I know you don't believe me, but I SWEAR it's cool

Last Saturday night, B. and I had the chance to go to any Piccolo Spoleto performance we wanted. I'd written a preview piece about the festival for City Traveler, and thus scored a press pass for one. So what did we choose?

Paul Gertner's Ten Fingers: A Play of Magic. And it was awesome. Honestly.

I know what you're thinking, since many of you have said it out loud to my face: "nerd alert!" And maybe that's true ... still, this wasn't David Copperfield making the Statue of Liberty disappear, there weren't scantily clad women as assistants, no creepy music and really, it was like hanging out with someone at their house who does the most amazing card tricks EVER.

It's called "parlor magic" or "close up magic," and it's experiencing somewhat of a renaissance through acts such as David Blaine and Parlor Magic evenings in NYC. And Paul Gertner is more like a friend of your dad's -- the guy who rocked the suede leisure suits in the 70s, had kids, and somehow through magic supported his family. In the show, he explains why he was drawn to magic, and he moves seamlessly into myriads of tricks. He used cameras to show the audience his hands, audience participation and explanations for each trick, and still, it was seamless.

One such trick involved drawing though "mindreading" and not to spoil the the illusion, but little Jacob Jack, age 10, was catapulted to star-status after the show with his audience participation. And he got his own magic souvenir.

Paul Gertner and Jacob Jack

There are still two performances left this weekend at the Village Playhouse. I won't tell anyone if you go, even if you're rocking the pocket protector. Which, of course, you don't need for admittance.