International Magic Show Debuts in Destin, Florida, for Summer 2022

Destin, Florida, prepared to be dazzled! PRESTO! at The Magic Parlor is a spectacle of magic featuring five internationally-renowned acts that have graced the stages of Broadway, London’s West End, America’s Got Talent and more. Guests will be transported to an amazing world in this tapestry of illusion, showmanship, and outright hilarity with this timeless new production. Inspired by early 20th century magic performances and the beauty of vintage, traveling European dance halls, PRESTO! delivers an experience unlike anything previously seen in North America. 

PRESTO! will run from May 19 through August 28, 2022, with 10 shows per week at Destin Commons. Under the velvet dome of The Magic Parlor, audiences will witness some of magic’s greatest minds perform their innovative, legendary acts. Full of hilarious magic, stunning mentalism, and mind-blowing illusion, PRESTO! will be a must-see experience for the whole family. 

PRESTO! at The Magic Parlor is produced by The Show Company. Conceived by Terrence Williams, the show’s Executive Producer, the producing and creative team also includes Nick Caruso, Mike Reynolds, and the show’s director, Brett Loudermilk. 

“I’m extremely proud to be directing PRESTO! as it’s filled with magicians and artists that I have enormous respect for, have admired and been friends with for many years,” says Loudermilk. “I love sharing this magical world with people and cannot wait for guests to take part in it. We had a great time creating this show, and I know you’ll have fun watching it!”

The show will be hosted by the incredibly charismatic David Williamson, who has been featured on ABC’s Champions of Magic, CBS’ Magician’s Favorite Magicians, and NBC’s World’s Greatest Magic III. David has also been featured on the CW’s Masters of Illusion and as a guest-performer on America’s Got Talent. Williamson has created illusions for and performed in several commercials, all while developing TV shows for Walt Disney Productions and consulting for illusionists David Copperfield’s and David Blaine’s television specials.

Chris Cox is the only mind-reader in history to have starred on Broadway, the Sydney Opera House and in London’s West End. Having performed for millions worldwide, he is the star of Chris Cox’s Mind-Boggling Magic (CBBC) and the award-winning Killer Magic (BBC Three) in the United Kingdom. Cox has starred in some of the world’s largest magic shows including world tours of The Illusionists, Impossible, and Wonderville. Additionally, he’s written and performed five critically acclaimed Edinburgh Fringe Festival shows, four solo UK tours and two extended sell-out runs at the New Zealand International Comedy Festival. Chris has created magic and theatrical creative experiences for DC Comics, Warner Brothers, and Harry Potter & the Cursed Child Parts 1 & 2.

Yu Hojin has been a visionary force in turning the world of magic into the world of artistic performance. Hojin has won prizes in international magic competitions in the United States, Taiwan, Italy, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom. After winning the most prestigious prize at FISM (the world championships of magic), he rose to international stardom as one of the first magicians to perform in the concert hall at the historic Sydney Opera House, as well as the first Asian magician to perform on Broadway. In 2014, Hojin was awarded another prestigious award in magic—the Magician of the Year award given by the Academy of Magical Arts at the Magic Castle in Hollywood. Yu Hojin currently stands as the only Korean magician and the youngest magician ever to have won this award. Yu Hojin is currently competing on this year’s season of America’s Got Talent on NBC.

The Great Kaplan is a modern-day vaudevillian master who has made numerous headliner appearances at the world-renowned Magic Castle in Hollywood, California, and whose original work has been featured on the prestigious French television show Le Plus Grand Cabaret du Monde. Kaplan has won countless awards both in the US and internationally, including the Peoples’ Choice Award from the International Brotherhood of Magicians, the Ken Dodd Comedy Award by the Blackpool Magic Convention in 2018, and the Mandrake d’Or award in France. The Melbourne Magic Festival named The Great Kaplan's act as one of their Top 10 Shows.

