The Magician at National Pastime Theater

Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended

"...The large cast is uniformly good, with Cyndi Rhoads outstanding as the hunchbacked old crone who hawks potions; Arch Harmon chilling as the dying actor; Mark Habert as a shrewd medic, and Sean Patrick Leonard, Jason Daniels, Echo Kellum, Mercedes Rohlfs, Bries Vannon, Amy Speckien, Zoran Gvojic and Claire Wedemeyer all spot-on."

Chicago Reader - Not Recommended

"...Bryan takes Bergman's tale of an itinerant 19th-century mesmerist-cum-huckster and marries it to that type of horror story, like Dark Water, where a child-ghost tries to get her message across to the living. It's not a happy union. The film has its confusions, but Bryan's twists throw things off entirely, without providing the compensation of a good scare."

Windy City Times - Somewhat Recommended

"...National Pastime and Clock Productions have re-adapted Bergman’s film for the stage in an ambitious homage to a master recognized for his intellectual and spiritual complexity. Transcribing his work cannot be easy, yet the company pulls off The Magician with style and atmosphere. Still, something is missing—and I know what it is."

Time Out Chicago - Not Recommended

"...There’s nothing too bad about the cast’s performances, or its use of the space. Twirling, movable flats set various scenes, and the nooks and crannies of the former speakeasy are artfully employed—though as silent lead Vogler, Gillett could be more entrancing, which sets the tone for the rest: competent enough yet uninvolving, cautious and disconnected. And the magic-to-phantasmagoria stuff should come off more precisely. But the general stiffness and narrative inertia are Bergman’s fault first, and Bryan ’s fault second."

ChicagoCritic - Not Recommended

"...If only the show, had more magic and a more streamlined story with a focus on building dramatic tension with characters we cared about, it could work as fine entertainment. With a flat climax and a silly ending where the doctor tries basic magic tricks, The Magician fails. I suspect there is a stage worthy play hidden here. I didn’t see it."