The Amazing Kreskin

Before spoilers, before myth-busting, before (so much) cynicism, there was something called "the suspension of disbelief." It was the fabric upon which magicians, hypnotists and other oft-itinerant illusionists worked their precarious balancing acts. The Amazing Kreskin hails from this time before tricks were undone before they had a chance to amaze. The 77-year-old mentalist's name is literally synonymous with the sort of mind-reading that amused audiences on "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson (88 times), "Live with Regis and Kathie Lee" (105 times), and at the colleges, casinos and theaters where he performs to this day. By his own records, Kreskin clocked "261 appearances around the world" last year, and to date has "flown a little over three million miles." (He has some choice words for the airline industry as a result.)

Inspired by the comic book Mandrake the Magician  as a youngster, Kreskin developed a preternatural ability for deducing the location of objects hidden around his grandparents' home.

"They were from Sicily—did not speak much English, but we loved them dearly," Kreskin remembers. "I wonder sometimes if my grandmother thought I had the evil eye."

In addition to his well known card tricks, as well as his ability to draw previously undisclosed personal information from the minds of audience members, Kreskin's signature showstopper is locating what may be the most valuable part of his act: his paycheck.

"At all my shows, I turn my check over to a committee of strangers—people I have never met before. Two of them escort me from the theater. Four or five take my check and hide it anywhere in the theater," Kreskin says. "When they return to the stage, I ask no questions. They simply must focus on what they've done, and if I don't find my fee hidden somewhere within the theater in which I'm performing, I forfeit it. And that's a hell of a way to make a living."

His special Father's Day appearance at the Theatre will feature two all-ages shows, one at 4 p.m. and one at 8 p.m.