The Shadow Cutter- a suggestion of real-life drama that is never realized in this story of obsession
A note in the program explaining that The Shadow Cutter is a fictionalized rendering of magician Dai Vernon’s life and that it is not authorized by his estate or biographers red flags the contents before the show begins.
But the suggestion of real-life drama or intrigue is never realized in this story of obsession. Episodic in nature, this world premiere, as directed and with dramaturgy by Brian Quirt, captures a few interesting moments and encounters — too few — but they do not build into a memorable drama.
The sketchy style of the script leaves a shadowy impression of an unappealing man who patched together a living by cutting out silhouettes, while chasing a pipedream of conquering an elusive card trick — the centre cut — and allowing his marriage and parenting responsibilities to collapse around him. So, while it becomes clear why the estate and biographers have dissociated themselves from The Shadow Cutter, the play does not provide a convincing picture of a whole man. Rather than a warts-and-all portrait, it seems to be little but warts.