About this Event
THE ZABRECKY HOUR – Magic and Variety Show with Rob Zabrecky
In his one-person magic and variety show The Zabrecky Hour, native Angeleno and multi-skilled artist Rob Zabrecky invites audiences into his remarkably strange and curious world through a unique and often absurdist narrative, illustrated through storytelling and beautifully presented magic effects. Like film director David Lynch, Zabrecky sets the stage for everyday life, then sets it on fire. A Zabrecky performance often involves opening a door on the mysterious and the bizarre and walking people through it.
The show allows Zabrecky to combine his remarkable comedic timing and sensational theatrical edifice into one highly entertaining bundle with a distinct point of view. His evening of cross-pollinated magic and reverie features highlights from his award-winning Magic Castle act, song & dance, audience interaction, absurdist parapsychology, and much more. It’s an hour of understated magic, deadpan comedy and even music that’s delivered in a very funny, entertaining update of the whole Lynch-Addams-Gorey-Burton school of sinister humor. In 2022, The Chicago Tribune raved, “Zabrecky is very funny, assuming you like your humor cynical and caustic, akin to a horror show of a bygone age. Zabrecky’s notable distinctive brand is one thing, but his improvisational skills and his evident love of pushing things right to the edge and then maybe a little further, are another.”
Zabrecky’s style is all his own. You might see flashes of Steven Wright, Robert Bloch, Emo Phillips or even Alfred Hitchcock in his dry, crisp delivery, quirky punchlines and utterly deadpan commitment to the most absurd situations. The perverse choices he makes in which illusions to present and how to offer them up definitely makes his show a surprise, too. But when he gets audience members on the stage, the awkward hilarity really highlights how delightfully strange his performance is. There’s a sense that you’re watching an alien from a lost sci-fi/horror B-movie from the 1950s who can barely function in polite society, and he’s trying to put on a grand show for you — but it’s really starting to get on his nerves. In a reverse of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dancing in a classic musical, you just know that it takes real skill and talent to do a show so flawlessly while adding the nuance that it’s all “flawed.”
Offbeat, unusual, funny and fast-paced, The Zabrecky Hour, is a one person variety and comedy-magic show not to be missed.
"Zabrecky - the name means 'Abracadabra,' sideways" - LA Weekly
There’s simply no other entertainer like Zabrecky. Through a wide range of artistic work that spans acting, writing, magic, and music, Zabrecky has established himself globally as an original entertainer.
As a magician, he has invented a magical world through a series of strange and beautiful effects which he combines with remarkable timing and theatrical edifice. His absurdist and deadpan humor has delighted audiences from Tokyo to New York City. Recognized for his efforts, he has received six awards by the Academy of Magical Arts at the Magic Castle.
In film, he’s best known for his roles in A Ghost Story, Lost River, and Decay. In television, he’s appeared in guest and co-star roles in Lady Dynamite, GLOW, Angie Tribeca, Comedy Bang! Bang! the CBS biopic series, Strange Angel, based on the life of rocket scientist Jack Parsons, and many others.
He is the author of the acclaimed memoir, Strange Cures (Rothco Press), which chronicles his story of self-discovery, success, failure, and reinvention amidst the Los Angeles landscape during the 70s-90s. The LA Times praised the book as, “A punk poem to a forgotten Los Angeles,” and musician Jane Wiedlin of the Go-Go’s dubbed it, “A 1980s San Fernando Valley Time Machine.”
Zabrecky's career began as a musician while being the singer- songwriter and bassist for the Los Angeles group Possum Dixon, who released three albums on Interscope Records during the 1990s.
Special Thanks To: Emily Rose Epstein.
Running Time Approximately 75 Minutes
Ticket Price: $20 (in-person and Zoom options available)
Please email [email protected] or phone 323-663-2167 with any questions.
Please note: Zoom recordings are not guaranteed to be available after the day of the event. Please sign up to our and subscribe to our for updates about new recordings!
REFUND POLICIES
All sales are final. There are no refunds or exchanges for PRS events, except in the event of a medical emergency, including but not limited to a positive COVID-19 test.
In the event that PRS is forced to cancel an event entirely, tickets will be refunded or vouchers offered for a rescheduled event.
PRS EVENT POLICIES
* We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone.
* Events are subject to change without notice, including guest speakers and/or performers.
* We encourage you to arrive at least 30 min. before the scheduled event start time to find parking, enjoy the Bookstore and take your seats.
* Please turn off all mobile devices before the show. Talking and texting are not allowed during the events.
* No filming, audio recording or mobile phone recording of events, screenings, concerts or other programs by audience members is allowed.
* There is no smoking permitted on PRS grounds.
* We strongly encourage guests to wear masks to PRS events to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
* PRS allows Service Animals into the facility under ADA and state guidelines. For further details please visit www.ADA.gov. No animals permitted whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support, under ADA guidelines and CA Health Code.
* Please do not bring outside food or drink into PRS events.
* Weapons are strictly prohibited at PRS events.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Philosophical Research Society, 3910 Los Feliz Boulevard, Los Angeles, United States
USD 20.00