About the Show

"Open" is a magic show with no magic. A woman called The Magician seems to pantomime a myriad of tricks, but her act reveals she is attempting the impossible—to save the life of her lover, Jenny.

And yet, is it possible that the more we believe in their love, the more The Magician's illusions are actually becoming real? The clock is ticking, the show must go on, and as impossible as it may seem, this Magician’s magic act may be our last hope against a world filled with intolerance and hate.

Critic Reviews (9)

"Falling in love can be magic, but losing love can feel like a card trick."
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"What starts as a deceptively simple play ends with a powerful emotional impact."
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"All the magic in Open is the magic inherent in theater itself: a group of people gathered in a room to suspend their disbelief together as we share a story crafted by writer Crystal Skillman and director Jessi D. Hill."
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"uses (not actual) magic tricks as method and metaphor for how Kristen processes her grief"
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This play is about the magic of storytelling.
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For a previous production

“Kristen, the narrator and sole character of Skillman’s new play...executes magic tricks because she is the one who needs to believe. The miracle this lovely show pulls out is that by the end, she does — and so do we...’Open’ is not a postmodern deconstruction of David Copperfield, however, but a fragile love story that harbors tragedy under its seemingly goofy exterior...’Open’ reminds us that making an audience believe is a trick writers and actors can master.”
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For a previous production

"When the door to a theater closes, the rest of the world usually stays outside. But in Crystal Skillman’s sensitive solo show 'Open'...everything penetrates...The play feels long at 75 minutes, because the central metaphor wears out too soon. But the depth of Hill’s commitment keeps reawakening the pathos. The magic in 'Open' is all pretend, but the violence Skillman refers to is brutally real."
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For a previous production

"Skillman unfolds an achingly beautiful story, dropping bits and pieces of Kristen's thoughts and memories as she balances her tightrope of love, commitment, sacrifice, and transformation. Hill's performance as Kristen is funny, honest, compelling, and heartbreaking; one cannot take their eyes off her, and it's not because she is the sole occupant of the stage."
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