I pulled out 12D Making a scene, say: ONSTAGE because I like going to the Magic Castle to watch performers in the impromptu areas. Sure, there are a lot of great booked acts, but the impromptu areas can be more fun. I went to the Castle last night with my cousin, and we were in line for the Parlour of Prestidigitation after catching part of Phil Van Tee’s impromptu set next to the Palace Bar. Although we were first in line, the show was set to start in half an hour. I haven’t seen the performer who is in the Parlour this week, but I saw that it was a mentalism performance. Of all the mentalists I’ve seen, I’d absolutely wait in line to see Nader Hanna and Bob Gebert. So my cousin and I bailed from the Parlour line, and we got to see Tyler Rabbit and Dana Pleasant perform in the Cellar impromptu space. The mentalist may have been amazing, but I’m comfortable with my decision.
Theme!
It took me a while to get this theme. I knew there were missing letters, but it wasn’t till late that I realized which were missing. Then I filled in those letters, and when I completed the puzzle, the piano didn’t play. So I made them single-letter squares, and then it took it and filled in the extra letters in the black area.
5D It covers 90+ million acres of the U.S.: CORN (COR + N).
10D Many a TikToker: TEEN (TEE + N). This is what made me realize that the correct answers were longer than what the space allowed for.
23A Staff: CREW (CRE + W).
24A Back in college?: ENDOW (E + NDO +W).
25A Noble title: EARL (E + ARL).
32D Business that makes cuts in order to turn a profit?: SALON (S + ALO + N).
34D Smooth, lustrous material: SATIN (S + ATI + N).
50A Change states, perhaps?: THAW (THA + W).
51A Jostle: ELBOW (E + LBO + W).
52A Send out: EMIT (E + MIT).
59D Car radio button: SCAN (S + CAN).
61D Acronym in academics: STEM (S + TEM).
65A Acronym in academics: COMPASS.
Finished this one in 34:03.
| Day | This Wk | Best | Average | 4-Wk Avg | Streak |
| Monday | 4:13 | 3:49 | 9:20 | 5:27 | 83 |
| Tuesday | 10:26 | 5:22 | 13:11 | 10:50 | 7 |
| Wednesday | 13:31 | 7:38 | 16:56 | 12:58 | 23 |
| Thursday | 34:03 | 12:12 | 27:58 | 24:44 | 9 |
| Friday | 10:29 | 30:02 | 18:45 | 22 | |
| Saturday | 20:11 | 31:36 | 23:04 | 22 | |
| Sunday | 15:11 | 51:49 | 37:48 | 9 |