Rob Teszka: Magic Dropout

Rob Teszka Magic—PTE – Colin Jackson Studio

Rob Teszka makes the astute decision to incorporate literal magic into his autobiographical tale of failure. Rather than presenting a mere series of tricks, he uses sleight-of-hand and light mentalism to punctuate his narrative of being a top high school student coming to realize academia wasn’t his true calling.

A key component of the show involves audience participants confronting their own failures, mirroring the central theme of Teszka’s story. Given his theme, more attention given to the specific moments of failure that affected him emotionally and drove his decisions might have heightened the storytelling aspect of the show. Since his personal journey is what makes this performance unique, sharpening that presentation rather than relying on traditional magician fare to impress his audience might make this performance truly magical.

Ashley Frantik