The Union University Players presented “Magic,” an early 20th-century comedy written by G.K. Chesterton, Oct. 3-8.
Theater professor David Burke directed the production. Burke has been working at Union since 1986.
“It’s interesting that you can use the illusion of theatre to tell truth,” Burke said.
The play is humorous, but it also argues the case for miracles, Burke said.
“Magic” opened at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 3 in W.D. Powell Theatre in the Penick Academic Complex.
The opening scene was ominous.
A hooded figure at the corner of the stage spoke to a girl, Patricia. The next moment, the crowd was rolling with laughter at the anecdotes of Doctor Grimthorpe.
Nick Fleming, junior Christian ministries and missions major, played the main character, the conjurer-magician.
Fleming is an avid Chesterton fan and gave some insight into the play’s origins.
“Chesterton was a journalist and lay theologian, and his friend, George Bernard Shaw, pressured him to write a play,” Fleming said. “That’s when Chesterton wrote ‘Magic.’”
The play tells the story of a duchess whose niece and nephew come to live with her, Fleming said.
In the original play, the character is a duke instead of a duchess.
Allison Hearn, senior theatre major, plays the part of the duchess.
The duchess’ nephew and niece come to live with her. The nephew is an American atheist, and the niece a spiritual fairy-speaker, Fleming said.
Garyn McIntyre, freshman theatre and psychology major, and Bryanna England, sophomore theatre and broadcasting major, play the parts of the nephew and niece.
Other characters include a doctor and a preacher.
Peter Riggs, senior philosophy major, and Kevin Moss, senior marketing major, play the doctor and the reverend.
“Finding the right people for the right parts is critical,” Burke said. “We’re fortunate at Union to have a really good talent pool.”
The duchess brings in a magician who, Fleming said, “turns the tables on them and causes them to question everything.”
The duchess wants to change her guests’ way of thinking, and that is why she invites the conjurer to perform.
The duchess’ face was matted with makeup that made it look like she had real wrinkles. Even when Hearn was not delivering lines, she made the audience laugh.
The conjurer challenges his audience in the duchess’ parlor to believe in the supernatural. He makes a fish appear, a painting on the wall swing by itself and a red light go out at the doctor’s house across the street.
Morris, the nephew, can have no rest as long as the conjuror is doing tricks. With each occurrence, he rushes to explain that he knows how the trick is done.
As the tricks continue, he becomes more and more disheveled. His shirt is coming untucked, his gloves are off and his hair is messy.
When the light goes out, he loses his mind. He does not have an explanation for this trick.
The play culminated when the conjuror revealed how he made the red light go out.
He peered at the guests with a forbidding stare. He said it was magic that made them go out.
Later on, he elaborated that it was demons that put the light out. The conjurer is penitent because he allowed this evil into his life.
The conjurer makes a strong case to the guests and the duchess that the supernatural is real. He denounces the reverend for not believing in what he preaches.
In the same way, the play critiques Christian culture for not believing in miracles.
The cast was entertaining and talented. The crowded theatre roared with applause when the show ended.
