William Pack at the Elgin Fringe Festival

Audience buzz for magician William Pack's "Exceptions to Reality" crackled with electricity early in the Elgin Fringe Festival, and he did not disappoint.

William Pack performs at Elgin Fringe Festival.

Combining storytelling, memoir, and high quality magic, Pack skillfully sidesteps the charlatan image of some illusionists with his running commentary on the history and philosophy of the craft. But rather than short-changing the act, the narrative actually deepens the appreciation of the tricks, delivering the message that magic is just as powerful now as it was before technology made difficult things seem easy.

Audiences are often part of intimate fringe performances, and the Saturday afternoon crowd was all in for card tricks, sleight of hand and a little classic carnival geekery. A few noisy voices in the audience may have made Pack end the show early, but it only left us wanting more.

All the best artists are devoted fans and students first, and Pack's deep affection for this craft shows through in his detailed command of powers he knows are really much bigger than himself.

Experience it again Sunday, September 17th at 1:30pm at Imago Studios.