Best of the Bay 2026 Editors’ Pick: Illusionist Kevin Blake

For over five years and more than 500 shows, Kevin Blake has been performing iterations of his The Illusionist show at The Palace Theater. A consummate showman who has been called a “modern-day Merlin,” Blake effortlessly commands the stage with mentalism, prestidigitation, and humor. His entrance—he seems to magically appear on stage—sets the tone for the performance, and he quickly follows with a crafty paper airplane illusion.

Blake encourages skepticism from the audience, oddly enough. Look, we all know magic isn’t “real”—and he doesn’t pretend otherwise. Instead, he acknowledges our incredulity, and then states his intention to “wrench disbelief” from the audience, fooling us again and again.

In addition to card-guessing, Blake leans into the current popular resurgence of speed-solving Rubik’s cubes, at the same time regailing us with a tale of how he justified the expense of the fancy cubes to his wife.

Blake uses true or “mostly true” stories, including an explanation of how Brad Christain’s How to Do Street Magic video was his staple as a budding pro.

A master of audience work, he moves around, engaging as many people as possible: calling on volunteers, seating people around a card table, pulling audience members onstage. He renders the Palace Theater cabaret room even more intimate by including everyone—those in the front seats, of course, but also in the balcony.

Note: the matinees are great for kids. Many were in attendance at September 6 Sunday show, and proved willing and charming participants. As always, the Place Theater is a delightful venue, with its 1920s speakeasy vibe and attentive staff. Slight of Drink cocktails created by mixologist Carlo Splendorini are available for evening shows.

To create a narrative arc for the show, a candlestick telephone has been mounted on the wall, and rings periodically. Blake picks up the receiver and hangs up—until the end of the show when the gag’s true meaning is revealed.

One of the last acts of the show plays on the central tension of magic spectatorship. Blake explains how his younger self experienced a “feeling of wonder and astonishment” after being delightfully deceived at a David Copperfield show, and tells us that he wants to offer that same sensation to audiences. We sort of want to know how the magic tricks work—and Blake tantalizes us with clues. But he’s right, we don’t really want to know.

Blake is whip-smart and gently humorous, laughing at himself and our shared humanity. His magic skills are extraordinary. According to him, some pieces in the evolving show take just weeks to perfect, others take years, and some take decades. He’s put his time in—making even repeat visits to The Illusionist well worth yours.—Patty Riek

THE ILLUSIONIST: BEST OF 5 YEARS OF MAGIC runs Sat/12 through October 18. The Palace Theater, SF. More info and tickets here.