Two decks of cards appear to share an impossible connection in this featured performance by Dennis Watkins on Penn & Teller: Fool Us. The Chicago magician takes on the classic “sympathetic cards” plot, in which separate sets of cards mysteriously fall into matching order.
Watkins’ appearance originally aired on September 7, 2017, in the Season 4 episode “I Dream of Genie Tube,” hosted by Alyson Hannigan. It offers magic fans a chance to revisit a traditional card mystery presented for a television audience.
Part of the appeal of this plot is its clarity. Viewers have a straightforward relationship to follow: what happens with one set of cards corresponds with another. Recognizing a match takes no knowledge of card magic, leaving the audience free to enjoy the unlikely connection. For magicians, the underlying idea offers an interesting example of how a clear premise can carry a mystery.
Watkins brings a family history to the stage. A third-generation magician, he grew up learning from his grandfather, Ed Watkins, who operated a small magic shop in Dallas for nearly three decades. According to Watkins’ official biography, his grandfather encouraged him from childhood to “spark their sense of wonder”—advice that puts the audience’s experience at the heart of the performance.
His background also reaches into theatre. Watkins co-founded The House Theatre of Chicago and portrayed Harry Houdini in all eight sold-out runs of its production Death and Harry Houdini. That work connects his career with another side of magic’s history: the dramatic possibilities of the magician as a character.
Today, Watkins is the creator and star of The Magic Parlour. Launched in 2009, the show moved into its permanent home at 50 West Randolph in Chicago in 2023, in partnership with Goodman Theatre and Petterino’s.
For readers who enjoy card magic and the performers keeping its classic plots in circulation, this Fool Us appearance is a fitting introduction to Dennis Watkins.
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