfortunately, his tricks aren't that good. Someone with a basic familiarity with magic can figure out how he performs most of them. My girlfriend, who has no interest in magic, figured one out that had initially impressed me. His tricks are very basic and based on counting, memorization, and having stagehands observe the audience and prepare props. It's not that impressive to see Ivan get a name from the audience at the beginning of a trick, waste 10 minutes with banter, and then produce it written on a prop "secretly" passed to him by a stagehand. He will often insist that the audience is making decisions or picking things at random, but it's easy to see that's not the case. Ivan also performed the exact same trick that he used on "Penn & Teller: Fool Us" -- he promotes this vide on his website, so you've probably already seen it and know how it's done. Overall, if you set low expectations and get discounted tickets (check Goldstar or Travelzoo), you can have a good time. read more

We saw Ivan Amodei this past December 30, 2022, in Boston, Massachusetts. We went with our teenage grandkids and daughter-in-law. We all enjoyed the show even though the room was god awful hot. His illusions were fun and entertaining. His cellist was wonderful, adding to the enjoyment. My advice to those who view the show, don't struggle to figure out how he does his tricks. Just sit back and enjoy the show read more

Show was painful to watch. Messed up several tricks. So many people left the show in ft Lauderdale. I too left. Never again. So cringey

The best magic trick in the show was robbing me of the ticket price. I wasn't very impressed. I felt like most tricks were obvious. Show was a bit drawn out. read more

I'll echo what these other reviews have said-- saw Ivan's show last night and it was absolutely terrific. It's not like anything I've seen before-- how often are you invited to "European-style salon magic" in a fancy room at the Beverly Wilshire?-- and it is brilliant. The show is just plain old entertaining. In addition to being an incredible illusionist, Ivan is charming and very funny. He did a great job involving the audience (without ever making anyone feel on-the-spot or embarrassed), and had everyone laughing. I really liked the pacing of the show: he would build some drama and suspense, then burst it with something funny, then build it up again. It was NEVER cheesy or slow; my boyfriend and I were laughing along with everyone and having a good time. (Oh, and speaking of the illusions, they were all incredible; I mean, at one point he blew bubbles in the air, grabbed them and turned them into live goldfish right before my eyes... AMAZING.) If you like the idea of an "adult night out," this is it. (And when I say "adult," I do NOT mean "bad stand-up in a filthy comedy club with a raunchy jokes" or anything tasteless at all. I just mean that it's a show geared for grownups, and it's nice being out for a nice show with everyone dressed up and no kids.) The show is completely tasteful and completely charming and just a really nice, cool evening. We had a blast getting dressed up to see the show and would recommend it to anyone in a minute. read more

Found Ivan on the TV Show Penn and Teller Fool Us and he quickly became our favorite. We had to see him Live so we got tickets for my parents' anniversary at the Four Seasons. Even though my parents didn't understand a lot of English, they still loved his performance along with his charming way of having the audience be more involve in his acts and the beautiful cellist playing in the background. The bf and I watch a lot of of magic shows that reveal how magicians do their acts but I'd have to say that we were stunned by Ivan. No matter how much we hypothesized n analyze, we can't figure it out. We came into the conclusion that Ivan prolly is truly gifted and probably minds reads or able to stop time and replace things etc.. Throughout the show, he had people come up and spit out numbers and stories, in which he tie everything up in the end through long strings of numbers that random audience members picked and multiply with his iPad well into 9 figures. Either he's a genius and can do quick math well into the millions, or it's pure magic and cannot be explained. Other than this, he's a super nice genuine guy and helped my bf create the most surprising proposal for me. He had me and some audience picked out scrabble pieces from a huge jar of probably a few thousands into a smaller jar of about 100 pieces. He then ask me to come on stage and pour the tiles out into my hand from the smaller jar. He had me pour out the content with my hands and voila! It spelled my name, and will you marry me exactly to the t with no extras to spare! thank you so much Ivan! You made my year! I highly recommend Everyone to go see him for yourself. There's certain acts I can't put into words! Ivan is on top of my list and second to that would be Magic Castle! Come see for yourself read more

Ivan Amodei - I highly recommend Everyone to go see him for yourself. There's certain acts I can't put into words! Come see for yourself - Magicians Near Me - Beverly Hills, California

Magic Show at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills was classy and the perfect date night. I came across a livingsocial deal for a magic show for $30 and my friend's birthday was coming up so I was like "hey, why not?" BEST DECISION I EVER MADE! The magic show was awesome. The name "Intimate Illusions" is very befitting of this private and exclusive venue. There were only three rows and we had the option of sitting in the second or third row. Ivan was personable and charming. He made attempts at getting to know our names and interacted with everyone in the audience. It is a spectacular show accompanied by a cellist. The tricks were unbelievable and out of this world. My favorite one was when he blew bubbles into the air, caught them, and dropped goldfish into a glass!!! Definitely a must see!!! read more

