The grand opening weekend of the House of Magic, the premier venue for magic performance and preservation on the East Coast United States, is set to kick off on National Magic Day – which is also Halloween!
This is fitting because it is not only the day that the world’s greatest magician and escapologist Harry Houdini died in 1926, but it is also the day that the Official Houdini Séance has happened for 98 years at different locations around the world. This 99th year will see the séance taking place at the House of Magic. It is quite an honor for a venue to be chosen as the location for such an esteemed event.
Set within a 100-year-old building, the former Glenside National Bank and Trust in Glenside, Pennsylvania, the House of Magic was created by owner Marc DeSouza of Wayne, Pennsylvania to serve as a beacon for magic enthusiasts offering unparalleled experiences in magical entertainment.
In addition to the séance on Halloween, Friday, Oct. 31, from 10-11:15 p.m., “Dr. Morbius’ Old Time Ghost Show” by John Bundy and Morgan will run from 8-9:30 p.m. and then run again the following evening, Saturday, Nov. 1, also from 8-9:30 p.m. The Family Magic Show will run from 1-2 p.m. on Saturday featuring Doug Wonder. On Sunday, Nov. 2, there will be two invite-only parties for friends of the theater and members of the media.
The official Grand Opening is on November 2 and is invitation only. The House of Magic was featured by PHL17 today.
There will be tours, interviews, magic shows, and catered refreshments. Any media who’d like to attend should reach out to DeSouza at 610-203-0256 or marc@houseofmagicpa.com.
Guests will have opportunities before both evening shows to take tours of the “Vault of Secrets,” the original bank vault whose 2,000 safe deposit boxes contain “mysteries” from the last two centuries, plus an extraordinary 4,500-square-foot magic museum and library. Doors open at 7:20 p.m. and tours can take place up until 8 p.m.
It is the lower level that elevates the House of Magic above every other magic theater in the country. DeSouza’s personal collection of apparatus, posters, artwork, costumes and memorabilia is lovingly displayed within this magic museum. This collection is augmented by significant items on loan from other collectors and performers. One of the country’s largest private collections of magic literature is housed in the secret library. Tours of these areas are available by appointment.
The House of Magic also features a 103-seat jewel-box theater, a 30-seat mini closeup theater, a VIP lounge with a secret entrance, an event rental space that can hold up to 80 seated guests, a magician’s study, and many surprises providing an immersive environment for novices, seasoned magicians and any magic fans.
This is the culmination of the vision of DeSouza, a Philadelphia-area native, who has been immersed in the world of magic for over 65 years. He has an amazing dual career which makes him the most qualified individual to undertake such a massive project. He is a second-generation real estate developer who brings his expertise and experience in the construction field to the table and combines it with his passion and love for magic.
As a world-recognized expert in both the creation and performance of magic, along with his knowledge of magic history and collecting, he has designed and built a world-class center for the preservation and performance of the art of magic.
DeSouza said he is “relieved” to be at the point of a grand opening. “It is the culmination of a year of work. That’s real magic: to transform a 100-year-old building into the House of Magic in less than a year. That’s the best magic trick I’ve ever done.”
Adding to the excitement, the House of Magic has partnered with the Smoke & Mirrors Theater to host shows of magic, mentalism, illusion, comedy and more with top performers from around the world. The Smoke & Mirrors Theater amazed magic fans for more than eight years in its Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania location. Now the owners, Marty Martin and Danny Archer, both Philadelphia natives, produce their shows in a grander space, the Johnny Thompson Theater, twice the size of their former theater, with state-of-the-art lighting, sound, and video projection capabilities.
Their shows at 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays are great for audiences ages 16 and up. The family magic shows – for ages 6 to 106 – happen on Saturdays at 1 p.m.
In addition, there will be other producers bringing in variety events, private events, educational programs for the public about the art of magic, and more.
