‘Conjurors’ Parlor Tricks Deliver Astonishment

Ran’d Shine of “The Conjuror’s Club” now online at the A.R.T.

By Mike Hoban


“The Conjurors Club” – Created by Vinny DePonto and Geoff Kanick. Presented online by American Repertory Theater through May16.


I can’t say I ever been a big fan of magic, probably because I could never separate the high profile practitioners from the actual craft. When I was growing up, there was the ostentatious and oft-parodied Siegfried & Roy with their white tigers; the cheesy made-for-TV illusions of David Copperfield (he made the Statue of Liberty disappear and floated over the Grand Canyon); and the cuddly hippie Doug Henning, none of which held any kind of appeal for me. What I missed, however, was that magic was never about spectacle, but rather about the joy of astonishment. It’s something that the A.R.T.’s The Conjurors Club delivers in spades – as well as hearts, clubs and diamonds – with their bewildering card tricks and sleights of hand.

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