The best magic shows in New York City

Hosted by Todd Robbins, the low-key dazzling Speakeasy Magick is a moveable feast of legerdemain; audience members, seated at tables, are visited by a series of performers in turn. There are a few brief performances on a makeshift stage, but it’s the highly skilled close-up magic that really leaves you gasping with wonder. Robbins describes this as “magic speed dating.” One might also think of it as tricking: an illusion of intimacy, a satisfying climax, and off they go into the night.

Steve Cohen, billed as the Millionaires’ Magician, conjures high-class parlor magic in the marble-columned Madison Room of the swank Lotte New York Palace. Audiences must dress to be impressed (cocktail attire is required); tickets start at $125, with an option to pay more for meet-and-greet time and extra tricks with Cohen after the show. In a tuxedo and bright rust hair, the magician delivers routines that he has buffed to a patent-leather gleam: Along with his signature act—"Think-a-Drink," involving a kettle that pours liquids by request—highlights include a lulu of levitation trick and a card-trick finale that leaves you feeling like, well, a million bucks.

Dan White is something of a local sensation and a regular guest on Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show, and it's not hard to see why. His show, which sells out weeks in advance, is an ideal fancy-date night. Handsome and smooth, White offers modern variations on classic routines, blending multiple kinds of magic (mentalism, card tricks, illusionism) into an admirably variegated evening of entertainment. You'll probably never see a levitation act at such close range, and you may leave feeling a few feet off the ground yourself.

New York's newest close-up magic series invites small groups of spectators (just two dozen per show) to congregate in an intimate space hidden up the sleeve of the Art of Play curiosity shop in Brooklyn Heights. Prakash Peru performs every Wednesdsay, and other nights feature a different prestidigitator nearly every week, so you can keep returning for new marvels. Upcoming attractions include Jay Gilligan (Apr 11–19) and the Evasons (Apr 24–26).

Twice a week, after closing time, 20 people crowd into the city’s oldest magic shop, Tannen’s, for a cozy evening of prestidigitation by the young and engaging Noah Levine. The shelves are crammed with quirky devices, and the charm of Levine's show is in how well it fits the environment of this magic-geek chamber of secrets. As he maneuvers cards, eggs, cups and balls with aplomb, he talks shop, larding his patter with tributes to routines like the Stencel Aces and the Vernon Boat Trick—heirlooms of his trade that he gently polishes for displays for our amazement.

Daniel Roy performs an intimate evening of mentalism and sleight of hand, offering historical background and insights to complement his tricks. The show is held on weekends at the atmospheric Salmagundi Club, a haven for fine-arts lovers that has occupied its current home in a West Village brownstone for more than 100 years. Cocktail attire is required.

Illusionist Hayden Childress wrings his sleight-of-hands in an intimate magical experience for 20 spectators at a time in the basement below an East Village shoe store. Forgoing spectacle in favor of mood, Childress aims for what he calls an "arthouse-inspired, dreamlike atmosphere."

Once a month, this close-up magic show takes over the stylish speakeasy cocktail bar hidden behind the pseudo-locksmith Upper East Side storefront Keys & Heels. Rotating trios of magicians and mentalists, curated by Mark Clearview, perform tableside for your delectation. (Tickets sell out fast, so get on the mailing list if you're interested.)

Austin McCormick and his outré dance-burlesque troupe, Company XIV, pull new tricks out of their elaborate sleeves at an intimate spinoff venue located near the group's principal space in Bushwick. Cabaret chanteuses, sexy dancers, circus performers and fancy cocktails complement the prestidigitation in a cozy speakeasy environment. It's a delightful evening of variety entertainment overall—and an excellent date show—but the magic elements are not the main attraction.

For more than two decades, this proudly old-school series has offered a different lineup of professional magicians every week in the upstairs dining room at Monte's Trattoria. It's an heir to the vaudeville tradition: Many of the acts incorporate comedic elements, and audience participation is common. You get a lot of value and variety for your magic dollar, and in contrast to some fancier magic shows, this one feels like comfort food: an all-you-can-eat buffet to which you’re encouraged to return until you’re as stuffed as a hat full of rabbits. (Nine times a year, the show moves to the Cutting Room to present Monday Night Magic: The Holiday Series.)