Ivan's show is unlike any others. The caliber of his illusions is unparalleled - both my fiancee and I were stunned after each one. We left that night in awe. More importantly, Ivan is incredibly unique - his entertainment is authentic and drastically different from most over-the-top performers. He is humble, charismatic, and will leave you feeling inspired. read more

My Travelzoo voucher was going to expire so I frantically made phone calls and sent an email to reserve spots at last night's magic show. When I bought the voucher months ago, I had wanted to see it but as time went on, I kind of lost interest. It seemed like most of the people in the crowd loved the show but for me, it was just ok. Ivan's humor didn't do it for me. The magic tricks were impressive if you think about them but I found the pace of the show to be too slow for me. Anyway, 4 stars for his excellent skill but 3 stars for my own enjoyment. read more

I'm not rating this show 5 stars because it's the most amazing illusions you've ever seen. I'm giving it 5 stars because it's a great show that will have you entertained the whole time and certainly leaving with a smile - I think that's really what it's all about. The room is very small and intimate (3 rows of chairs). However, what some may take as a down side, it really is a great thing. You seem to get to know everyone in the room, everyone gets involved, and Ivan really does a great job at keeping you interested in whats going on. read more

I want to begin by "dispelling" a couple of the previous reviews speculating about people planted in the first row or rows of audience. My wife bought us tickets to the Boston show as a birthday present - you can specifically reserve front row seats for an additional cost. While he did call upon a number of people from the front to participate, he also used participants from other rows and his selection process often involves randomness (like having members of the audience choose others to participate by tossing balls around, etc.) There are a lot of positive things to mention like the elegantly appointed room, the considerable improvising he had to undertake, the incorporation of live music, the story line that he weaves into his act, but I have to say that the intimacy of the event is its best feature. You are in a small gathering, practically on stage, leaving him little room for error which means his execution of the illusions has to be superb; and it is! read more

The room is very small with about 60-100 guest. So there was no need to purchase front row seats. I was surprised to see how casual everyone was dressed! There were people wearing shorts and short sleeve polo shirts while some were in suits. Ivan was very energetic and hes a great performer. Because there were so little people, the show is a little more personal as he tries to get many in the audience involved in the show. For the price of the tickets, i recommend this show to everyone. read more

Amazing, Spectacular, Unique. I've watched David Copperfield before and this is 100 times better... why? Because it isn't the magician up there doing tricks... Ivan does an amazing job connecting with the audience and getting participation from random people in every act so that you are left in awe at how he did it.. For example, he did a trick with cards of the states.. I was holding Oregon and he correctly knew what I was holding (along with 15 other people in the audience). There was also another magic act where he asked people to give him numbers. He asked my daughter her age and he was able to use that along with other number facts to come up with the date/time and other details that were provided by the audience. All magic acts were original and every single one I was left amazed. If you have never been to a magic show OR if you have been to several, you will love this show. I went with my wife and two children, 11 and 13 years old and they loved it as well. To give you a sense of the different magic acts, you can go to his website and watch some of the examples there from Today Show, Arsenio Hall, Penn and Teller, etc.. After the show, Ivan chatted with us along with his staff. The cellist, Simone, was amazing for the musical accompaniment which was perfectly choreographed with the magic tricks. I can't wait for Ivan to come back to Silicon Valley and perform so I can watch again. Thank you for an amazing, inspiring day for my kids! By the way, I watched the show at the Silicon Valley Four Seasons Hotel. read more

I loved the show it was absolutely amazing!! A great mix of comedy and incredible magic tricks, things I've never seen in my life! I'm still trying to figure out how he did some of the tricks. I loved the modern ipad trick and the fish illusion. The show is a must see and in a great intimate venue in BH. Awesome hotel to have a drink and people watch. I am definitely going again and taking friends. It was way better than the cheesy Magic Castle and in a better venue. read more

The man was mediocre and arrogant...maybe was doing the show drunk even? Messed up on more than one trick and asked us to just 'pretend' it worked for the finale...which is...pretty bad, if you ask me. The audience ended up pretty confused as we left. If you can get to this show on discount (IDK, $20-30?), go for it, otherwise don't pay too much for a mediocre experience. I was not wowed at any point of the performance, which I kind of expect to be, y'know, for a magic/illusionist type of deal. read more

