Mentalist Joe Diamond launches The Secret Show in Woodstock; first night sold out to thrilled audience, more added in February, March
WOODSTOCK — Imagine if you will a mind-bending performance — equal parts magic, mystic and comic with a dash of history lesson — that has its audience erupting with laughter, applause and astonishment.
Now picture it is set in an eerie, intimate local haunt, one rich with the vibes of long-passed, oft-tortured souls, and put yourself there.
With The Secret Show on the Woodstock Square, you can do just that. It’s the latest incarnation of a Joe Diamond Live performance. And you can catch it at the Sheriff’s House, a newly renovated Events by Ethereal space in a “secret” location within the Old Courthouse Center in Woodstock.
Upcoming show dates include Saturdays, Feb. 1 and 22, as well as March 1, 8, 15 and 22. Tickets range from $40 for general admission to $125 for a two-guest, VIP experience, and are available at joediamondlive.com. Upon purchase, video directions are sent to guests revealing how to find The Secret Show. Attendance is limited to 30 guests, so those interested should not delay in snapping up their tickets. Indeed, the first Secret Show on Jan. 18 sold out quickly.
Dressed in a sparkly, burgundy, corseted gown with a black lace shawl, “ghostess” Angie Wilgenbusch greeted excited guests as they entered the Sheriff’s House for the cocktail hour preceding the premier show.
Her long black hair glistened and metallic black nails clicked on her keyboard as she checked in attendees, several of whom seated themselves in the original 1800s jail cell spaces across the room. In one cell, Madame Creatrix Lauren Manicke gazed into her crystal star and offered readings for intrigued guests.
Among those attending was Christine Bell of Chicago, a longtime Joe Diamond fan, and her friends Bea Medwecky and Kathy Zych, also from the Chicago area.
“I was looking to see a mentalist years ago, found an ad on Facebook and saw him perform. We enjoyed it so much that ever since we’ve come to see him many times,” Bell said.
Medwecky said she appreciates the humor and skill Diamond injects into each show.
“He’s funny,” she said. “And even though we’ve seen a lot of his tricks over and over, it’s always like ‘How does he do that?’ He’s got great charisma and good audience engagement.”
At the appointed hour, after ushering his guests from the cell block/bar area into the Sheriff’s House space, Diamond wasted no time captivating the crowd.
“Welcome to The Secret Show,” he said. “Want to know the first secret tonight? Within the next hour, at least one of you will believe you’ve seen a ghost.”
After correctly naming secret crushes a few guests had written down, Diamond entertained his audience with the story of Franz Mesmer, a German physician born in 1734 whose theories about natural energy transference and animal magnetism birthed the term “mesmerize.”
An hour later, with the show at a close, guests chatted among themselves about the surprises they had witnessed. The small bar on the premises reopened for a time, and Manicke once again offered her readings and spiritual coaching.
As he prepared to leave, Ron Orist of Crystal Lake said he thoroughly enjoyed the evening. “It’s always different,” he said. “I’ve never been to a show I was ever disappointed in. He always inspires me with his enthusiasm and the way he brings you into the wonderful aspects of mindfulness.”
Diamond is a veteran performer who has been featured on “Penn & Teller: Fool Us” on the CW. He said he is thrilled to perform again in his native McHenry County (the now-Wisconsin resident was born in Woodstock), and plans to schedule more Secret Shows in the Sheriff’s House space. Up until April 2023, the self-described mentalist had for nearly a decade regularly performed sold-out, award-winning shows at a studio he leased in Crystal Lake.
In addition to The Secret Show, Diamond frequently hosts a Psychic Parlor at the Maxwell Mansion in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, on Friday evenings. He also is available for hire for corporate and private gatherings. To inquire, click on “Book Joe” at joediamondlive.com, where his Penn & Teller performance also can be viewed.