Pablo Canovas is an internationally-known, dynamic magician who has established a reputation as a prodigy. His notable performances include the Solidarity Festival in Spain, Roots in the Garden at the Royal Botanical Garden of Cordoba and the Magialdia International Festival of Magic. Pablo has continued to be recognized for his extraordinary skills, winning the title of “Heir of Illusion” at the L’Heritier de l’Illusion magic festival in Paris in 2021.

To complement the magic, The Show Company has assembled variety artists Karl Herlinger and Michael Rayner to add to the hijinx. Herlinger is a Los Angeles-based ventriloquist and actor known for his irreverent and outside-the-box approach to ventriloquism. Herlinger has performed alongside Reggie Watts, Kristen Schaal, Puddles Pity Party, Kate Micucci, and Kate Flannery at the most notable comedy clubs and venues in California, including Hollywood’s Magic Castle. His one-man show Vent won Best New Show at the Hollywood Fringe Festival. Meanwhile, Rayner creates surprising and energetic performances for distinguished clients including Disney, Netflix, Paramount Pictures, Busch Gardens and Universal Studios Hollywood. He has also appeared on 30 Seconds to Fame, America’s Got Talent, The Late Show with David Letterman, The Late Late Show with James Corden, and Sesame Street.

To house PRESTO!, The Show Company has imported a beautiful antique theater from Belgium, which will appear almost overnight at Destin Commons in early May. Opulent palaces of red velvet and gold brocade, stained glass and deep mahogany, these European cabaret tents, known as spiegeltents (or mirror tents), were constructed in the 1910s by renowned craftsman Willem Klessens. These warm, intimate circular theaters hosted dances, cabarets and celebrations throughout Europe for almost a century. There are currently about thirty-five of these remarkable structures in existence, largely still seen throughout Europe. PRESTO!’s spiegeltent, dubbed The Magic Parlor, is owned by the Meder family in Belgium, which continues to lovingly restore and provide these glorious venues to the world, overseeing their construction on-site personally. 

Guests to The Magic Parlor will be transported to what feels like another time, where the venue itself is one of the co-stars of the performance. Standing over 30 feet tall, and with a diameter of almost 100 feet, The Magic Parlor can comfortably accommodate up to 500 guests, along with the performers, crew and hosts who serve them. 

PRESTO! at The Magic Parlor will reside in Destin from May 19 through August 28, 2022, at Destin Commons with 10 shows per week, six days a week. The show is dark on Tuesdays. Tickets start at $69.95 and $49.95 for children under 12, with special rates available for military and seniors. Group rates are available for parties of 12 or more. Reservations for the fun and excitement of PRESTO! can be made by visiting prestodestin.com.

ABOUT PRESTO! AT THE MAGIC PARLOR: PRESTO! at The Magic Parlor is a pop-up magic show featured in Destin, Florida, for Summer 2022. Produced by The Show Company, the cast includes six world-class magicians, mentalists and illusionists from around the world, bringing all the charm, energy, and magic to life in an astounding 90-minute performance. PRESTO! presents a dazzling tapestry of illusion, showmanship and outright hilarity. Located at Destin Commons, this timeless production is inspired by early 20th century magic performances and the beauty of a European dance hall from the early 1920’s. See more information on PRESTO! by following on Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok or to purchase tickets, visit prestodestin.com or call the PRESTO! box office at (850) 688-1201.

ABOUT THE SHOW COMPANY: Based in Las Vegas, Nevada, The Show Company is an entertainment production company with over 70 years combined experience in quality live entertainment globally. The Show Company is led by Producer Terrence WIlliams, who was most recently the Executive Producer of Cirque du Soleil’s affiliated productions of America’s Got Talent Las Vegas LIVE, The Illusionists, Now You See Me LIVE and Circus 1903 in markets worldwide including Broadway, London’s West End and the Sydney Opera House. Williams has also produced television segments for America’s Got Talent, TODAY, Ellen, The Rachael Ray Show, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Late Late Show with James Corden and more.