# @cowmissing on YouTube

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://youtube.com/watch?v=B7YU9uSGa2k
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/75901440-cowmissing-youtube
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/536d940550.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-02-07T00:34:26.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Cow Missing (@CowMissing) — https://gondola.cc/CowMissing

## Caption

Before the era of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood, a more enchanting attraction held court in the adjacent CityWalk plaza. For over a decade, Wizardz Magic Dinner Theatre mesmerized both inebriated adults and children celebrating birthdays at its Universal City location. This innovative blend of restaurant, theatre, and magic shop featured roaming magicians, fortune tellers, dazzling laser and magic shows, and even a bar resembling Merlin’s hat. Although it was once dearly loved, the venue was primarily forgotten and eventually replaced by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s West Hollywood station.

In 1992, Universal Studios announced plans for a 200,000-square-foot shopping center that would serve as a grand entrance connecting the parking areas. Alongside Wizardz, the plaza was slated to host a variety of themed establishments—from restaurants like Hard Rock Cafe and KWGB (a radio station–themed burger joint) to retail outlets such as Sam Goody and Captain Coconut’s toy store. With oversized neon displays and vibrant, whimsical representations of Los Angeles architecture and culture, the plaza quickly became one of the most anticipated destinations.

Set to open in the spring of 1993, CityWalk’s debut couldn’t have come at a better time. With the economy recovering from a recent recession and the exciting debut of Back to the Future: The Ride scheduled for that summer, park attendance was expected to soar. Moreover, similar ventures—like San Diego’s renowned Horton Plaza, which inspired Citywalk—were thriving. Marketed as a lifestyle center for locals who felt they lacked a welcoming gathering place amid rising crime rates in Los Angeles County, CityWalk seemed destined for success, bolstered by the constant flow of park tourists.

Reflecting on the opening day, Wizardz executive vice president Robert Hanover told the Los Angeles Times that the Memorial Day weekend crowd “was incredible,” remarking that it felt like “everyone in Los Angeles was here.”² Both CityWalk and Wizardz opened amid tremendous fanfare in 1993, with expectations that the large crowds would continue throughout the year.

Upon purchasing tickets, guests entered the building's ground floor, where they discovered the Wonderz gift shop. An elevator adorned with magical blacklight effects and glow-in-the-dark stars then whisked them up to the bar and theatre on the second floor.

On the second floor, visitors could enjoy a cozy dining area and a bar where several roaming magicians—some dressed as fairy-tale wizards reminiscent of Merlin and others in casual attire—entertained patrons with sleight-of-hand tricks. The bar, aptly named Potionz, was designed to echo the shape of Merlin’s wizard hat and served vibrant drinks in large beakers. With its excellent view of CityWalk, Potionz quickly became a favorite spot for evening drinks and people-watching.

At the heart of the Wizardz experience was its dinner theatre show. Guests could choose from three sit-down meals—The Enchantress (salmon), The Sorcerer (London broil), or The Skeptic (roast chicken). Daily performances combined a laser light show with magic acts that rotated every two weeks, often hosted by Wizardz president Fred Wood.

The third floor housed two more distinctive attractions: Spiritz, a fortune teller bar, and Visionz, a psychic reading room. In addition to the wandering magicians, fortune tellers, and tarot readers roamed the venue, offering lifeline readings and predictions of the future.

When Wizardz gradually closed its doors in late 2002, it was a significant loss to Los Angeles’ magic community. Many former employees praised Wizardz and Fred Wood for the exposure and opportunity to earn a living doing what they loved. The venue also served as a gathering place for psychics, who would assemble each December to make their predictions for the coming year. More than anything, Wizardz was a community hub, hosting birthday parties, field trips, family dinners, and other celebrations. In 1995, Fred Wood told the Los Angeles Times that the club attracted roughly 100,000 visitors annually and even had plans to expand to Orlando and Southeast Asia.

After Seagrams acquired Universal Studios in 2000, they sought to repurpose the space for another project and refused to negotiate a fair lease renewal. Frustrated by this impasse, Terry Giles, the owner of Wizardz, opted to close the Universal CityWalk location and concentrate on other Wizardz projects.

© 1993 Universal Studios. All rights reserved.
(http://www.universalstudioshollywood.com/)
Posted for entertainment and educational purposes only.
No copyrights were infringed. All works are the property of the companies listed above. 

Source: https://retroverses.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-disappearing-act-of-wizardz-magic.html

#WizardzMagicDinnerTheatre #UniversalStudios #CityWalk #Seagrams #TerryGiles #FredWood #ThemedEntertainment #LocationShift #Hollywood #cowmissing

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- **Views:** 1,689
- **Likes:** 43
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- **Comments:** 5

## Credits

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## Tags

seagrams, cowmissing, citywalk, universalstudios, themedentertainment, fredwood, terrygiles, hollywood, locationshift, wizardzmagicdinnertheatre

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