Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Magic and mentalism return to New York in its latest guise with Peter Brynolf and Jonas Ljung’s STALKER

• By drediman
• April 9, 2024
• No Comments

Magic, illusions, and mentalism are absolutely no strangers to the fabric of New York’s live entertainment industry. For years new, acts from the likes of The Illusionists collective, Penn and Teller, El Mago Pop, and Derren Brown have regularly commanded the boards of both Broadway and major Off-Broadway stages (at least for limited engagements). Now comes the latest iteration of the form in the guise of Peter Brynolf and Jonas Ljung new show Stalker, which opened last week at Off-Broadway’s New World Stages.

In short, there are worse ways to spend ninety minutes of your time and money when it comes to live entertainment. Indeed, there’s no questioning the dapper duo’s astonishing skill at their craft, which famously stumped Penn and Teller on the first season of their television show Penn & Teller: Fool Us! (note: Penn and Teller are listed as primary producers of Brynolf and Ljung’s show). Throughout the evening, you’ll be in consistent awe of their trickery (no spoilers here!), although those who’ve seen any of Derren Brown’s shows won’t be as dumbfounded as first-timers. They’re also easy on the senses. Both are utter professionals, as well as appealing — if somewhat generic — stage presences. But unlike their legendary forbears Penn and Teller, the distinction between their personalities is minimal, which occasionally flattens any potential playful back-and-forth banter between them.

Stalker has been slickly and bombastically packaged by director Edward Af Sillén (I would expect nothing less from the mastermind behind the Eurovision juggernaut). What the show lacks, however, are compelling theatrical storytelling and a unifying vision/theme, which would have backed Brynolf and Ljung’s amazing acts with heart and substance. For these, I’d direct you ironically to Hulu, where you can stream the recorded version of Derek DelGaudio’s mesmerizing In & Of Itself, in my mind one of the few true examples of an equitable marriage between magic and theater. As it stands, there’s a certain hollowness that pervades the evening.

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STALKER
Off-Broadway, Entertainment
New World Stages
1 hour, 30 minutes (without an intermission)
Through September 1