“This is going to bring people to Glenside,” DeSouza said. “There is no facility like this anywhere where people can see magic and see such an incredible collection of magic … unless you know David Copperfield. But the likelihood of getting that invitation is slim,” he chuckled. “Hollywood’s Magic Castle doesn’t even have this.
“We’re still in our infancy. But there’s no place else you can go to get this experience,” he continued. “To literally see the best magicians in the world in an intimate setting in your backyard, it’s just unheard of. Every week it is a different show. Every magician is different. We don’t present cookie-cutter magicians. We present the best magicians from all over the world.”
The House of Magic is located at 101 S. Easton Rd. Glenside, Pa. 19038. For information, email info@houseofmagicpa.com, log on to www.houseofmagicpa.com, and call 610-203-0256. For tickets to Smoke & Mirrors Theater shows, log on to www.smokeandmirrorstheater.com.
ABOUT THE HOUSE OF MAGIC:
The House of Magic is the premier venue for the performance and preservation of magic on the East Coast. It is housed in a nearly 100-year-old building. The Glenside National Bank/Glenside Title and Trust Company took occupancy of this structure, designed and constructed by the Tilghman-Moyer Company, in 1929. Now known as The Depository, the building houses three other office spaces within this 12,000-plus-square-foot structure, with the House of Magic occupying the remainder. Creator Marc DeSouza has thoroughly re-imagined and reconstructed this building to create this homage to the history and appreciation of the art of magic.
THE OFFICIAL HOUDINI SÉANCE
The Official Houdini Séance will be held from 10-11:15 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025, at The House of Magic in Glenside, Pennsylvania. It will be suitable for ages 16 and up.
Nearly a century after Harry Houdini’s death, a group of magicians, historians, and spiritualists will gather in Pennsylvania to attempt to answer what the famed escape artist questioned: Can the dead return?
Fifteen days after performing at the Chestnut Street Theater in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Houdini died on Halloween in 1926 at Grace Hospital in Detroit, Michigan at 1:26 p.m., the result of peritonitis. Before his passing, he promised that if communication from the beyond were possible, he would find a way to prove it.
After his death, Houdini’s widow, Bess, held annual séances for ten years, culminating in a nationally broadcast attempt from the rooftop of the Knickerbocker Hotel in Hollywood, California in 1936. Declaring, “Ten years is enough to wait for any man,” she ended her public efforts, but others have continued the tradition.
“Houdini told his brother that if he were able to return in a material way, he would open a unique set of handcuffs,” said séance director Bill Radner of West Springfield, Massachusetts. “Those handcuffs, along with other Houdini memorabilia, will be placed on the séance table this year.”
The séance will be led by trance medium Scott Wells of Ft. Worth, Texas, with participants hoping for a breakthrough unlike any before.
“We are a very determined group,” Radner added. “We look forward to making contact this year.”
For information, contact Radner at 413-531-3333 or rendar1@aol.com and log on to http://theofficialhoudiniseance.com/. Tickets are $40 and are limited to 60 tickets. They may be purchased at www.houseofmagicpa.com. Light refreshments will be provided.
THE FOUNDER OF THE HOUSE OF MAGIC: MARC DESOUZA
The creator and owner has established the House of Magic as a tribute to the amazing art of magic. He has been seriously involved in magic since the age of 6. As a competitor, he amassed over 75 regional, national and international awards including three silver medals from the Society of American Magicians, first-place awards in both stage and close-up magic from both the S.A.M. and the International Brotherhood of Magicians and represented the U.S. in World Competition at the FISM Convention (the Olympics of Magic) three times.
As a performer and lecturer, he has appeared throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia. DeSouza has created magic that has been used by magicians all over the world. These works have appeared in print, on video and in marketed effects. He has appeared twice on “Penn and Teller: Fool Us.” He still performs his own magic frequently, but he also teaches, coaches, and mentors other performers to help them create their own magic and routines. And on top of that all, he runs a 60-year-old real estate development firm. He has combined that experience and a lifelong passion to create the premier venue for the performance and preservation of the art of magic.
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Photos: John Costello Photography