ADD-LIGHTFUL, Afterthoughts...

When I was a kid, the first magic magazine i purchased was Harry Lorayne's "Apocolypse". After each trick, he had a section called 'After Thoughts", so given that my show paid homage to my childhood hero, I have titled this post accordingly.

A.D.D.-Lightful, my first ever one man show, finished its second run this past weekend. When I originally wrote the show, my intention was to use magic very artistically to answer an important question. That question, though, proved ellusive, not because I couldn't think of something to ask, but because the questions that mattered most to me were simply too large in scope to tackle in an hour. And, truth be told, I don't know how much headway i've made during my lifetime.

So instead, I used the show to answer a somewhat smaller questions? What am I? Who am I? How do I know? How can i be successful and true to myself simultaneously? What is the right career path, etc. And these questions, while illustrated in terms of my life, are meant to be universal. We all have an existential itch from time to time...

So how do we go about answering these questions? My overwhelming feeling is that we don't--instead, we simply act. We act. We do. In short, our preconceived notions, expectations, and plans matter much less than what has emerged. Again, this is what I aim to illustrate with A.D.D.-Lightful.

In my life, I have fallen in love with many subjects and pursuits. Magic, card cheating technique, psychology, business (sort of:)) basketball, Mixed Martial Arts, & A Cappella music, to name a few. Because of my passion for each subject, at various points I have contemplated careers in each (other than maybe basketball--that was more like dreaming than contemplation.)

So, in A.D.D.-Lightful, i explain my love of these subjects, and my hope is that, in seeing these endeavours through my eyes, you too will see what I see, and also understand why these disparate pursuits have often left me confused about the direction in which my life should be steered. But the happy ending is there. The happy ending, I hope, is a celebration of life itself, the good times and the bad. I conclude the story quoting John Lenon, who once said that, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." And I think that just about says it. In pursuing all of these disparate areas of interest, I did not become Michael Jordan, John Legend, Ricky Jay, or Randy Coutoure. Instead, I became Michael Howard Friedland, and that's good enough for me. My hope is that in telling my story, my audience will not only be entertained and thoroughly fooled, but come to understand that they too are unique, special, and powerful for being who they are. That would be my biggest reward.

I have no idea what the future holds in terms of A.D.D.-Lightful. It is a huge thrill for me to perform, and it's also fun to think of new routines, patter lines, and illusions. For now, I am happy to bask in its wake, and see what comes next. I hope you'll join me for the ride.