Mentalist, magician, and previous Allegheny College employee Jim Fitch hosted his mentalism show “Connections” where he showed off his mentalist skills by diving into the minds of audience members.
Fitch’s show was separated into a few main tricks, starting the night with simple card readings and ending with Fitch speaking directly to spirits. Much of the show required involvement from the audience, allowing them to interact first-hand with the magic, which Fitch claimed to manipulate. Margaret West, an adjunct professor in film, was called up to the stage for much of the show. Having little understanding of what mentalism was when walking up on stage, she got an up close and personal demonstration of Fitch’s abilities.
Fitch began by having West pick a book and the audience choose a random page within the book. Then, flawlessly, Fitch was able to pick the first and last word on that page seemingly out of West’s own mind. Fitch continued by asking West to arrange five tarot cards in an order of her choice, and then with his own copy of those five cards identically reproduced these cards in the same order. He gave explanations of what these cards meant to West and instructed the crowd of what they might represent within her life.
West did not know what to expect while sitting with Fitch in front of the crowd. Her knowledge of what mentalism entailed was tied to basic parlor tricks, but she had never been so directly involved with it.
“The world is wide and who am I to say,” West said regarding whether she believed in mentalism before the show.
Afterward, West was still uncertain, but enjoyed the experience.
“I’ve got one cynical little brain that says here is how he is doing it,” West said.
She feared she may have been misleading him with her answers, but found it easy to keep an open mind while on stage. “It was interesting to see Jim’s technique,” West added.
Mentalism is a form of performing art, a sub-branch of performing magic in which performers appear to demonstrate supernatural abilities before a crowd. Most of modern mentalism can be traced back to the 19th century when mediums or psychics began claiming they could interact with the spiritual world. Mentalism can be seen even further back in time, with oracles being present in history as far back as in the Old Testament.
While Fitch’s experience with mentalism is relatively new, he describes himself as being a lifelong magician, starting in his early teens. His younger brother began taking magic lessons from a retired professional, and one Saturday morning Fitch decided to tag along to a lesson.
“I was just struck,” Fitch said. “I loved it, I fell in love with the art.”
This sparked his lifelong interest in magic and passion for the art. He began studying under the guidance of Norman Sehm, the Houdini of Rochester, and continued his education throughout his life. In 2000 and 2020, he expanded his knowledge of magic by completing classes at the McBridge Magic & Mystery School in Las Vegas, where he learned from some of the most accomplished magicians of our time, according to the event’s program. Over his life, he has performed hundreds of times, from simple tricks at children’s birthday parties to much more complex escape artist tricks.
While the ideas behind mentalism are rooted in spirituality and mental prowess, Fitch said he has no intention to change the audience’s ideas or beliefs with his performances. His goal is simply for people to enjoy them.
“Life has a way of numbing people out and getting into the routines,” Fitch said. “As a teenager I looked at many of the adults around me and I thought, ‘Wow they’re existing (but) they lost their sense of wonder.’ And magic was a tool I thought, ‘Maybe this can spark wonder.’ So if people leave here a little more curious, if they’ve had a good time, that’s the bottom line.”
His first goal, enjoyment, is followed closely by his second goal of sparking curiosity into the crowd. Fitch said he enjoys when his audience begins thinking about things more deeply.
“Even,” Fitch said, “Going so far as thinking maybe there is more to this thing called ‘reality.’”
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Jim Fitch’s ‘Connections’: A mentalist magic show
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