Tag archives: Magic Castle
If Juliana Chen hadn’t broken her knee as a foot juggling teenager, we might be seeing the native of the Hunan Province of the People’s Republic of China performing in town with the famous Guangzhou Acrobatic Troupe or another Chinese extravaganza. Instead, Chen chose magic as the best way to channel her dexterity and dreams […]
It was an appropriately magic moment when Magic Castle owner Milt Larsen, who moved to more heavenly pastures in May at the age of 92, was given an Aloha Milt! sendoff at Carpinteria State Beach in a 12-foot replica of a Viking longboat, which was blown up 500 feet offshore as 100 friends and guests, […]
More than just a “Magic Man,” Milt Larsen was a kind and generous person. It’s inevitable that he and Arlene should marry, because they’re both the same – so friendly and giving. Milt and I first met when I joined the Magic Castle. Over our 50+ year friendship, he was always generous with his time, […]
As MJ reported last week, Milt Larsen passed away on Sunday, May 28, after what had been a whirlwind week for the 92-year-old founder of Hollywood’s Magic Castle. The Sunday before he died, Milt and his wife, Arlene, attended a production of their longtime touring production, “It’s Magic!” in Cerritos, California. They watched the entire […]
The world lost some of its magic this past Sunday, May 28, as Milt Larsen has passed away at 92. A writer and frequent participant on the long-running TV show, Truth Or Consequences, producer and instigator behind various theatrical projects like DAWGS! The Musical, but more than anything from his storied past, Milt will be […]
Across from the Bird Refuge there used to be a restaurant called Café del Sol. After it closed, Arlene and Milt Larsen bought it, transforming it into a unique private club called the Magic Castle Cabaret. They also own the Magic Castle in Los Angeles, which some of you may have gone to. It’s all […]
Montecito’s Magic Castle, after five years as a club, is closing its doors. Dynamic duo Milt and Arlene Larsen, who bought the former Cafe del Sol eatery owned by Jack and Emilie Sears, a tiara’s toss from the 42-acre Andree Clark Bird Refuge, in 2016 hosted a farewell bash with 130 club members and friends […]
Los Angeles’ iconic Magic Castle, leased by Santa Barbara dynamic duo Milt and Arlene Larsen since 1961, has been sold. The buyer of the property, just a tiara’s toss or two from the world-famous Hollywood sign, is Randy Pitchford, founder and CEO of the Gearbox Entertainment Company, which developed the Borderlands franchise of video games, […]
Who doesn’t like magicians and their tricks? The Lobero Theatre was recently filled with curious kids and their parents waiting for the curtain to rise to reveal the curiosities of six magicians. They didn’t disappoint – what with sawing people in two, cutting ropes that wouldn’t stay cut, tearing up paper that wouldn’t stay torn, […]
Arlene Larsen, co-owner of Montecito’s Magic Castle with her husband, Milt, is going to pot! During the downturn caused by the pandemic, Arlene has been busy making one-of-a-kind flowerpots from trim, fabric, and jewelry she has been collecting over the past six decades. “I’ve been making and selling costumes since I was 15 years old,” […]
It was who’s-who of magic lovers and masters of the mystifying when they gathered virtually from New York to Hawaii to celebrate the patriarch of illusion Milt Larsen’s 90th birthday. The virtual event was followed by an intimate COVID-friendly gathering on the grounds of Hollywood’s Magic Castle, sister branch of the Montecito locale, where Milt […]
Two years after it opened, the owners of Montecito’s Magic Castle Cabaret Milt and Arlene Larsen are moving on, I can exclusively reveal. “The Cabaret has been closed for a long year and we are not getting any younger,” laments Arlene. “When we started, we seemed a lot younger. “After talking it over for many […]
It’s all a matter of dimensions! Milt and Arlene Larsen, owners of Montecito’s Magic Castle, fell foul of the Post Office when they were informed the popular cabaret club’s return address on their snail mail was “too low,” with the machines reading the return address rather than the member’s address. “We are eliminating our return […]
Milt Larsen, who just celebrated his 89th birthday, and his wife Arlene have closed their Magic Castle Cabaret near the Bird Refuge as well as the historic Magic Castle in Hollywood during the ongoing pandemic. Milt tells me has been spending the time in quarantine watching his extensive video collection, especially the Hollywood Palace shows […]
As if the coronavirus restrictions weren’t enough, Milt and Arlene Larsen, owners of the Magic Castle opposite the Andree Clark Bird Refuge, have had their computers hacked. “It really was an absolute mess,” says Arlene. “Whoever did it fixed it so we could not send out letters to let everyone know.” The dynamic duo have […]
You can’t get much of a greater span in approaches to magic than the acts appearing on It’s Magic!, whose 63rd edition, which annually showcases different types of magic – from subtle sleight of hand to big-stage illusions, performs two shows at the Lobero on Saturday, March 14. On the one hand, we’ll see Michael […]
As the invitation stated, “From the moment you step through the door you’ll know you’re not in Kansas any more.” There’s a private club with nightclub atmosphere on Los Patos Way across from the Bird Refuge. Milt and Arlene Larsen recently had their grand opening reception for Angel members, media, and special guests. The Magic […]
Trying to pigeonhole Snarky Puppy into a single genre would be a fool’s errand, but suffice it to say that the three-time Grammy Award-winning Brooklyn-based collective that features a revolving cast of up to 25 musicians makes music that’s at once heady, heart-centered, and headed for the dance floor, an amalgam they call “music for […]
Fans of the magical arts got quite a treat when Milt and Arlene Larsen‘s Montecito outpost of their legendary Magic Castle in Hollywood opened its doors. The new club, on the former site of the popular eatery Café Del Sol opposite the Andree Clark bird refuge, starred Lance Burton, 58, who did more than 15,000 […]
No doubt our universal man-about-town Richard Mineards has covered the opening of Milt and Arlene Larsen‘s Magic Castle Cabaret, Montecito’s new private club, in his column. And there is no doubt that MJ‘s society maven and beauty expert Lynda Millner will report on the same subject soon after, so no need to add my seven […]
