Back in June, Tucson born-and-bred magician/hypnotist Michael C. DeSchalit did his first hometown show post-pandemic.
It was a small affair for the graduating class of Marana High School. DeSchalit, who has called Vegas home for the past three years, entertained the graduates on grad night.
On Saturday, Sept. 4, heβs coming back to entertain their parentsβ generation.
DeSchalit is doing an uncensored show at Unscrewed Theater. Heβs bringing his popular βThe Hypno Zone Showβ to the East Speedway improv theater for an evening in which the audience becomes the show.
βPeople are so starved for entertainment. They want to get out,β DeSchalit said from his Vegas home last month.
Audience members will be required to wear face masks and those chosen to join DeSchalit on stage will be provided with a face shield. That way their friends and fellow audience members can see their facial expressions as DeSchalit lulls them into an altered dimension that will have them obeying his commands.
No, he wonβt have anyone do anything too humiliating or against their morals. And, no, he wonβt help you quit smoking, lose weight or be a nicer person.
He saves that for his hypnotherapy practice, which he relocated to Las Vegas when he and his wife moved there three years ago.
Back then, long before COVID was a thing on anyoneβs radar, DeSchalit, who has been doing hypnosis for 18 years, had moved his practice online, mostly because he didnβt want to be tied down to an office. He had an office in Tucson and doing things online allowed him to continue treating some of his hometown clients.
βI created an entire online platform thatβs fully automated,β he explained, adding that he met with patients via Zoom β yes, the platform did exist before the pandemic.
Although the venues in Vegas have not fully reopened β some even recently adopted stricter restrictions as the number of COVID cases started rising again β DeSchalit has been doing a few shows here and there since April after being virtually grounded when everything shut down in March 2020.
βI did three shows from March 15, 2020, to Dec. 31, 2020: Two in Texas, where they donβt believe the virus exists, and one in a town that was so small if the virus spread, a dog would have gotten it,β he said, adding that he himself contracted the virus last November and was sick for three weeks.
At his Tucson show, the 56-year-old father of two said he expects to see his parents in the audience. They are among the only family remaining in Tucson.
βEverybody else was asked to leave,β joked DeSchalit. βI mean common restraining order? Thatβs such strong language.β
