Supernatural Chicago is an interactive and environmental show in Chicago's Excalibur nightclub. The show opened on the appropriately superstition-tinged date of Friday the 13th in February 2004 and As of 2015, in an open-ended run.
Contents
Honors
Features
A one-person show created and starring Chicago "necromancer" Neil Tobin, Supernatural Chicago is the longest-running theatrical magic presentation in Chicago. The show is an example of interactive theater, in that there is no "fourth wall"—two-way communication between performer and audience is a major portion of each performance. It is environmental theater, as well: its location, the landmark Excalibur, is a non-traditional theater space cited as a haunted location in several books and on such broadcasts as Sightings (A&E Network), Haunted Places (The Travel Channel), and Dead Famous (The History Channel). As such, the building is a crucial element of the audience experience.
Content
The show centers on Chicago's oral history of hauntings and other paranormal events. These stories are brought to life for audience members through interactive demonstrations of the purportedly psychic and magical so that, "[b]y the end, the show isn't about the stories, but about people's experiences with the stories."
In a typical performance, guests may:
Although such subject matter might make audience members expect a horror-style scream show, Tobin's dry sense of humor and restrained style ensure Supernatural Chicago is "more creepy-funny than scary-scary." He adds, "If you can handle The Addams Family, you can handle this."