For years, magicians Elizabeth Messick and Eric “Thirstin” Siegel would run into each other at the iconic Magic Castle. The pair would catch a show together or “just be nerds downstairs” in the library, not realizing this was laying the foundation for a magical partnership.
The relationship began with a lighthearted rivalry. “Eric was running a monthly show at the Three Clubs and invited me to perform, and then I invited him to perform at my monthly show at the Edison,” Messick says. “We advertised with promos dissing each other’s magic, which I now realize was just the first act in the cosmic rom-com that is our life!”
With the reopening of the Magic Castle in 2021 after a 14-month COVID closure, Siegel saw an opportunity. “I reached out to Elizabeth about putting a show together, something along the lines of an old vaudevillian act, because she has this amazing vintage style, and we both have other talents — she sings, and I juggle,” he says. “We pitched a show for the Peller Theatre, which is a showroom at the Magic Castle. As the show developed, our relationship developed, too, and we started to notice all the small and beautiful coincidences surrounding us.”
One such coincidence came when Messick’s friend, Kalie Pontes, offered the name of her photography business, Cosmic Romantics, as their act’s name. “We ran into her the day before our deadline to come up with a name, and Kalie generously offered hers, as if she read our minds,” Siegel shares. “How cosmic is that?”
Their unique style earned the couple, who got engaged in May, a spot on the magic competition show Penn & Teller: Fool Us. Knowing they’d have to bring their A-games to impress the legendary duo, Messick and Siegel performed an act they called “Ukulele ESP,” which was inspired by Messick’s middle school journal. The act was a major hit that ended up stumping their childhood heroes.
“I was so nervous,” Messick admits. “Getting through that experience was rewarding enough for me, but to have actually fooled those two … I’m so grateful and honored, and I still tear up thinking about it.”
When the pair isn’t captivating audiences with their magic or working at the Magic Castle (Messick serves on its board of trustees), they are likely enjoying the vibrant and laid-back atmosphere of Toluca Lake.
“Elizabeth used to write her magic scripts at Priscilla’s years before we met, while I used to write at The Snug in Burbank — now we live within walking distance to both of these places,” Siegel says. “We both went through some tough times in our 20s, living in dangerous areas, so to land in a rare, beautiful gem of a neighborhood like this in our 30s is a dream come true.”
The couple also gave back to the community by volunteering their talents at the 16th annual Old-Fashioned Pancake Breakfast in May. “Eric and I made so many friends that day and reconnected with old ones, too,” Messick says. “The neighborhood truly is vibrant, and we ended up hanging out and enjoying the food long after our strolling magic shift had ended.”