As someone who does not drink alcohol, there are few things that I ever feel like I have missed out on because of my decision. Arguably one of the few is the existence of the Maho Magic Bar, created by Broad Encounters, the same team behind 2021’s A Midnight Visit – which has been travelling down south but is finally heading up to Brisbane later this year as part of Brisbane Festival’s Early Event Program.
Maho Magic Bar will be featured at Brisbane’s all-new Twilight Electric precinct at Northshore, promising to “jet audiences into a neon-lit ‘Tokyo’ night, with all the mischief, mayhem, cocktails and laughter you could wish for”. Visitors will be able to step inside the pop-up venue, depicted as a neon-clad, intimate bespoke and gorgeously refined bar and entertainment space spread across six performance areas. After taking your seat and selecting your drink of choice, consummate master magicians, direct from the magic bars of Japan, will perform your own exclusive magic show at your table – creating an “unforgettable, multi-sensory and interactive experience” which they claim is “unlike anything else you’ll find in Brisbane”.
Maho Magic Bar’s talent includes: Shohgo Yamashita (Described as a pin-up boy from party capital Osaka and is a pioneer of magic with compelling storytelling; making the crowd gasp), Kaori Kitazawa (Described as a kawaii princess of illusion, shaking up gender stereotypes in the typically male magician domain) and Sarito (Described as quite possibly the craziest close-up magician on the planet, with a daredevil repertoire including needles, gaffer tape, detergent and stuffed animals).
Visitors will be able to attend the Maho Magic Bar from Wednesday 27 July 2022, with prices starting at $58.00 AUD (plus booking fee). Visitors will be able to enjoy a “carefully curated bar menu of premium Japanese libations”, offering cocktails, sake from three different regions/styles and a range of whiskeys, shochu, umeshu or just a soda. For those more adventurous, there is also a ‘Special Menu’.
I wanted to bring Japan’s crazy, cool, fun to Australia and give audiences an experience unlike anything they have had before. Seeing close-up magic really does inspire awe. The skill, finesse and personalities of these master magicians is really mind-blowing. Maho Magic Bar is the ultimate, hedonistic night out in Tokyo, without leaving Brisbane.
Kirsten Siddle – Director of Broad Encounters