I got two tickets for my husband and myself for the "Intimate Illusions" show by Ivan Amodei, performed at the Beverly Wilshire, which we saw last night We didn't quite know what to expect, but we pleasantly surprised that our front row seats, where really on the first row, literally 5 steps away from the performer. The setting was very intimate, with only about 80 people in a small hotel conference room, 4 rows of comfortable seats in an almost semi-circle, and a classy looking decor and props befitting a world class illusionist. The show lasts above 90 minutes and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, as Ivan is an engaging artist who easily wins over his audience. He is witty and charismatic in his approach and knows his craft well. Most of his tricks left us wondering and in awe. But I have to say that at least one we could see a switching of an item take place (I won't give away what it was). Some of the tricks obviously involved counting and stage hands who worked behind the scenes, but nonetheless it was very entertaining and he didn't well. What I didn't like were the quite lengthy lead in stories, although at times they were funny, I just think that in 90 minutes time, he should have gotten in a few more tricks than just the 8-10 that he did. All throughout the show there was a life cello performance by a lovely young lady, who apparently is world-renowned. She really played amazingly well, but I don't know if it was the acoustics of the room or just her cello playing a little bit to overpowering, we both felt that sometimes it distracted from the actual illusions. But perhaps that was all on purpose. A few pointers, if I may. For this kind of intimate setting I think the room was too crowded. Put 20 less people in the room with a little bit of room between the chairs. At times, I really felt like the lady next to me was sitting half on my lap. Furthermore, I read from some of the other reviewers that the bar across the street was a little far to be convenient for bringing in your own drink. Really, the water in wine glasses in the waiting area was a nice touch, but why not offer the guests one glass of wine of their choice, place tiny drink tables by every 2 or 3 chairs, with some cocktail nuts. Charge $10 more per ticket if you have to, but I think it would create a lovely atmosphere. The waiting area was really pathetic. The tickets had said to arrive at least 20 minutes early because the doors would open promptly at 7 pm and no one would be allowed in after the show had started. So, like good people, we arrived there 30 minutes prior. There were some people with a sign in sheet. We were told that the people with front row reservations were allowed to go in first. We were lucky to be able to have a seat in the only two chairs in the waiting area. When they finally opened the doors, it turned out the attendant had to read the name of each family to go in in complete random order. This took an inordinate amount of time, as he could hardly read the names in the poorly lit area. But these things didn't really impact our enjoyment of the show as a whole. It was definitely worth the money we paid for it and I would recommend for people to go and see it, especially for families. In the end, I commend Ivan for involving the kids in the audience as well as keeping the show squeaky clean. Kudos! read more

If I could give a 4.5 I would! Overall it was a really well done show Pros: he gets the crowd involved and makes it interactive Good message about life and to go after life. Good magic tricks Cons: really crowded so go to the bathroom ahead of time and grab a drink ahead! Worth it if you get the groupon! Enjoy!!! Abracadabra!!! read more

Outstanding show! From the beginning to the end you are amazed asking yourself , how did he do it? The accompanying cellist was wonderful. A must see show! Outstanding! read more

One word review: Mind-blowing Want details? Read on.. First off, I am a big fan of magic. I've been to many magic shows and have been to the Magic Castle over a dozen times. After each show, I would try to figure out how the magic was done and most of the time I could figure it out. This is a review of Illusionist, Ivan Amodei at the Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village. I was there half an hour early and didn't see any crowd waiting to get it so I thought the show wasn't going to be packed. I left, went to the bar and when I can back 10 minutes before the show starts, it was a full house, every seats was taken. Since I've seen a lot of magic shows, I expected to see the old tricks but to my surprise all his tricks are original. He doesn't use a big stage or fancy props. I sat a few feet from the stage and still couldn't figure out how he performed his tricks. I love that he got the audiences involved by throwing a ball and whoever catches the ball will be picked for an act. He picked as many adult volunteers as children. Not many professional magic shows out there are kid friendly. I would consider his show to be kid friendly and now I want to take more nieces and nephews to go see him. Each trick/illusions that he did.. audience was left in awe. I would say this is the best magic show I've been to and would love to have a chance to go again. The live cellist was a very nice touch to the show. After the show, he hung around to sign autographs and take photos with anyone who wanted a photo with him. He was super nice and friendly to everyone. Overall, it was fun, witty and entertaining and much much better than I expected. read more

The show was very entertaining with a lively pace. Mr. Adomei is charismatic with a good sense of humor. His act is unique and not a typical magic show. He definitely had us and our friends scratching our heads wondering how he did some of the tricks. Be prepared to be picked to participate as that is part of the fun. read more

Excellent show! The show was mind boggling, innovativ. Ivan kept the audience engaged and always wondering what the outcome will be. I couldn't figure out how he did any trick he did, it was so fun to watch. I am still wondering how did he some of those tricks. Ivan had a Chello player that was outstanding, first class musician. She was fantastic. The show was funny, outstanding and def kept my attention the entire show. read more

