By Laura Caton
There’s a strong tradition in magic of learning by apprenticeship: an established magician mentors an up-and-coming magician to pass on the art. In her new show The Queen of Cardistry, now running at Liberty Magic, Anna DeGuzman displays both an adherence to and departure from this, and other, magic traditions. The results aren’t always as polished as in past Liberty Magic shows, but they leave no doubt that DeGuzman is, as the show’s marketing puts it, a “rising star in the world of magic.”
To begin with, DeGuzman eludes more than one magic stereotype: she’s young, she’s a woman, and she got her start in a niche but dynamic artform called cardistry, which Wikipedia defines as “the performance art of card flourishing” (it sounds a bit bland when it’s said like that, but just give it a quick Google and you’ll see it’s anything but). DeGuzman came to the art after seeing videos online, and shortly began creating videos of her own, which have racked up tens of thousands of views and a devoted following. She began studying magic performance after several years of devotion to cardistry.
The art forms certainly have some overlap—in equipment and in the dexterity necessary for performance—but they’re by no means identical, and it’s impressive to see how DeGuzman is accomplished in both, as if an ice skater learned to both play hockey and figure skate. This is her first solo show, which is perhaps why it follows in the tradition of mentorship (it was directed by magician Eric Jones, the performer who provided Liberty Magic with its inaugural show last February and an encore run last summer), and perhaps why DeGuzman seemed nervous the night I saw her.
That’s not a referendum on her talent, which is obvious, or on her material, which is fantastic—it’s more an observation that, for an artist who has often worked in shorter, editable performances on screens, the move to an extended solo performance on stage would understandably bring with it some nerves. DeGuzman’s on-stage persona is calmer and more sarcastic than many other magicians’, and her punchlines and reveals don’t always land squarely. The material she performs, though, is great—and great fun—ranging from a bit with a Rubik’s cube in a paper bag to a display of card flourishes to an interactive trick that allows each member of the audience to do a little magic simultaneously. By the end of the show, DeGuzman’s nervousness had happily vanished, and her concluding number ended the evening on a high note.
The Queen of Cardistry is a wonderful reminder that great art and great artists are made, not born: even those with heaps of innate talent spend years honing their craft. Anna DeGuzman has many fewer years under her belt than many of her magical peers, and she’s clearly talented and clearly a hard worker. Her well-executed work proves that performances don’t have to be flawless to be well worth seeing. I have no doubt she’ll continue to smooth out some of the stickier spots in her current show by the end of its six-week run, and that her future shows will continue building on her talent. Go see her now: I’m sure she’ll back at Liberty Magic before too long, and you’ll want to be able to say you saw her when.
The Queen of Cardistry runs through March 29th at Liberty Magic. Tickets can be purchased on the Cultural Trust’s website.
Laura Caton grew up as a military brat and has lived in six states and two countries, but considers Pittsburgh her adopted hometown. She moved back to Pittsburgh in 2017 after four years of working in theater administration in New York City. When she’s not writing about theater, she can be found translating German novels, watching anything that bears even a passing resemblance to a Nora Ephron movie, and reading omnivorously.
Categories: Archived Reviews