By Lori Perkins
I’ve been to a few of the Company XIV performances, which are sort of intimate cirque de soilel experiences with amazing drinks and beautiful settings around a theme. I was more or less expecting the same level of fun for Cocktail Magique, although a friend had been to an earlier performance (this is the show’s second run now extended through August 20th, so there is plenty of time for you to snag a ticket) and told me that I MUST go. She mentioned that cocktails came with the performance, and I was intrigued by that alone.
But I had no idea just how delightful the evening would be.
The interior is set up like a 1920’s performance/speakeasy space. It only holds about 50 people, who sit on two-person couches, or nightclub tables towards the back, so it is a very intimate setting. The bar is the stage.
Burlesque is mixed in with magic and a little acrobatics with a small but extremely talented cast of five, who all support each other, and even make some of the cocktails. There’s a welcoming drink if absinthe and tequila (lovely, since I do love absinthe) and an air balloon delivery of champagne (so cute!), as well as a secret vault with a lottery ticket and food! Yes, food, but more like snacks. A delicious mushroom dumpling served in a teacup and a faux friend chicken leg which is really ice cream served after one of the performers dances a fried chicken in a bucket routine.
The evening is topped off by the delightful cocktail magic trick of a choose-your-own-drink concoction created by the audience on a spinning wheel which then miraculously appears in another locked box right in front of you.
I was lucky enough to get the deluxe edition of this performance, which comes with a very good private tarot reading (the reader said she had 17 years experience, and I believe her), as well as another delightful vodka-based drink.
I agree with my friend who told me this was a don’t-miss New York experience. I expect to go again, maybe even get a few friends together for a couples’ night out!
It’s a little pricey (anywhere from $180 to $400 per person), but honestly well-worth it.