Theater Online - New York Theater Reviews

Ben Whiting is an actor and magician who very cleverly combines his acting and magic abilities in his one-man show American Gypsy, playing in the NY Fringe Festival. The fact that he is individually fabulous at doing impressions and magic tricks is impressive enough, but the fact that he combines his impressions and magic is what makes American Gypsy such a delightful evening of theater.

“We all have a desire to connect,” Mr. Whiting tells the audience and he goes on to talk about his journey getting into magic. He tells the story of his mentor who he believes to have been the greatest magician that no one’s ever heard of. Through his spectacular, yet simple, tricks, he does more than simply entertain. He makes his play more than just a spectacle, but a comment on human society and our desires and fears. “People don’t believe in real magic, but that doesn’t mean they don’t want to,” he says. Through his portrayal of his mentor and his mentor’s mentor, he tells us that the best tricks are the simple ones, not the ones with all the flash and over-the-top glamour. His representation of his mentor is touching and reminds us that we can all make a difference in someone’s life by giving guidance and encouragement. We just all have to find our niche.

The physicality Mr. Whiting brings to his performance is so specific, yet realistic. He is very clear in his choices and talks to the audience. He has very strong instincts and is able to play-off the audience in a delightful way. His show is touching, yet goofy and fun at the same time. His tricks are equally impressive and diverse. They range from making wine bottles appear out of nowhere to the always popular ring trick. He says that a good magician makes the difficult look easy and the easy look beautiful and he most definitely makes all of his tricks look beautiful. They are so graceful and specifically choreographed. The audience is so captivated by him, trying to figure out how he does the tricks, but it is impossible to figure out because he has mastered every single trick’s subtleties and intricacies.

Poignant and amusing, American Gypsy is a show that will hopefully have a long life after the Fringe. It is a show that everyone can relate to because of the reminder that we are always searching for ourselves and trying to be the best version of ourselves that we can possibly be. We all want people to like us and connect to us and we all find our ways of getting that connection. Mr. Whiting connects to the audience with his tricks and personality and reminds us that we all have the ability to connect in our own individual ways.