I absolutely loved the show!!!! The magic was awesome and the magician...even better. From how he kept the flow the whole hour and a half, to the way he preformed each trick to weave the audience in, the whole thing was a masterpiece. Ivan Amodei definitely is THE ONE for the Beverly Wilshire Hotel! WHEN you go to his show, definitely go the CUT restaurant at the hotel... the food is spectacular (As well as their Michelin star plaque on the wall.) The whole night was well worth every cent. And I promise you, you WILL go home very puzzled and amazed! read more

See all

This was a great show! He was fun, authentic, quick on his feet and very funny. Ivan was a wonderful illusionist and stayed far away from anything tacky or cheesy. He was great entertainment for all ages. Probably ages 10 & up just because they would need to follow along. We loved Ivan! read more

Ivan Amodei - We took our son for his 17th birthday. He loved it! - Magicians Near Me - Beverly Hills, California

One of the most entertaining shows I've seen in a long time! I agree with another Yelper, the size can be deceiving -especially when you think of magicians having a big stage and everything. The intimacy of Ivan's how and room is what makes it so much better than other big shows. NOW, my wife and I aren't easily "impressed" BUT Ivan chose me from the audience and did amazing tricks with information that only my wife and I could've known. THAT is what did it for us. I don't have to lie here, he really did do an amazing job with us! Yeah some acts were a bit cheesy but most were more entertaining and "awe" than David Copperfield and we saw him in Vegas. You will not be disappointed, unless you're a snob and need the smoke and mirrors of a vegas-type show. Plus he is approachable after the show and a real down-to-earth family man. read more

Booked this show for five couples and we walked out right before the end because we couldn't take it anymore. You couldn't see what it was doing because he was performing tricks with pins in his mouth and cards it was not impressive not exciting and a waste of money read more

I saw this show On Dec. 28th at the Huntington Theatre in Boston. Although I am a magician some of the tricks fooled me. As far as presentation is concerned this is the best mentalism show I have seen in my life. Ivan is witty and charismatic. The high tech stage decoration and the added touch of a violinist enhanced the beauty of the show. read more

AWESOME SHOW! You will definately impress your date/friends when you take them to see this show. Everything about this show is elegant. Formal attire is recommended as the venue is in the Beverly Wilshire hotel in the heart of Beverly Hills. His magic is in well suited for adult audiences and very family friendly. Very magical magic. My group and I had a very good time and were completely astonished and entertained! I highly recommend this to everyone. read more

It was mostly the same trick done in different ways. Was not worth the money compared to what is out there.

My husband and I saw Secrets & Illusions at the TO Civic Center and we were so disappointed. Tickets were $91 each so we expected to be amazed and in awe. The guy is very classy and isn't vulgar like many others can be. We appreciated that. He also had a good message and sent lot of positive vibes. We went for our 10 year anniversary and kept thinking he was warming up the show and was waiting to get blown away but we weren't. He had some few cool magic tricks and then some we figured out right away. I wouldn't call this an illusion show but more of a magic show. It was entertaining but not $90 worth more like $30-$40. We didn't know what to expect but since tickets were pricey we figured this guy must be good. The show didn't live up to what was advertised. We both left disappointed. read more

Just returned from his show and it was terrible. I could see every time he switched the card, deck, or whatever. His tricks were so obvious it was sad. Definitely not worth going to. read more

Great show! Saw it at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in a small room which was a nice intimate setting. Viewing was a bit problematic, but that was more of a venue issue not the performance. I brought my son who loves magic and he loved it as much as I did. I'm still scratching my head wondering how he did what he did. It's great because none of his show is the typical stuff you see. It was all very original and I like how he engaged the audience. A real showman and a fun night out! read more

I never wrote reviews ever, but decided to do it for this particular show as I want to warn future attendees of this performance. This show could have been great for first and second graders, very simple card tricks and some number tricks. The whole show is very predictable and staged. Ticket girl tells you do not seat at first two rows and sure enough our great magician only asks and uses people for his tricks from those two rows. I am not sure if this is full time job for Mr. Amodei's, but he could never make a living from his performances. The only positive thing about the show - the venue - great ballroom at Fairmont hotel in San Francsico. Do not waste your time and money. read more

caught the valentines night show at the mayflower in DC. you wait a while outside and stage up for a big production. the venue is nice, though not an auditorium. a full crowd of 200 turned out. you can bring drinks in the show (from upstairs). get in early and get a good seat near (but not at) the front. i am a huge magic enthusiast and i am familiar with several of his illusions. he does not do grand stage illusions, but there is good deal of audience participation. most anyone can be selected easily. there is a cellist on stage with him. i participated in one illusion. he works with mentalism, cards, predictions and a few transformations. none of it is earth shattering, but most all of it is well done and entertaining enough. he will rearrange the order of cards held in glass right in front of everyone, tell the serial number of any bill from a distance, predict the outcome of events late in the show, pin your favorite city on a globe, and produce a live goldfish. show runs 95 minutes and the pace is lively. good live entertainment for adult audience. recommend. read more