Zubrick Magic Theatre announces Moonlight Express as it celebrates five years in downtown St. Pete
/Zubrick Magic Theatre will launch Moonlight Express, an all-new close-up magic show, on September 10 | Zubrick Magic Theatre
A train is about to pull into downtown St. Petersburg, and it’s taking passengers somewhere unexpected.
Zubrick Magic Theatre is launching Moonlight Express, an immersive new magic show that will transform its theatre at 1211 1st Avenue North into “Zubrick Station.” The 18-and-over experience begins September 10th and will seat just 20 guests at a time.
Operated by award-winning Illusionists Chris and Ryan Zubrick, the 97-seat theater opened in 2021 in the EDGE District. It brought a family-friendly, 70-minute magic show featuring comedy, sleight-of-hand, and large-scale illusions to downtown St. Pete.
Moonlight Express will be held on select nights, while the theater’s main show will continue on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
For Moonlight Express, the theater’s lobby will remain familiar, but once guests enter the auditorium, the Zubricks promise to transport them into an entirely different world.
once guests enter the auditorium, the Zubricks promise to transport them into an entirely different world | Zurbick Magic Theatre
The regular seats will disappear behind printed backdrops, while a 22-foot façade of a luxury 1940’s train carriage will stretch across the stage. Theatrical lighting, immersive soundscape, a station clock, and other details will complete the setting.
“Returning patrons to the theatre won’t even recognize the space,” co-owner Ryan Zubrick said in a conversation with St. Pete Rising. “We’ve transformed the whole place, creating the illusion of the Zubrick Station.”
Guests will arrive at 7 p.m. for a complimentary glass of champagne and a sweet confection before the conductor calls for boarding. They will then take their seats inside the train-carriage façade for a 70-minute sleight-of-hand magic performance.
“There’s a lot of themes of travel and time and journey that are woven into the scripting and the experience,” Zubrick said. “It’s super immersive, very experiential, with a lot of sights, sounds, and theatrical elements.”
Passengers will take their seats inside the train-carriage façade for a 70-minute sleight-of-hand magic performance | Zubrick Magic Theatre
Although created and produced by Chris & Ryan Zubrick, the Moonlight Express show will be performed by magician Neil Fama, who recently moved to St. Petersburg from Alaska after leaving the military.
Fama, a native of Saipan, had known Ryan and Chris Zubrick for years before moving to the area. He has already become familiar to theatre guests through his pre-show close-up magic performances.
Before moving to St. Petersburg, Chris and Ryan spent 13 years performing in Saipan and Guam, where they staged more than 7,500 shows for over 2 million people.
The theater’s growing base of repeat guests helped inspire the Zubricks to develop a new offering.
“People want miracles that happen in their hands, right in front of their face,” Zubrick said. “We wanted to create something elevated for an audience of adults only, where maybe the kids get a babysitter and stay home.”
Magician Neil Fama will star in Moonlight Express, a new show at Zubrick Magic Theatre in St. Pete | Zubrick Magic Theatre
The idea for Moonlight Express came together as the couple reflected on train-themed experiences they encountered while traveling and considered what Fama’s close-up magic could bring to the theatre.
For the Zubricks, who said the theatre’s success has surpassed their original expectations, the new show is another way to keep things interesting for themselves and for the locals who return with each new visiting friend or family member.
The theater recently celebrated its fifth anniversary.
“I remember very vividly five years ago staying up at night going, ‘Is anyone going to buy a ticket?’” Zubrick said. “But the local community has supported us in ways beyond imagination.”
Initial Moonlight Express performances are scheduled on select Thursdays through early November, with additional dates expected to be announced at a later date.
Tickets are available through the Moonlight Express website.
