The Present – Extended

The Geffen Playhouse and illusionist Helder Guimarães apparently were onto something when they created a new, world premiere show that officially opens on May 14th. Not only did the show immediately sell out, its three extensions did, too. So how can The Present exist in our Covid-19 world?

Let’s start with the fact that Guimarães had an equally successful show at the Geffen in 2019 called Invisible Tango. Like that show, The Present is directed by Frank Marshall.

And like Invisible Tango, this show will involved a series of illusions that will leave you wondering, “How did he do that?” But you won’t be sitting in a theatre watching Guimarães work his magic.

The Present takes place on-line. If you are able to get a ticket – or in this case reserve one of 25 spots – you will be sent a package in the mail. Inside are instructions how to connect to the show and when to connect. There is also the most adamant instruction: do not open the box until instructed to do so during the performance.

Guimarães took inspiration from his own quarantine experience when he was a child to create The Present. The title itself refers to both the “gift” that gets delivered to you and the times in which we find ourselves.

I saw a performance of The Present over the weekend and can tell you the whole experience feels similar to one you’d have if you were actually in a theatre. There’s a house manager to make sure you are set-up properly for the streaming event and there’s a digital program you can read.

Then the show starts. This is like having a close-up magician in your living room or being in the Close-up Room at the Magic Castle. Though we were obviously separated by circumstance, it never felt odd nor did it become a barrier to enjoying the show.

Obviously I can’t give you any details about the performance. That would spoil it for you. I will tell you, however, that the illusions Guimarães accomplished had me gobsmacked. I’ve seen a lot of magic, but I wasn’t prepared for some of the things he pulled off.

For 70 minutes you forget about everything else in the world, even though the world is forcing this kind of performance to become a reality. The Present was truly amazing and made me feel, for those 70 plus minutes, we were all in a theatre again.

A tip of the hat to the team at the Geffen Playhouse. Naming this at-home entertainment The Geffen Stayhouse was beyond clever! Well done!

Update: This post has been updated to include the third extension and to offer thoughts on the performance.

Photo of Helder Guimarães by Jeff Lorch/Courtesy of the Geffen Playhouse