Nothing Up His Sleeve, Just a Knack for Deception | Vinny DePonto in ‘Charlatan,’ a Magic Show at Ars Nova
Jason ZinomanApril 1, 2014: On the night I attended Charlatan, a solid magic show decked out in theatrical finery, its star, Vinny DePonto, first appeared on a video screen before the sound went mute and the production ground to a halt. After a break, he ditched the opening and started again, this time live onstage. Embarrassing? Sure. Did the technical difficulties hurt the evening? Yes and no. One benefit of building a show around themes of manipulation and deception is that mistakes can seem part of the show. Sometimes, they are. Errors even add suspense — Is this part of the trick? — and Mr. DePonto, a slight boyish 27-year-old, is far more likely to fool you with an endearing, vulnerable-seeming laugh than the illusion of perfection.
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