Rob Lake Magic is a full-fledged magic show on Broadway, complete with levitating women and finger-wagging showgirls sawn in half. But it’s hardly a Broadway show. Lake is a renowned illusionist, at least per his program bio: “Rob’s jaw-dropping illusions have been seen by millions in over 60 countries—with record-shattering, multimillion-dollar tours across Dubai, India, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Singapore, Europe, Australia, Asia, South Africa and six years headlining at the iconic Atlantis Resort in The Bahamas.” (How do you do a multimillion-dollar tour across Las Vegas?)
The one illusion Lake misses out on, at the Broadhurst, is the illusion that his entertainment—even with the Playbill billing page proclaiming “special guests The Muppets”—is anything other than an over-rehearsed and over-polished touring Vegas show.
There was a time when magic shows in New York were few and far between. This changed in 1974 with a highly successful though mediocre magic show called The Magic Show. (Since this appears to be Stephen Schwartz week in New York, we might as well mention that he provided the long-forgotten songs for that opus.) Then along came Penn and Teller, with a 1985 off-Broadway debut followed by Broadway stints, national tours, and any number of ventures. All of which—at least all of which I attended—offered chills, thrills, and extreme entertainment.
[Read Frank Scheck’s ★★☆☆☆ review here.]
Not so the present attraction, in for the holidays. [Note: Even before the opening night reviews were published, the producers announced that the show would close at the end of this week rather than continuing through the originally announced January 18 closing date. Talk about a mysterious vanishing act….] Lake displays a pleasant enough personality as he plies his trade. But he seems as authentic and genuine as a knockoff Labubu doll imported tariff-free from China. The magic tricks all work as expected, precisely staged and professionally presented; but Lake gives the impression that of course they all work, he knows they will all work because he’s done them before millions in 60 countries.
There’s no danger here, no moments of wonder; if there’s any suspense to the evening, it’s a question of when’ll he bring on the Muppets (briefly) and how’ll he work them into the act (barely). Gonzo gets the most stage time, repeatedly rolling on stage as he prepares to be shot out of a cannon. Not yet, Lake keeps telling him. Kermit seems mighty subdued, as if creative consultant Bethany Pettigrew and additional material writer Kevin J. Zak figured they’d just let everybody’s favorite frog make up his own lines for the occasion. Miss Piggy is saved for late in the affair—will she make it to the theatre in time?? (that’s the evening’s suspense)—but her appearance amounts to generic bluster with few laughs. All told, the Muppets—in what appears to be their Broadway debuts—are stranded with poor material. It’s not easy being green, as Kermie used to sing when he had Joe Raposo writing for him.
Perhaps Lake should have added a special death-defying act for Broadway, like sawing Miss Piggy in half. That would raise get a rise out of the audience. But no; Rob Lake Magic provides audiences with little magic aside from the old standbys that drop jaws in Dubai, India, and across Las Vegas. But not across Times Square.
Rob Lake Magic opened November 11, 2025, at the Broadhurst Theatre and runs through November 16. Tickets and information: roblake.com
