The Rabbit Sent Me: Attempting to Demystify The Magician's Study at Park MGM

^{The Magician is the star of the show at Park MGM, but his white rabbit helmet keeps his identity from being revealed to anyone. (Photo: courtesy of The Magician’s Study)}

LAS VEGAS – If you try to Google The Magician's Study in Las Vegas, you will only wander down a hole of more mysteries. There are no splashy ads, marquee signs, or celebrity endorsements across a billboard on the Strip telling you to see this show. What little turns up online is intentionally vague, listing only a secret location somewhere on the Las Vegas Strip and a ticketing page you cannot access without a code word. 

I was curious enough to dig deeper, and eventually, I got the invitation last Friday night to attend and find out whether or not this show is actually worth tracking down.

The Magician's Study is a 21+ invite-only magic show hosted by “The Magician” in his secret study, where you see close-up illusions in such an intimate setting that you may not experience anywhere else on the Strip. Getting into the show is one of the toughest parts, as you need a code word to even access the ticketing page. Even submitting an RSVP does not guarantee you a spot. 

The show runs Thursday through Sunday at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. and is around 80 to 85 minutes. You’ll find this hidden somewhere inside The Reserve at Park MGM, which many may remember as the NoMad. If you were not specifically looking for it, you probably wouldn’t stumble into it.  Instructions on how to find the secret entrance are sent to ticket holders when the clock strikes noon on the day of the show, and you’ll need to tell them the rabbit sent you.

Finding My Way to the Show

Before the show, my friend and I stopped at Eataly inside Park MGM, which I recommend as a great dinner option before you start looking for the secret location. The hot honey soppressata pizza is to die for!

After that, we muddled through the casino to reach the venue, where the check-in process involves walking up to the host and giving them a secret phrase to be let in. The theater is small and intimate, compared to most Las Vegas magic shows. There are about 30 to 40 people in the room at most, with everyone seated close enough to the performance space to keep the distance between audience and performer pretty minimal.

The Magician's Study is tucked inside this spot at The Reserve at Park MGM, a place you probably wouldn't find without specific directions. (Photo: Vanessa Alves-Johnson / Casinos.com)

The Magician himself is a charismatic Australian man who enters wearing a white rabbit helmet that makes him look like the cousin of Deadmau5 or Marshmello. He removes it early in the show so the audience can see his face clearly, and he does the majority of the performance without it.  Photography and video are strictly prohibited during the show, which is what keeps his identity from being searchable online. Even after attending, I still do not know his name.

The focus of this show is close-up sleight of hand and card magic, with significant audience interaction happening throughout. He is quick-witted and funny, with a dry sense of humor. The language gets pretty colorful, so make sure you bring a friend who knows how to loosen up.

The Magician openly acknowledged that there are no plants or stooges in the audience, so it sets you up to believe that every interaction is real. The size of the room makes it believable, especially when you’re sitting up front in the VIP seats. When a card appeared from underneath someone’s thigh, the people sitting near me all seemed to have serious reactions.

The Magician's Study also features classic illusions, such as cutting someone in half. I haven’t seen too many magic shows, so being able to see it up close was crazy. I was baffled to see audience members strap someone into the box and “slice them in half,” only for that same person to get up and walk away unharmed. 

Food and beverages are not served inside the theater itself, but The Reserve bar is nearby and accessible before and after the show. Take care of any bathroom or bar business before the show, since it's so intimate that it feels awkward to leave the theater.

The Value Depends on Your Seat

My honest opinion of this show: it's definitely enjoyable, but the experience isn't equal across the room. 

VIP tickets give you a front row seat to the action, so you’ll almost certainly be pulled into the act at some point. My guest and I had VIP tickets, so we could see every detail of what was happening. Unsurprisingly, we were both chosen at different parts of the show to help the Magician out. 

The proximity is what makes sleight of hand truly impressive. When you can see a magician’s hands up close and still cannot figure out how he did it, that is the true magic of it all.

If you are seated farther back in the general admission section, the situation changes. Some seats are just as well-positioned as VIP, but others leave you a bit disconnected from the close-up action. Watching something impressive happen at a distance, without quite being able to feel its full impact, isn’t quite as satisfying.

Some guests I spoke to after the show told me they thoroughly enjoyed everything, but wished they had gotten a VIP ticket to get a closer look at each card trick. Nevertheless, The Magician's Study is designed to keep everyone connected to the performance more than your usual magic show.

I appreciate that The Magician's Study is not trying to emulate David Copperfield or other big-production magic shows that dominate Las Vegas. 

For someone staying at Park MGM who wants an unusual way to spend a night out, the show is worth it for the close-up magic. But if you want something large and grand, there's no shortage of options out there to see instead. As with many Vegas shows, they all exist in an ecosystem together, and each has its own value. But if you want to sit 10 feet from a magician and leave intrigued about what you just saw, this might be the one for you.