☆☆☆☆☆

With a lunchtime slot, for many of its Fringe attendees The Unfair Advantage is probably their first show of the day. The central location is a bonus, both for those who travel straight there and those who take a more circuitous route—at the reviewed show, at least one group was there because they had just walked out of a nearby show that they found far too disappointing, and were intrigued by this interesting premise at a nearby location. No one walked out midway through The Unfair Advantage—in fact, the entire audience stuck around even after the final reveal for an optional Q&A. Harry Milas has expertly put together this magic experience that is part performance, part education, part autobiography, and entirely fascinating.

The stated premise of The Unfair Advantage is that Milas will show the audience how to cheat at cards, using the card handling techniques he learned as a youth with an interest in magic. He does fulfill the brief, after the audience signs an NDA to ensure that his secrets remain so, demonstrating his skills both quickly and slowly, and from a variety of angles, so the audience can get a good look at what he’s doing. The show works as both an educational experience and an entertainment event. Milas balances information with performance with practiced skill.

When the audience gets involved in the show Milas largely asks for minor bits of input just to keep him on his toes, and ensure that those watching can verify that the techniques he’s using are what he says they are. It’s a deliberately intimate audience to ensure that everyone gets the best view of his table, making such tasks easy and unintimidating. There is one audience member who has a more involved role, but for this task Milas is sure to request a volunteer. It’s worth the unexpected attention for the effect of having a member of the audience take on this task, and Milas keeps the pressure off, making it as fair as possible.

Milas is open about the fact that the techniques that he demonstrates took him a long time to perfect—his goal is not the undoubted impossibility of teaching the audience how to do them over the course of a Fringe show, but raising their awareness and showing how they could develop these skills themselves if they want. This is certainly directly helpful for gamblers. However, Milas also makes clear the relevance of his memory and attention direction skills outside of that field, and points out just a few of the many other applications for the techniques that he uses in the show in everyday life. Even this expertly scripted and performed Fringe show is, in a roundabout way, an example of that. Milas created this hourlong unusual and therefore memorable experience that helpfully makes the lessons of his performance stick in the minds of his audience.

The Unfair Advantage is the perfect balance of information and entertainment for a Fringe show. It’s the perfect event for fans of card technique in particular, regardless of whether they come to it from a magic or gambling perspective. While magicians advertising that they will teach their audience card handling is certainly not unique, Milas’s practical advice and his perfectly formatted and executed show set The Unfair Advantage apart. This is the show to see to get your Fringe day off to the best start.