On a recent evening, I reluctantly hit the select button on the remote and started streaming the Netflix show, Justin Wilman: Magic Lover. Reluctantly because I’d watched a few episodes of his previous series, Magic For Humans, as well as some YouTube clips from various television appearances and, honestly, I really didn’t care for his style. He seemed a bit snarky and didn’t seem to have the sincerity knob turned up very high. I’d placed his performances in the category of “it’s not for me.”
Let me cut to the chase, I enjoyed his one hour special. It was filmed in a theater with an enthusiast audience. It was tight with a few through lines – both magically and thematically – and most importantly, the magic was great.
I won’t detail what he did as I’d recommend you watch it but I will share a few effects that caught me by surprise. One was a participant’s cellphone was suddenly inside a bottle at the conclusion of a bank night type routine. The second was a very enjoyable Rubic’s Cube piece that ended with the participant solving the cube himself. Typically cube effects leave me cold but Wilman did a good job.
If you have Netflix and an hour to spare, stream Magic Lover as I think you’ll find it fun and entertaining.
