“Magic only fades when it is forgotten.”
Magic has a special place in all of our hearts. It evokes wonder, awe, and a sense that even what should be logically impossible, can be possible. In a sense love is the same. It too evokes wonder, awe, and the sense that anything can be possible (even magical) with the power of love. But magic in the real world, at least the magic performed by real world stage magicians, is an illusion. Sometimes a very good illusion that is able to distract and pull focus while the trick is played and the result only seems magical. But when performed well, even knowing it is an illusion cannot diminish the brilliance of the execution and still bring about that “magical” feeling. Feeling can turn to believing, and in Nu Sass’s production of Open, believing in the power of magic is a noble attempt to save love.
Written by Crystal Skillman and directed by Dom Ocampo, Open is a one-woman performance surrounding the premise of our on-stage Magician, played by Allison McAllister, attempting the impossible with her magical acts: to save love. Set in an environment within the Magician’s head, the audience is her own imaginative creation set there to observe as she performs death-defying feats and sleights of hand, all to the power of imagination. To be clear, that is not to suggest that you will see spectacular visual illusions or million-dollar effects, you’ll need to go to Vegas for that; but the magic you will see is in the imaginative enchantment our protagonist sets before you in her storytelling.
Open is a love story told in-between imaginative magical acts of an amateur magician recounting the events that have led to this night. You’ll learn about the magic and love in her family history as well as the magic and love in her own life. The Magician herself takes a giant leap of faith by asking the audience to have faith in her imaginary illusions as she builds upon each illusion and connects them, thematically, to her storytelling as she tells you about her life with Jenny and how we became the Magician’s last hope in saving her.
Being a one-woman show, the sole focus of the performance is on the character of the Magician, and McAllister never falters in keeping your attention. Her performance sparkles like the sequins of her magician’s jacket as she guides you through each illusionary illusion. Delivered with a grounded cadence and sincere energy, McAllister will delight with her attentive connection to her imaginary magical acts as she makes you laugh, makes you feel, and along with her character, makes you hope that magic can save love.
McAllister wonderfully embodies the presence of a stage performer and a storyteller. She is able to be big and grandiose where necessary to facilitate the process of her illusions, while also never shying away from creating an intimate connection with the audience and the story she tells.
The physical elements of the production in the set (Aubri O’Connor & Ileana Blustein), lighting (Dom Ocampo), and sound (Mikibear) are intentionally simple as a means to complement and never distract from the storytelling taking center stage. Additionally, each element ties into relying on the imaginations of the audience and the imaginative-direction of the Magician’s words. Although light and sound help emphasize the images the audience is guided to envision, the sights seen by each individual are left up to how each audience member imagines McAllister’s words and directions. In a way, this heightens the attentiveness of the audience, as it directly invites them to take on an active role in engaging their imagination and following the Magician more closely in her performance.
Skillman’s script is a story of love between two women in the contemporary period. Skillman does a fine job of balancing the narration of the story in an a-linear fashion which allows her character to grab the audience’s attention at pivotal points while also building the story across her three acts of trust, commitment, and sacrifice. But as far as things have come in acceptance and representation of non-hetero love and life experiences, Open also reminds the audience that for all of society’s progressions, there are still spaces in existence that have a long way to go towards acceptance. It is here that I do want to mention a content warning that this performance does reference violence against women and the LGBTQIA+ community. However, there is nothing gratuitous and I found the recount of this plot point to be sensitive to the emotional experiences so many have either faced themselves or experienced by proxy.
But that is not to say that the production is dreary. Far from it! So much of the joy of Open is in the literal magic in the performance. The magic of words, the magic of humor, the magic of self-realization, the magic of hope, the magic of magic, and of course, the magic of love.
Without giving anything away, I thought one very thoughtful piece of attention to detail to the production happened before the show even began. When you arrive, and as you sit in your seats waiting with anticipation for the production to begin, be sure to listen to the pre-show playlist. There is a common theme with every song hand-picked for the pre-show ambiance. While it may take two to three songs to catch on, I thought it was a fun detail to notice. After the performance was concluded, I found this attention to detail to be a really thoughtful touch to artistically set the scene for the story to come, and perhaps even set a more metaphorical environment for the imaginative audience that exists in the Magician’s mind.
All in all, Open is a wonderful story of love and magic (and love of magic). Performing in the Caos on F Art Gallery in Washington DC, the space only has enough seats for an audience of 30, so don’t wait to miss out on this one! Playing now through May 27th, Open will disappear in the blink of an eye.
Running Time: Approximately 80 minutes without intermission.
Open plays through May 27th 2023 with Nu Sass Productions at the Caos on F Art Gallery, 923 F St. NW, Washington DC 20004. For tickets you can purchase them online.
