Adelaide's Hidden Gem: A Night of Close-Up Magic

Ask someone for things to do in Adelaide and you'll hear the usual, good answers — the market, the beach, a winery day trip. What you won't usually hear, unless they've been, is the little room above a board-game café where the whole audience leans in at the same moment and someone quietly says "no way."

That's us. The Adelaide Magic Theatre is a 25-seat close-up magic venue tucked above The Lost Dice at 111 King William St, and "hidden gem" is the phrase that comes up in our reviews more than any other. Here's why we think people keep saying it.

It's close-up, so you're basically in the show

There's no stage to hide behind and no back row to disappear into. The magic happens on the table in front of you, in your hands, with cards you've shuffled. When you can't explain something from thirty centimetres away, it lands differently than watching it from row M of a big theatre.

You're part of it, not just watching

Our performers work the room, not a script. People get pulled in, gently ribbed, and handed things to hold. No two shows are the same, which is also why people come back and bring different friends each time.

It suits just about anyone

Date night, a birthday, out-of-town visitors, a group of mates after dinner — it all works. The material is clever and funny rather than cheesy, the room is warm, and you're a two-minute walk from a hundred places to keep the night going afterwards.

It's properly local

The theatre was built by Adelaide magicians — Sam King and Baenedict Thiveanathan — who perform at the Adelaide Fringe and wanted somewhere to do this kind of magic all year round, not just for three weeks in February. It's a small, stubbornly independent corner of the city's arts scene, and we're proud of it.

Next time you're mapping out things to do in Adelaide, leave a Saturday night open. The big attractions will still be there in the morning — but this one only seats 25, and it's the bit people end up talking about.