How’d He Do That?!

I Love Magic

It’s fun, funny and flummoxing all at the same time.

I’ve enjoyed extravagant magic shows in big theaters where audiences of many hundreds or even a few thousand people watched amazing large-scale tricks, often climaxing with lots of smoke.

And I’ve enjoyed magic shows in intimate venues, where a few dozen people watched up close as skilled sleight-of-hand artists made cards, live animals, jewelry and other things appear and disappear, well, like magic.

Photo: courtesy of The Magical Mystery Show

The Magical Mystery Show, at the Hilton Waikiki Beach hotel on Kūhiō Avenue, is a wonderful intimate show in a small theater that itself is an intriguing part of the act. When my wife and I went, Shoot Ogawa from Tokyo amazed us and about 20 other guests with his lively banter and fast-paced tricks, each of them leaving us wondering, “How’d he do that?!”

I soon gave up guessing and just let myself be amazed.

Ogawa directly engaged almost everyone in the audience – including kids and a 90-year-old woman from Australia who was celebrating her birthday with her family. Several people joined Ogawa at the front, where they lost and then regained personal items, picked cards that reappeared somewhere else and even seemed to do some of the wizardry themselves.

My Wife’s Ring Was Gone

When my wife briefly sat up front with Ogawa, her fused-together wedding and engagement rings disappeared. I held my breath, and for a heart-stopping moment I wondered if Ogawa made cash on the side dealing with Bags End Gold & Pawn on Kalākaua Avenue. But before long, like magic, the rings reappeared. My wife had been a foot away from Ogawa’s hands but couldn’t figure out how he did it.

I think my favorite moment was when Ogawa drew back a black handkerchief to reveal a goldfish swimming in a wine glass.

Laughter is a huge part of the performances at The Magical Mystery Show. | Photo: courtesy of The Magical Mystery Show

On Season 8 of the TV show “Fool Us,” Penn Jillette – one-half of the world’s most famous magic duo – called Ogawa “the best sleight of hand of anybody in the world right now.” After watching Ogawa’s show, I could see why.

He is part of a rotating series of performers at The Magical Mystery Show that includes its founder, Jonathan Todd, and longtime local magician Kekoa Erickson.

Todd launched the show in 2023 as the latest venture in a long career that has included work in TV and radio and many other enterprises, including Fleetwood’s on Front St., the Lahaina restaurant and bar he founded with Fleetwood Mac drummer Mick Fleetwood. Sadly, that great venue for live music was destroyed in the Lahaina fire.

An Homage to King Kalākaua

My wife and I and the other guests began the Magical Mystery evening in an anteroom filled with curiosities and antiques from around the world – all curated by Todd’s wife and company VP, Ruth O’Keefe, an interior designer originally from England. Todd says the anteroom and theater are designed to mirror the evening in 1881 when King Kalākaua, the Hawaiian monarch, was entertained by a sleight-of-hand show in the home of an English noble.

Minutes later, we entered the 64-seat theater, filled with more antiques and curiosities. Pieter Hofstra, who playfully dubbed himself “Peter the Great,” warmed up the crowd before Ogawa took over.

When I checked after the show, I found that TripAdvisor ranks The Magical Mystery Show as the top-rated attraction on O‘ahu, with 1,668 reviews, 97.5% of them 5 stars.

The show also gives back. “We benefit the Shriners hospitals for children through the Shrine clubs on Maui and O‘ahu and a part of every ticket goes to support that cause,” says Todd, who is a past president of the Maui Shrine Club.

Plus, locals, military people and Hilton guests who attend a show each get a ticket to a free magic class with three hours of free valet parking, Todd says. “Learning magic for kids helps with school, self-image, public speaking, critical thinking and keeps them off the street by giving them an artistic passion.”

Two shows nightly, though frequently closed on Tuesdays. Check the schedule at OahuMagic.com. Email info@Hotel-Magic.com.