You’ve decided your party could use a magician. Sensible enough. Now the website is offering cards, con games, dice, and possible difficulties with the dead.
That is a wider menu than most caterers provide.
The right private magic show for adults depends on the evening you want to host: easygoing comedy, playful competition, a shared spooky experience, or a little of each.
I’m Timothy Starnes, a Charlotte magician, necromancer, and comedy conjurer. I’m best known for my touring comedy séance show, Timothy Starnes & His Many Night Visitors, and I’m also a trained comedy and bar magician. You can book traditional comedy magic, con-game entertainment, or a theatrical séance. We can also discuss a mixture.
Here’s how to choose your trouble.
Choose comedy close-up magic for an easygoing, interactive party
The atmosphere: conversational, funny, and close enough for guests to follow the action. Cards, props, and impossible moments give people something to enjoy together without needing a spooky theme.
If you want a traditional-style magic show for adults, this is a useful place to start. The supernatural is optional. My judgment remains open to question.
Participation: I work from a dedicated performance station, where guests can gather, watch, and join in on their own terms. We’ll discuss how that fits your room and plans. You can read more about why I prefer a magic station for private parties and corporate events.
Duration: I usually spend one to two hours working a client party, with performance lengths adjusted to the event. A party booking gives us an agreed period for the entertainment; we’ll plan how guests take part within it.
Setup: three chairs and a table to work from, or a coffee table with ample audience seating in front and to the sides. I don’t use a sound system.
Consider close-up and dinner-party magic when you want a relaxed gathering point, shared laughs, and a mystery people can argue about while someone opens another bottle.
Choose con games, bar bets, and dice magic for playful rivalry
The atmosphere: fast hands, smooth talk, and the entertaining suspicion that someone at the table knows rather more than they’re admitting.
Con-game magic draws on the hustler’s art. Guests follow the action, compare their instincts, and discover how persuasive the wrong answer can feel. Bar bets and dice magic add other ways to play with expectations.
Participation: this suits a group that enjoys making a prediction, challenging an explanation, or watching a confident friend become considerably less confident. Tell me how competitive your crowd is and what tone fits the occasion.
Duration: con-game material can be the focus of a typical one- to two-hour party visit or part of a broader comedy magic booking. We’ll agree on the mix and timing.
Setup: the same practical table-and-chairs arrangement gives the action a clear place to happen. Guests need a comfortable view of the performance area, and nearby conversations need space to continue.
For corporate event magic and con games in Charlotte, it gives colleagues and clients something to discuss besides work.
Finally, some corporate deception you can put on the entertainment budget.
Choose a theatrical séance when the show is the centerpiece
The atmosphere: intimate, eerie, and darkly funny. My comedy séance combines spirit magic, mind reading, haunted storytelling, and audience involvement.
This is the choice when your guests want to gather for a shared experience with a haunted-parlor atmosphere. Let the evening have a little space to become strange.
Participation: guests become part of the mystery. For a séance, I suggest 10–15 people, or as many as your dining table can comfortably accommodate. Share the actual guest count and room details so we can agree on a suitable arrangement.
Duration: two hours are necessary for the séance. Plan around that requirement rather than treating it as a short addition between dinner and the next activity.
Setup: a table with comfortable seating and a clear view of the action. My working requirements remain three chairs and a table, or a coffee table with ample audience seating in front and to the sides. I don’t use a sound system, so tell me about the room and surrounding activity.
This is theatrical entertainment, not a mediumship reading. I don’t promise contact with deceased loved ones. For a fuller explanation, read what happens at a comedy séance show.
The dead are a theatrical premise. Your guests’ enjoyment is the actual assignment.
Match the show to your guests, not just the occasion
An event label helps me understand the booking. Your description of the people helps me plan the performance.
- Bachelorette parties: tell me whether the bride and her friends want a funny private show, a chance to challenge the swindler, or a spooky centerpiece for the evening. Consider the whole itinerary and how much time you want everyone gathered together.
- Adult birthday parties: start with the guest of honor’s personality and appetite for attention. A milestone birthday doesn’t automatically require a séance, although it does give us a fairly good opening joke.
- Dinner parties: share the meal schedule, seating, and guest count. Comedy close-up magic can fit an intimate gathering; a séance needs its own two-hour place in the evening.
- Corporate events: explain the audience, schedule, and preferred tone. Con-game magic may suit a crowd that enjoys playful challenges; comedy close-up magic is another option to discuss.
All of my performances are for adults ages 18 and up. Tell me about your group’s sense of humor and tolerance for the spooky. We’ll agree on the tone before booking.
You can choose a mix
You don’t have to arrive with a perfectly assembled entertainment plan. That would leave me with very little to do besides behaving suspiciously.
Comedy magic can include cards, props, con-game swindles, bar bets, and dice magic. Tell me which elements appeal to you and which you’d rather leave out.
A séance can be part of the night, the centerpiece, or absent entirely. If you want it included, allow the required two hours and discuss the overall schedule with me. We’ll agree on how the requested material fits the booking.
For a larger event, send the total guest count and room layout. We can discuss how guests will take part rather than assuming one arrangement will suit every gathering.
What to send when you book an adult party magician
Send your date, city or venue, guest count, and preferred performance length. Add a sentence about the occasion, the people, and the format that interests you. “We’re not sure yet” is a perfectly serviceable answer.
My rate is $500 per hour. Parties outside the Charlotte, NC area have a two-hour minimum, and séances require two hours. We’ll confirm availability, your booking total, and the event details before you commit.
Text Tim to choose your trouble. You can also put your event details together here.
You supply the occasion. I’ll help you choose the questionable company.