You should see this show—but I can’t tell you why.

In Charlatan!, magician Travis Bernhardt reads minds, and he makes the legitimate point that audience members should go into this kind of experience not knowing what to expect. So let’s just say that watching Charlatan! is a lot like using a Ouija board when you’re a teenager. Times about 10,000. What he does is jaw-dropping. I have zero idea how he does it.

One of my Fringe favourites, Bernhardt has done something different every time I’ve seen him: straight sleight of hand one time, spectacular Vegas-style act with a bang-up finale another. Because he deals with one audience member at a time in Charlatan!, this performance is quiet, episodic, and intimate. Canny and in control, Bernhardt is also tender and wise with his subjects.