Three kinds of evening out here
The club evening
Out here the evening is usually hosted by a member, which means your own name is on the entertainment rather than a company's. The clubs are built for dining rooms of a hundred or so rather than ballrooms of four hundred, so close-up work fits them better than a stage act. I move table to table, the thing happens in the guest's own hands, and there is nothing for the club or the caterer to set up. Best for member evenings, holiday parties, golf outing dinners and private dining.
The milestone party
A fortieth, a sixtieth, an anniversary or an engagement party, at home or under a tent in the garden. These are the rooms where a stage act is awkward and a DJ is too much. Strolling magic and mind reading work at any size, start whenever you want them to start, and never ask your guests to stop talking. Nobody is made into the punchline, which is the thing a host actually worries about.
The fundraiser
School auctions, hospital galas and nonprofit evenings, most of them held at the clubs. The cocktail hour and the silent auction are when a room needs help, because guests are circulating and waiting, and that is exactly where strolling work earns its place. I can also do thirty to fifty minutes seated after dinner if the evening wants a set piece. Magic and mind reading both, written for adults.
See Mike in action
About
When the host's own name is on the evening
A corporate booker is buying entertainment for a company. A member booking a club evening is doing something different, because whatever happens reflects on them personally, in a room full of people they will see again next month. That is the whole difference in how these evenings have to be worked. Nothing is off color, nobody is embarrassed, no volunteer is the joke, and nothing needs explaining afterwards.
The rooms are smaller than corporate rooms and that suits me. A hundred and twenty at dinner, a library, a terrace, a tent. I work close, a few inches from the people watching, with cards, coins and borrowed objects, and I do not need a stage, a microphone or a lighting change to start.
Vanguard is on my client list and its campus is in Malvern, so the corporate side of the Main Line is familiar ground too, whether the evening is at a club, at an office or in a hotel along the 202 corridor.
I spent more than twenty years inside corporate America, which matters more than it sounds. I read a run of show without needing it explained. I do not perform over the speeches. I know the schedule slipping is normal and not a crisis. Standard dress is a dark suit, and black tie is no problem if your evening calls for it.
The paperwork is handled. Performer liability insurance and a certificate naming your club on request, which most of them will ask for before the date, a real contract, and an invoice that will not cause a conversation.
Magic and mind reading both. Some rooms want one, some want the other, most want some of each, and I will tell you which I think yours is once I know the date, the venue and roughly how many guests. Wayne, Radnor, Villanova, Bryn Mawr, Ardmore, Haverford, Malvern and Newtown Square are all standard for me, along with Philadelphia and the wider region.
Proof
Real rooms, real reactions
"We brought Mike in as a nice complement to a cocktail reception, but instead, he became the main event. The whole room followed him around, chasing the next trick, because once people saw one they wanted more. Mike is genuinely talented, has great energy, and is a crowd-pleaser in a room that's not easy to win over; we'll definitely be bringing him back."
Christine R. Felice, SVP, Mitchell & Ness Commerce
"Mike is magic! We hired Mike for my 40th at a winery and all I can remember is random screams of amazement among the crowd. He is flawless in his execution and left us all in awe. My family and friends talked about his performance for weeks!"
Ankur Patel, 40th birthday celebration
"Michael was absolutely incredible! We had him at our end-of-summer carnival party, and he completely captivated the entire crowd. With a big party, it's not easy to hold everyone's attention, but he had people gathered around, laughing, amazed, and genuinely trying to figure out how he was doing what he was doing! Our guests were talking about him all night and even afterwards."
Kejal Bhatt, end of summer party
Below, photographs from real events, taken on the night, with real guests reacting in real time. Ballrooms, cocktail receptions, hotel function rooms and convention stages across the East Coast.
Volunteers from the room
Two guests who walked in as strangers, now standing next to me in front of a full house. Nobody is planted and nobody is the punchline.
A full room
Cocktail hour at a black tie gala, guests closing in on both sides. No stage and no microphone, just a room full of people who came over to see what everyone was looking at.
Black tie season
Arriving for an annual charity gala. One case, no setup, ready before the doors open.
Partial client list
Vanguard · Insight Partners · Alimera Sciences
New American Funding · Fox Chase Cancer Center
Mitchell & Ness · Marriott · Wyndham · AtlantiCare
Mohonk Mountain House · Borgata · Harrah's
Ocean Casino Resort · Live! Casino · SugarHouse Casino
Disney Cruise Line
Questions I get asked
How long do you perform?
Once I know a bit more about your event, I will come back with a recommendation on the length and the format that fits it best.
What do you need from the venue?
Strolling needs no stage, no sound and no setup. I simply start. For a seated show I need somewhere the whole room can see me, and a small riser helps past about 80 guests. I bring my own microphone and speaker if the venue has none.
Where do you travel?
Philadelphia and the surrounding region are standard: NJ, DE, MD, DC, NY and CT. Further afield is possible, just ask.
Is it right for a mixed audience?
Yes. Nothing in the show is off color, nothing embarrasses a volunteer, and nothing needs explaining to the client's boss afterwards.
Insurance and dress?
I carry performer liability insurance and can send your venue a certificate on request. Standard dress is a dark suit. Black tie or a costume brief is no problem if your evening calls for it.
Contact
Tell me about your event
Send the date, the venue and roughly how many guests. You'll hear back the same day with what I'd do and what it costs.