☆☆☆☆

With a sold out theatre on a sunny Monday evening, Tom Brace’s new Fringe experience The Ride 4D is evidentially a hot ticket. This is all the more impressive with a start time just ahead of 4pm—Brace’s magnetic pull on the young families of Edinburgh is so great that many left work early to make it to his show. It is a family friendly show, and the vast majority of the adults at the reviewed show were accompanied by their children. The Ride 4D takes place in Tomlannd, Brace’s new theme park, and all the magic is perfectly themed to immerse the audience in the experience.

An approachable performer with an audience largely composed of young children, Brace had an ample supply of willing, excited participants for his games and tricks. One of his best participants was a young girl early on in the show to play a fishing style magical theme park game. She looked absolutely thrilled to be chosen to join Brace on stage and really gave it her all, and as Brace says early on, in Tomland everyone is a winner. Brace involves many of his young fans in the show, and when adults are required it’s for good reason.

One of Brace’s regularly used props that makes a welcome return is his leaf blower. On a sweaty Edinburgh summer day in a classically overheated Fringe venue the breeze is a significant benefit to this show. The front rows get the best of it but it can even be felt further back. Later the audience also receives a sprinkling of water too. Brace is a Fringe regular and he has learned how to treat his audiences well.

On entering the venue each person in the audience is given a pair of 3D glasses, hinting at the vehicle for one of the final reveals. Audio cues throughout the show build anticipation for the filmed portion of the afternoon, and it does live up to the hype. Brace sets up several tricks to come to fruition throughout the film, and if there is a brief hiccup he breezes through it with the utmost professionalism. After all, magic is an art, not a science. A cleverly placed final reveal leaves the audience more impressed than not with the tricks.

Brace developed The Ride 4D following a trip to Disney World in Florida, and even with the notoriously rising prices of Fringe tickets, The Ride 4D is the cheaper option—not even including airfare from Edinburgh to Florida. For a family day out that will keep the kids occupied and even the parents engrossed, or a grown up day out for magic and/or theme park fans, you can’t go wrong with The Ride 4D.

More information on The Ride 4D and its performance dates can be found here.