Magician, illusionist, and illusionist Aiden Sinclair celebrates his 10th anniversary performance at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. (Courtesy photo/Aiden Sinclair)
When Aiden Sinclair staged an impromptu performance of his magic tricks in the lobby of the Stanley Hotel in 2014, he had no idea that 10 years later the historic hotel would have a theater dedicated not just to his shows but to his craft. Ta.
On Saturday, April 13th, Sinclair celebrated the 10th anniversary of his first show at the Estes Park Hotel. This show is the only full-time magic-focused residency show at a hotel in Colorado.
“It was insane,” Sinclair said. “You don't actually realize it until the Facebook memory comes up, but it's been 10 years since then. How did this happen?”
As Sinclair reflects on those 10 years, his enthusiasm and passion for his work – not just magic, but now his ability to build a business that helps other performers – comes through in his voice.
But his 10-year story goes back even further, as most stories do, and begins with difficult times and reflections on the past that led him to ask himself what he wanted to be. Ta.
“I didn't have a very good start in life and ended up going down a pretty bad path in this world,” Sinclair said. “As a result, I ended up running a highly illegal poker room and spending almost 15 years of my life as a fugitive. In 2004 or 2005, I said, 'I don't want to be this person.' There was a strange moment.”
At that point, Mr. Sinclair willingly turned himself in to authorities, served time in prison, and came out with a new perspective on life and what he wanted to be.
He knew he was lucky to have discovered his talent while in prison thanks to a book called “How to Do Card Tricks,'' and he enjoyed his talent for magic tricks. His interest and talent led him to learn more magical techniques, tricks, and methods.
He returned to his home state of Wyoming and was hired to perform magic tricks to raise money for a domestic violence shelter for women.
This turning point, one of many on his 20-year journey to where he is today, taught him the power of a single magic show.
“That night I watched a BBC documentary called Mentality,” Ms Sinclair said. “It was about Britain's insane asylum system. While watching, they talked about how in the 1800s and early 1900s, in Britain, it was cheaper for a man to commit his wife than to divorce her. Spirit. There was a strange process where women who had no medical conditions were institutionalized.”
Sinclair's view of magic was that it takes people away from reality. Her fundraiser needed to show women the reality and show them the challenges they face.
Changing the show's format, Sinclair wrote an entire script for a more theatrical show called “From a Padded Room.” The 90-minute story told on stage created a kind of subtle way to make people forget, while also making people aware of the challenges women face. When his assistant appeared on stage about halfway through the show, a large man from her audience placed her in a straitjacket and made her sit in a corner for the rest of Sinclair's performance.
“I went back to telling my story,” Sinclair said. “From the stage, it was so powerful to see 300 people in the audience stop looking at the girl after about five minutes. And that was what mattered, could we make them forget about her? I was able to check.”
At the end of the dramatic story, Sinclair explained that London's asylums are now the location of some of the most expensive apartments in that world-class city.
“I looked at the audience and asked, 'After this, a lot of people are going to ask if everything on his show was true, and what if everything I told you was true? What happened to all these horrible things that were done to these women? So I waited a little bit and then I looked at the audience and said, 'Guys, I'm in a straitjacket. How many people forget about women?
It's these unconventional and clever tricks that have gotten Sinclair to where it is today. These shows are more than just magic shows. They are the face of Sinclair and the powerful message he wants to share. The entertainment business he has developed has become a way for him to give back.
“That show changed a lot for me because I wanted to do something much more powerful artistically and emotionally with one magic trick than doing 200 magic tricks that make people forget. Because we were able to do that,” Sinclair said. “It changed how I wanted to use magic and how I wanted to express it.”
Sinclair visited the Stanley Hotel for the first time within a week of the show.
That day, Stanley Hotel owner John Cullen happened to see a crowd gathering in the lobby of the Stanley Hotel and became intrigued, Sinclair said. Immediately after that lobby show, Sinclair performed his magic in front of an audience at the Stanley Hotel every Saturday night.
The popularity of his show led to three days a week, then five days a week.
Five years later, Karen began construction of an underground theater beneath the Stanley Hotel's original carriage house. Underground opened in 2021 after some setbacks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Underground shows tend to be very narrative and very heavy,” Sinclair said. “They always have an ulterior meaning as they deal with questions of faith and destiny.”
Today, Sinclair has a staff of 12 people who are always looking for ways to change the show. Underground has gone from performing solely on his own to featuring guest performers for unique and fulfilling shows.
“The last 10 years have flown by,” Sinclair said. “The great thing is that 2014 was a cool year,” Sinclair said. “'America's Got Talent' happened in 2014. I met John around the same time.”
In 2014, Sinclair appeared on “America's Got Talent” and received four “yes” from the judges. In the next round, the crowd chanted, “Let him pass, let him pass.”
The crowd continued to praise him.
Underground performances at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park last approximately 60 to 90 minutes. It will be held on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights until mid-May. Starting the week of Memorial Day, shows will be held daily throughout the summer, with his two shows on Fridays and Saturdays.
Sinclair also presents his “Illusions of the Passed” show on the historic Queen Mary in Long Beach, Calif., and is performing at the Underground Theater every weekend through early August. This show is titled “Possessions” and is a performance that questions the magic of the things we own. Other performers and shows at Underground include Hannibal's 13: Séance, Billy Kidd, Steve His Valentine, Jarrod Kopp, and more.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit https://www.aidensinclairsunderground.com/magicians.
Learn more in the Estes Park Trail Gazette