“Magic for Humans” is the Show for People Who Want to Feel Good and Human

Photo by Keenan Constance on Unsplash

Justin Willman has the kind of credibility I didn’t know I wanted or needed from a magician. He seems as present with this audiences as he is clever, and his show on Netflix, “ Magic for Humans,” is an easy recommendation for anyone who wants to feel good things.

I devoured both seasons when they aired, and I’m ready for more (can we please have more?!), because as corny as it sounds, there is something amazingly human-y that happens when you watch it.

Seeing is Believing…In Magic

Pulling full-sized, much larger objects out of impossibly smaller and often quite-empty objects and pouring fully-potable liquids (on demand!) out of thin air are genuine shockers. Yet they pale in comparison to Willman’s ability to spontaneously make whole people fully disappear, right before the eyes of others! No stages. No colluding magician’s assistants. No trap doors. It really doesn’t even feel like there are camera tricks (and when there are overt camera tricks, those are also impressive).

Willman is a contemporary artist for our time whose magic utilizes everyday technologies like cell phones and tablets while wholly surpassing presumptions and expectations set by classic magicians who used smoke machines, dark lighting, and steady bass…