The first time I visited Washington, D.C. was somewhere around 1992… but let’s not get caught up in dates. Mentioning that makes me sound old. I don’t want the kids tuning out the second they hear that—and now that I’ve said “kids,” I’ve lost another part of my audience. Let’s be honest: if you’re under 40, you’re probably not reading a blog anyway. So let’s skip ahead: we were back in D.C. this past weekend.
I’ve visited D.C. a handful of times, but only twice with Stacy
Our first trip together was around 2016. We were working a trade show at the convention center on Capitol Hill. Back then, companies would hire us to create custom magic tricks that showcased their products. I can probably still perform three tricks that explain the pain of dermatitis and demonstrate what their product does—all while revealing a thought-of card. Not kidding.
That trip also coincided with my Abraham Lincoln phase. I was reading every book I could find and quoting him way too often. I even slipped “Four score and seven years ago…” into a trick, which is when Stacy gently suggested I speak to someone. I still occasionally wear the stovepipe hat around the house.
Fast forward to now
This trip wasn’t for a trade show. We were performing our show, In Cahoots, at another magician’s theater—for an audience that didn’t know us. I was a little hesitant at first… I didn’t want to feel like I was cheating on The Alex Theater, our home base, with Brian Curry.
Enter Brian Curry
Who is Brian Curry? What is Brian Curry? When.. is Brian Curry?
Brian and I met last year at a magic convention in Buffalo. It’s an invite-only event filled with some of the best close-up magicians in the world. I think I’m invited due to a clerical error I haven’t corrected yet. I just fade into the background and congratulate everyone else.
The convention is a whirlwind of magic and creative thinking from all over the globe, and Brian stood out. He’s a mentalist with a fully formed character and some of the most original material I’ve seen. After we became friends, he invited us to perform at his show in D.C.
Performing in another magician’s space is intimidating. Stacy and I have worked together for over 12 years, and I’ve been performing for more than 20. We’ve done shows in theaters, on cruise ships, in a plane hangar, on a moving train, and once—on a moving bus. (Cleveland.) But stepping into someone else’s venue? Whole different beast.
Brian’s show, The Good Liar, plays in several venues. This night, it was at the Hilton downtown. Beautiful room, great setup—and right in the heart of the action. It's apparent why Brians show is the top magic and mentalism show in DC.
What a weekend
It was peak D.C.—Cherry Blossom Festival and Opening Day for the Nationals. The city was packed and buzzing with life. I’ve never seen anything like it. It was truly incredible.
Our audience that night was a fantastic mix—date nights, birthdays, girls’ nights out. One woman told Stacy afterward that she’d just read an article about Derren Brown in The New Yorker and had to see a mentalist live. I love hearing why people decide to come to our show.
We performed our full 60-minute traveling theater show, geared more toward adults, for a warm and intimate group of 50. While we’ve performed for thousands at once, these smaller, more personal shows are often our favorite.
Photo By @TheImpossiblePW
We were also in the area performing for one of our favorite audiences—55+ communities. We’ve done dozens of these across Florida and the Carolinas and finally brought the show to Virginia. We love these audiences—the people, the stories, the energy. There’s always someone with a tale about seeing Doug Henning or Harry Blackstone Jr. You never know what kind of conversations you’ll have afterward.
The History Portion of the Tour
I love history—reading about it, walking through it, nerding out on every detail. Stacy… well, history wasn’t her favorite subject growing up. But she supports my obsession as long as it involves walking and fresh air. As long as those two conditions are met, I’m allowed to ramble while she smiles and says, “You so smart, babe.” That’s the emotional support I need.
After Lincoln, I dove deep into the Civil War and the Revolutionary War. So we started this trip by staying in Manassas, Virginia. After checking in, we went straight to the battlefield trails. The next morning, we did another 7-mile hike at Hemlock Overlook Park.
Learning history is a strange experience. For years, I would read about the good and bad that happened throughout our past and struggle to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Most of the time I was left with questions I didn't realize I would ask which is what learning about history should do.
After recovering from cancer, I made a promise to Stacy that we’d travel more—go to the places we read about, and experience the world firsthand. I wanted to learn how to make decisions from my experiences instead of from what I was told to believe.
From Iceland to Central America, I’ve been fortunate to walk through places where history happened. And D.C. felt just as powerful. I still don't know what to think half the time but I do know what it feels like to be in a field where thousands of soldiers fought and died for a cause.
Panda Magic & Museum Nerding
After our Sunday show, we spent the entire day exploring the Smithsonian Zoo and the Natural History Museum. The zoo was packed—thanks to the return of the pandas. Did we stand in line.. no.. but we made new friends.
Normally, you can just walk in no problem. This time, you needed to register in advance. Did I mention the city was packed?
As we waited, we met a family from Miami. It looked like we weren’t going to get in—until they added us to their reservation… as their cousins. I’m not saying the card tricks I did for their son had everything to do with it, but let’s just say we’re now officially family from Ohio
Being from Ohio, I’ve got high museum and zoo standards. Our natural history museum and zoo in Cleveland top notch so the Smithsonian museums had much to live up to.
We made our way to the natural history museum and explored most of the day. My favorite exhibit being The Men of Change exhibit. I’ve always been obsessed with it. My first theater performance was even evolution-themed. (That should’ve been a sign.)
Final Thoughts
In just a few days, we walked over 75,000 steps (yes, I'm old enough to talk about my Fitbit), performed for incredible audiences, saw pandas from a distance, explored the city, and soaked in a lot of history.
We came. We walked. We performed.
And I think The Alans handled D.C. just fine.
Next stop: Maryland. I’ll tell you all about it next week.