It's time to get over that Oz guy. He's not the only one out there. Really. Washington and Wall Street and Madison Avenue are crawling with bad magicians. I don't think bad magicians get enough play in contemporary fiction. The bad magician is an interesting character template. The stage magician trying to get your attention with a poorly-warped obfuscation is an interesting metaphor. From shady salesman to politicians to just about anyone else looking to mutate reality in one way or the other, the bad magician is kind of a fun analog for a lot of things. It’s a fun idea to explore that doesn’t get nearly enough work in fiction.
Playwright Mark Wyss played with the concept in a comedy making its premiere next month as SandMark Productions presents A Disappearing. The show concerns a 9-year-old’s birthday party. A magician known as “The Great Marvin” has been hired as entertainment. Marvin accidentally disappears one of the party guests. No idea how he did it or where the kid went. Things will likely get pretty weird from there.
Directed by Tim Kietzman, the cast includes Marilou Davido, John McGreal, Ryan H. Nelson, Ryan Vanselow, Michelle White and Luke Summer as “The Great Marvin,”
The show is being staged at the Walker’s Point Center for the Arts in promenade style. Audience moves from Blue Box to main gallery and back again in the course of the production.
Sandmark Productions’ A Disappearing runs May 6 - 21 at the WPCA on 839 S. 5th St. For more information, visit Sandmark online.
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