The dark art of Christian Cagigal

Christian Cagigal. Photo by Julie Michelle

Lily Bart managed to get a ticket for me to the sold-out, final performance of Christian Cagigal's latest show, The Collection, which just completed a nightly from April Fool's Day through Friday the 13th. The dates were certainly not a coincidence, but rather a fortuitous opportunity on the calendar for Cagigal's unique, theatrical blend of dark-hued magic and mentalism. Little did I suspect when I entered the darkened theater, with its walls lined with macabre oddities, that I would become part of the act.

But at the end, there I stood under a spotlight wishing the most grievous bodily harm to befall someone who shall remain unnamed. We'll see if he made it through the night. Perhaps I left my soul in the theater, cajoled from me by a master. All I know is that like a vampire, I no longer appear in photographs and my longstanding belief that I possess ESP was borne out in front of a room full of witnesses last night. Yes, it's true.

More than that I shouldn't reveal, except to say that having now twice seen him perform feats with no logical, earthly explanation, I'm an admirer- and a believer. If you have the opportunity to see the man at work don't miss it. He'll be performing a new show, Now and at the Hour, in Montreal and Chicago during the month of May.