Born and raised in Mexico City, Dr. Ricardo Rosenkranz, MD, Chicago’s own Physician Magician, will celebrate the festive Cinco de Mayo holiday weekend by once again performing a feat never before seen on Chicago stages: performing back-to-back magic shows in two different languages, Spanish and English, at The Rhapsody Theater, 1328 W. Morse Avenue, the weekend of May 4 & 5, 2024.

The Spanish language editions of Physician Magician will mark the first full-length Spanish magic show on the Rhapsody Theater stage. Both days, Dr. Rosenkranz will perform two versions of his popular production, one in English and one in Spanish: Saturday, May 4: SPANISH language matinee at 2pm, followed an ENGLISH language evening performance at 7:30pm; Sunday, May 5, Cinco de Mayo, features an ENGLISH language matinee at 2pm followed by a SPANISH language evening performance at 6:30pm. Tickets for each performance start at $30.00 and can be purchased at rhapsodytheater.com.

Adding to the festivities, Chicago’s popular The Frida Room, a lively family-owned restaurant with locations in Pilsen and Lincoln Park, will host a limited-time pop-up location at Rhapsody offering an array of modern Mexican favorites for purchase.  Starting Thursday, May 2 through Sunday, May 5, guests can order from a special Frida Room menu inspired by Mexican Street Food and offering main courses, such as fajitas and ceviche, in a sit-down setting before or after each show, along with Mexican favorites, such as quesadillas and flan, available in the theater throughout the shows. Accompanying these authentic food offerings will be a selection of specially curated cocktails with a Mexican twist, including Balsamo’s Lime Margarita.

Physician Magician is an elegant full-length production of rarely seen magic and illusion. One of Rhapsody Theater’s resident artists, Dr. Rosenkranz invites audiences into his study to share the magical performances he so dearly loves. Along the way he shares his connection between medicine and magic witnessing mysteries that might unlock the mind and warm the heart. The new show includes several never-before-seen illusions and brings back many signature classics and audience favorites including Balsamo, last seen on the CW’s Fool Us, creating an unforgettable performance of upbeat, fun, magical theater in a beautiful cabaret style setting.

“As the owner and resident artist at the Rhapsody Theater, I am looking forward to the challenge of performing my show in English and then immediately again in Spanish,” said Ricardo Rosenkranz, MD. “I discovered my love of magic 25 years ago after walking into a magic store in Mexico City. I am thrilled to be presenting these special editions of Physician Magician in my native language for Chicago’s robust Spanish speaking population.”

Other headliner talent at The Rhapsody Theater includes Look Closer with Joshua Jay, a new show of magic and sleight-of-hand in which Jay turns the concept of misdirection on its head, now being performed through April 28; and Ridiculous! with David Williamson, an evening of relentless laughter, mind-bending tricks, and a dash of anarchy, May 17-June 30. PLUS, throughout the year, catch resident artists Chicago’s own Physician Magician, Ricardo Rosenkranz, MD, while Ross Johnson returns with his jaw dropping mind reading show, A funny thing happened… tomorrow!  Visit www.rhapsodytheater.com for more information on all upcoming performances.

More about Dr. Ricardo Rosenkranz, MD

Ricardo Rosenkranz was a student of the legendary Eugene Burger for nearly 20 years. As a Magical Performer, Ricardo has been often seen on the stage of Magic Chicago and is a regular performer and lecturer at the annual Magic and Meaning Conference in Las Vegas. Most Recently he completed a highly successful run at the legendary Magic Castle in Los Angeles. In 2017 Dr. Rosenkranz was invited to perform for Penn & Teller's Fool Us on the CW Network.

Born in Mexico City, Mexico, Ricardo Rosenkranz is Assistant Professor in Clinical Pediatrics at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Ricardo holds Bachelor and Master of Science Degrees from Stanford University. He obtained his Medical Degree from Cornell University Medical School in 1990, completed a Pediatric Residency and a Fellowship in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at Northwestern University in 1993 and 1996 respectively. Dr. Rosenkranz was for the past fifteen years the Co-Founder of Inovamed, S.A. de CV, a health care services provider in Mexico. Inovamed is credited with the successful financial and quality-driven turnaround of one of Mexico City's oldest private hospitals. 

In conjunction with the Medical Humanities and Bioethics Program at Northwestern, Dr. Rosenkranz created the nation’s first medical school curriculum for the study of magic and medicine. Created for first- and second-year medical students, these courses explore the performance aspects of medicine and the anthropological relationship between medicine and the magical arts. The principal aim is to help medical students develop a more sophisticated and deeper understanding of the doctor-patient relationship. The success of his Magic and Medicine courses has spilled over to graduate medical education where Dr. Rosenkranz has taught similar courses elsewhere. He is a regular lecturer of this topic at Stanford University where he recently was the featured presenter for Medical Grand Rounds. Since 2011, Dr. Rosenkranz has led the Course in Magic and Medicine at the McBride’s Magic & Mystery School in Las Vegas. In 2015 he delivered a TED talk at TEDxNorthwestern.

About The Rhapsody Theater

Built in 1912 as the Morse Theater, this destination at 1328 W. Morse Avenue has long-been a source of arts and entertainment (formerly operating as the Co-Ed Theater and the Mayne Stage). Since its reopening in 2022 by Ricardo Rosenkranz, MD, Chicago’s own Physician Magician, The Rhapsody Theater has brought a Vegas-style entertainment experience to Rogers Park. This includes a newly developed, full-service restaurant and three bars throughout providing a welcoming spot for both patrons and community members to enjoy year-round. The multi-faceted theater is perfectly primed for its world-class performances. With state-of-the-art acoustics and versatile seating arrangements, the space allows for enhanced, intimate, and large format experiences. In addition to magic arts talent, The Rhapsody Theater also presents cabaret and other live music concert programming.

The Rhapsody Theater is conveniently located steps away from the Morse Red line ‘El’ station in Rogers Park. Complimentary parking is available in an adjacent lot (subject to availability) in addition to plentiful nearby street parking.

For more information about The Rhapsody Theater or to purchase tickets, please visit https://rhapsodytheater.com/