Ta-Da! What better to open The House Theatre of Chicago’s fifth season with than a few sweet ass magic tricks? Nothin’ if you ask me. Once again this ensemble, many of whom graduated together from Southern Methodist University, have produced another exquisite piece of art that’s sure to surprise and entertain the pants off you.
Innovative in design and sprinkled with magic, The Magnificents chronicles the life of the lead actor and writer’s late grandfather Ed Watkins, an old school magician with a thick German accent.The show is directed by the amazing and balls to the wall Molly Brennan of 500 Clown. She also plays one of three very dark, extremely high energy, and exceedingly amusing clowns that seamlessly weave in and out of the story line. Menacing though out yet heroic in their endeavors, their ominous presence sets the mood for this tribute story.
This isn’t your average cookie cutter show. There is no beginning middle and end. It’s an overall feeling. It is snapshots of this family’s trials and tribulations. The through –line is touching and the spectacle is spectacular. Dennis Watkins, a working magician in real life, performs countless magic tricks alongside Tommy Rapley (the orphaned boy studying magic with Watkins in order to become part of a family). The wife, played by Marika Mashburn, speaks in an ambiguous foreign tongue that is quite comical at times and disturbing at others.
Known for their mixed media filled productions, The Magnificents is no exception. Animations detailing the character’s dreams are projected on a huge screen. Not only is this masterfully made but also, it gives us insight to the character’s innermost troubles and desires and acts as back-story to the current events within the play.
Although there was a lot to love, I found the clowns to be the most compelling characters. In true vaudevillian fashion they interact with the audience and play with each other as if they are watching the performance too. As the play progresses they double roles and take on an array of characters within the show. To boot, there is a third dimension to these three; the clowns act as god. They break things, have the ability to fix things, and even change time.
It is a spellbinding and tender moment when the clowns turn back the clock so that the elderly couple can partake in the one thing they hold most dear before their time together is up.
It is important to realize how imperative love is—weather it is love for your craft or love for another. The Magnificents has succeeded in just that. The celebration of life is the greatest magic trick. It doesn’t take a magician to tell you that.
