Theatre review: Playing The Hand, a virtual magic show by Singapore's youngest illusionist duo

We might never have gotten our Hogwarts letters, but there’s a part of us which still believes in some sort of everyday magic. The telepathic thrill of a friend voicing the exact thing you’re thinking; the miracle of a helping hand or inspiring spark appearing when we least expect it.

And that’s the kind of spell that takes center stage in Playing The Hand, a virtual magic show by illusionist duo Darren Tien and Jerryl Tan. Playing live on Zoom from Aug 6 to 15, their show strives to conjure up more inspiration than illusion, taking us on an interactive ride through their personal experiences.

At just 27 and 25 respectively, Darren and Jerryl have worked their way up from pulling off street tricks to performing at the likes of Mandarin Orchard, Marina Bay Sands, and Singapore Airlines.

The duo first met through a mutual friend a few years ago – and thanks to their shared passion for illusion, it was besties at first sight. Becoming partners-in-crime in 2018, they’ve trained under local legend J C Sum and charmed crowds from LA to Las Vegas.

Like many theatre companies in Covid-19 times, they’re now moving the magic online. After their first Zoom show Beyond Virtual last year, their double act is back as part of the Esplanade’s Flipside 2021 festival. Playing The Hand takes the theatrics up a notch with their mishmash of storytelling and sorcery, directed by veteran playwright Dwayne Lau.

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These days, the duo are honing a brand of magic that’s less trick-eye, more personal tale-telling. Set in their own living room, Playing The Hand  is their fledgling attempt to move beyond entertainment to making an impact, and this plays out through a slew of anecdotes drawn from their own lives.

There’re familiar Singaporean tales about flunking their ‘A’ Levels, tussles with conservative parents, and following their dreams, mixed in with feel-good stories from their performing adventures (let’s just say there’re tipsy cougars involved).

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In other words, don’t expect a dazzling spectacle – more often than not, the sleight-of-hand serves as a punctuation mark to the story. The duo pull off a sprinkling of standard sorcery with coins and cards, transformation tricks with a local twist – think mee pok – and even a slick teleportation act.

But what really drives the show is their motivational message – they hope, Jerryl explains, to ‘inspire people to pursue their passions and get out of their comfort zones’.

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There’re plenty of chances for the audience to play a hand in the show, starting with a mystery package delivered to your door – a handy kit with 3D glasses and other interactive tools. Expect a fun handful of telepathy tricks, though these are set within extended show-and-tell segments – we’re invited to share everything from our own wacky memories to travel dreams too.

Their real feat here, perhaps, is less about magic than about conjuring up a connection between people even through the screen. In our Covid-isolated, Zoom-mediated times, that might just be its own kind of everyday magic.

Playing The Hand runs from Aug 6 to 15, 2021 via Zoom. Tickets are priced at $30.

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This article was first published in City Nomads.