The Bisbee Seance Room Thrills and Chills Visitors, Locals

Magic Kenny Bang Bang and his unique, immersive experience at the Bisbee Seance Room has been entertaining tourists and locals alike for nearly a decade. Magic Kenny (who’s last name is Stewart) continues to enjoy performing to intimate groups in a show that combines magic, mentalism, and some interesting/spooky Bisbee history.

Stewart first came to Bisbee in 2001, because he wanted to visit The Shady Dell, a cool retro vintage trailer park in Lowell created by Ed Smith. In a twist of fate, Ed would later become Magic Kenny’s manager and landlord, as he owns the building that hosts the Seance Room.

A Magic Childhood

Kenny grew up in New Jersey, and became enamored with magic at around the age of 10; his grandfather showed him some tricks and he was immediately hooked. By the time he was 14, he had landed himself a job at the magic shop in Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, an amusement park in Allentown, PA, to where the family had recently moved.

“I was the main counter magician,” he recalled. “I was working the front desk and performing magic for anyone that wanted to learn a trick or buy something.”

Kenny got out of magic in his 20s, switching his focus to working in restaurants and wineries. However, when he was laid off at the age of 35, he decided to rekindle his passion. “I just started treating magic and sleight of hand like my full-time job. I was practicing 40 hours a week for six months and I got my chops back really quick.”

The Seance Room Opens

Magic Kenny began performing at the Hotel Congress in Tucson for the month of October, but he wanted more. That’s when he set his sights on Bisbee, dreaming of performing year-round haunted entertainment.

“I shopped around business proposals, and, oddly enough, Ed Smith from the Shady Dell was the last person. He said ‘come by and chat with me’ and he made me the offer for the space. It’s worked out great ever since.”

The Show

The Bisbee Seance room itself is part of the show; it’s filled with interesting photos of Bisbee and oddities including a vintage jukebox, Henrietta the skeleton, and Mr. Bear, a taxidermied bear. Visitors are encouraged to look around before taking a seat around the long wood table. 

“The show is 45 minutes long. It’s incredibly immersive because everyone interacts. It’s like no other theater experience you’re going to get. Every seat is the best seat in the house because we’re all at the same show that’s held at the same table.”

Kenny’s one-man performance is always evolving, as he is consistently adding new tricks and surprises. He performs 624 shows a year, so he is closing in on the 6,000 mark. “I have 4-and-5-star reviews on TripAdvisor,” he added. 

Integral to the Bisbee Community

In addition to creating what has become Bisbee’s number one tourist attraction, Magic Kenny has been important to Bisbee in other ways. It was Kenny who dreamed up the idea of Alice in Bisbeeland, a weekend-long cosplay event where the town dresses up like Alice in Wonderland; the climax of the event being the mock beheading of the Queen of Hearts.

“I always felt like driving through the tunnel was like falling down the rabbit hole, and the idea snowballed from there,” he remarked. Alice in Bisbeeland is celebrated every April on the weekend surrounding 4/20. 

It was also Kenny’s brainstorm to turn the Broadway stairs into an outdoor art museum. When he moved into the area, it was dark, neglected, and a little bit seedy. “I asked my landlord if I could just tack up a few art pieces, and then I asked the Bisbee community if they could contribute anything. It was my idea, but it was collaborative to me and the Bisbee community. And we still will take pieces and put them up whatever people donate them,” he said.

The Broadway stairs are now one of the most photographed spots in Bisbee.  

And during Bisbee Pirate Weekend, the Bisbee Seance Room storefront windows are stocked with alluring mermaids who blow kisses to passers-by.

Future Plans

Magic Kenny continues to expand his empire by leaps and bounds; he is now doing 12 shows in New Orleans twice a year, May and October. He is also developing his own line of magic tricks called Bang Bang Magic. “Right now, I have about six effects. I have at least 10 more planned,” Kenny said.

And 2026 promises to be a Bang-up year, pun intended, as it will not only be the Seance Room’s 10th anniversary, but Oct 31 is the 100th anniversary of Harry Houdini’s death. “Houdini performed at the Lyric in Bisbee, the only place he performed in Arizona, and that to me is really huge.”

Even with all this in the works, Kenny is still focusing on his Seance Room shows. “I’m still giving it my all and treating every show like it’s my most important. I give my 100% when I perform there.”