Reviewed by Jessica Neu
My 5-year-old son loves to play card games. We play constantly. I shuffle the deck, deal out the cards, and we sit at the table and play. However, after experiencing Guy Hollingworth’s one-man show, The Expert at the Card Table, it seems preposterous to label Hollingworth’s and my card manipulation with the same words – shuffling, dealing, playing. Hollingworth’s elevated abilities are indeed magical as well as riveting. As I watched the final residency of the 2022 Liberty Magic season begin, I was wrought with anxiety. The good kind – marked with excitement and anticipation – eager to see if Hollingworth would execute each trick. He did.
While Hollingworth performs card tricks that defy logic, sight, and expectation, The Expert at the Card Table is much more than sleight of hand tricks. Written and performed by Hollingworth and originally directed by Neil Patrick Harris, the show tells the story of one of the original card experts, Milton Andrews. Although not well known in the history books, Andrews was dealt a challenging hand in life but certainly played the hand as well as he could to make the most of an opportunity. However, Andrews’ choices were not always fair or ethical. After all, a magician is deceitful by nature, right? Hollingworth tells Andrews’ story with drama, intrigue, suspense, and emotion while mesmerizing audiences with sleight of hand tricks. His ability to tell a story while performing speaks to his talent, precise attention to detail, and impeccable memory.
Andrews’ story is one of tenacious hope and risk that frames magic as a vice that can make you feel higher than any drug. These highs make up for the lows in his life as Andrews spent his days calculating the balance between risk and reward, one card at a time. Hollingworth’s clever script intertwines themes of greed, fairness, and motive. Allowing audiences to consider odds and “knowing when to stop” as they watch cards move in ways that defy basic laws of motion.
Liberty Magic concludes its season with a residency that is a work of art, not just a magic show. The Expert at the Card Table is a riveting drama, pristinely executed, that seamlessly joins theater and magic in a refreshing and unique one-man show you do not want to fold on and miss.
Liberty Magic: Guy Hollingworth in The Expert at the Card Table, performances through October 2nd, or more information and tickets visit: https://wwww.trustarts.org/production/78120/liberty-magic-guy-hollingworth-in-the-expert-at-the-card-table
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