By JESSICA NEU

Magician Jared Kopf approaches his miraculous tricks with the fundamental belief that magic is everywhere. Through symbolic interpretation and skilled sleight-of-hand maneuvers, Kopf can turn the ordinary into the extraordinary. His latest show, We Phantom Figures, will mystify audiences at Pittsburgh’s Liberty Magic through May 17. The show begins as two audience members are selected to sit on stage and be a part of the show. Kopf then enters and, stoically, begins his monologue, which interweaves storytelling, tricks, and the psychology of magic. Kopf’s delivery is calm, slow, and intentional. It is more like a live poetry reading than a flashy Vegas-style magic show. With his magic wand in hand (as he notes, all good literary wizards have a magic wand), Kopf makes balls appear, disappear, and reappear under three different cups. Without missing a beat, and with the help of the two selected audience members, he segues into card tricks that seemingly change position and suit.

Kopf’s pace remains steady and deliberate as he leans into the psychology of magic just as much as he delights audiences with tricks. There is an element of mind-reading in We Phantom Figures that Kopf especially highlights by working with tarot cards in addition to standard playing cards. Sleight of hand tricks work just as well with tarot cards as the typical 52-card deck, but the unique cards added a unique element of clairvoyance to the show. Kopf uses the optical language of tarot cards to tap into the unspoken feelings, innermost fears, and inner psyche of the two audience members.  

Defying our eyes and minds with ease, Kopf explains the two rules of magic. Number one: never explain how a trick is done. Number two: never repeat a trick. He noted that even when he does explain a trick, people often do not believe him. Kopf’s sleight of hand requires more attention and discipline than the human brain can produce. Despite humans always wanting an explanation for something, I suppose that some explanations are too fantastical to believe…even if they are true. Perhaps, therein lies the true beauty of magic. 

Instead of focusing on how a magic trick is executed, Kopf returns to the major metaphor of his show that magic is everywhere. From “good spells” (e.g., saying “I love you,” “I’m sorry,” or “thank you”) to bad spells (e.g., saying “I wish I never met you”), Kopf reminds us that we can choose to embrace the magic around us or focus on the aspects of our life that are devoid of magic. For Kopf, a pivotal moment in his life came when his young son had a nightmare one night and opted to sleep with Kopf and his wife in their bed. Kopf noted that while watching his son fall back asleep, he realized that his son was four years old, but Kopf had already forgotten most of his life. This realization is painfully common among most parents: we always think we will remember every detail of our children’s lives, but as days morph into years, we forget more than we remember. While most parents rely on photos to jog their memories, Kopf strengthened his muscle memory by challenging himself to recall the order and positions of playing cards with photographic memory precision. Kopf’s practice pays off as he can recall cards better than he can make them vanish and reappear. 

We Phantom Figures is a psychological rollercoaster that proves magic’s ever-present. Kopf never breaks character for the entire 70-minute show, which has no pauses, set strikes, or scene changes. By the end of the show, you will be left with the memory of new stories, impressive tricks, and proof that “magic is as true as a handshake…[look around] and you’ll start to notice it everywhere.”   

TICKETS AND DETAILS

Jared Kopf’s We Phantom Figures at Liberty Magic runs now through May 17th, 2026. For tickets visit: https://trustarts.org/production/102098/jared-kopf-in-we-phantom-figures Liberty Magic is a project of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.

Jessica Neu holds a PhD in Rhetoric and is part of the Communication Department at Carlow University.

Categories: Arts and Ideas