“Glossophobia” is the fear of public speaking. “Claustrophobia” is the irrational fear of small spaces. Both of these hindering phobias are regarded as some of the most common among human beings and one of the best methodologies for treating these impairments is therapy. Josh Staley is not a medical professional, nor is he a qualified therapist (as far as his performer’s biography indicates) – he is in fact a magician, and a fantastically funny one at that. While he cannot properly treat these anxieties, his show Lie To Me could possibly cause one to forget about these impairments, if just for an hour. Even Mr Television himself Milton Berle once said: “Laughter is the best medicine in the world.” This is an extremely intimate show in a small room located at the top levels of The Griffins Hotel and its setup encourages audience participation. Though this may sound uncomfortable, instantly through Josh’s charming awkwardness, elements of the aforementioned phobias are mostly forgotten. He doesn’t have an announcer or MC, he doesn’t have a light or sound technician; matter of factly he doesn’t have an assistant of any type at all. It is just him working with the fun size crowd and the size of his fun is incredibly immeasurable. The purpose of his show is to reveal a magician’s tricks, to an extent. Card tricks, the ball and cup deception, the mind games using numbers, words and imagery are all explained to a degree using techniques such as misdirection, sleight of hand and cold reading. However, while he scratches the surface of how these illusions and other capers are executed, he then elevates the magic to perplexing levels that are excellently endearing. His comedy is the crowning achievement of the production with his use of brilliant butterfingers, outstandingly offbeat interactions and conversations with the spectators (including himself), and he even pours cocktails that appear from not the bar downstairs, but seemingly nowhere? The most magical element of it all is that due to the amusing entertainment supplied by Mr Staley, one may forget about their anxieties mentioned before; they may even be cured of “Rhabdophobia”. In all honesty, this is an ideal escape from reality that will leave the onlookers genuinely charmed. That is just what the doctor ordered.