I have followed Kayla Drescher‘s career since seeing her on Penn & Teller Fool Us in 2017. Although she did not fool the legendary magicians (very few do), she won me as a fan. I have wanted to interview her for a while; and when I saw she has a show running for a month at Rhapsody Theater in Chicago, I thought it was the perfect time to talk magic and travel with her.

Chicago magician and mind reader Drescher performs close-up magic combined with audience interaction and a bit of humor, all while wearing heels (“because ‘magic in pajamas’ was already taken,” she jokes). After giving a brief bio, Drescher differentiates magic from mind reading both in theory and practice.

Drescher’s goal is to perform in all 50 states and on all seven continents. She only needs about eight more states and four continents. While Boston and Los Angeles are her favorite spots, she mentioned Toronto as well as Arkansas, one of her more recent new stops. Internationally, Africa is tops on her list to visit and perform. Different cities and even locations bring different crowds, and Drescher adjusts her act accordingly. Since audience interaction is part of her act, it is important to have a feel for the crowd.

With travel a necessary part of performing, Drescher rates organization as a priority. She describes keeping track of her supplies. She also talks about her act utilizing smaller objects, thus making transporting all easier.

Life on the road can be hard, but runs like her current stay at Rhapsody Theater in her home town give her time to enjoy local sites and restaurants, like Planta Queen, her favorite vegan eatery on the near north side of Chicago. On a related note, I also love Planta, with spinach shiitake dumplings my favorite item. For the next month though, Drescher doesn’t have to worry about travel, although the snow storm this weekend did cause headaches.

Talking Travel is an interview series on Global Traveler. Subscribe to the GT YouTube channel to be notified of all future interviews and other travel-related videos.

— John Wroblewski, online writer