Mr. Christerious

Mr. Christerious is the stage name of Chris Plehal, a magician based in Philadelphia whose act is built for children and the grown-ups who came along with them. He performs a free show every month at CHOP, and has brought magic to schools, camps, parties and community events.

A standard show runs about 45 minutes, opening with warmups and moving into silly on-stage tricks, several of which hand the spotlight to kid volunteers. Most audiences are ages 3-10, though he has performed for kids as young as two and for grandparents too. Where a full performance will not fit, he works close-up for individuals and small groups. One parent described a phenomenal magic show, shaped around their son's birthday theme.