Earlier this week, I headed to the city centre for an evening of magic, courtesy of Krist & Münch. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect – I know magic shows mostly from TV: Derren Brown, David Copperfield, and old school Paul Daniels and Debbie McGee. Other than my uncle’s card tricks, I’d never seen a magic show live and up close.
Alexander Krist and Christian Münch set up their theatre back in 2007, under the name “Zaubertheater München”. In 2009, they moved to their current location, the neoclassical Anger Palais, the former admin building for Munich’s gasworks. Since then, over 50,000 visitors have seen their show “live und hautnah”, and most evenings they’re packed to the rafters.
Having been welcomed by Christian Münch, I headed to the bar for an aperitif. Posters by Paul Osborne adorn the bar’s walls, explaining how a woman is apparently sawn in half, and how other illusions are created.
The intimacy is what makes the theatre so special. There are just six rows in the theatre itself, meaning you’re no further than a couple of metres away from the magician himself. Christian Münch introduced the show, and Alexander Krist took over, telling his life story while pulling lemons and mini pineapples out of cups.
I won’t spoil the show for you, but the grand finale is pretty impressive. So many apparent coincidences came together at once, leaving the audience puzzled and impressed. Krist’s storytelling method was flamboyant and floral, at times a little OTT for me, but he was amusing, and managed to engage an audience that ranged from fourteen years old to seventy plus.
Tickets are available online, from 49 €, and if you’re after a birthday present, a gift voucher is a tremendous idea. Just a side note, you do need to be able to speak German if you’re planning on going – it helps to be able to understand the back story and explanations.
Images courtesy of Krist & Münch.
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