☆☆☆☆

There are a lot of reasons that audience members might find themselves in the Adults Only Magic Show. There is of course the obvious: dicks. And, perhaps surprisingly: well themed and executed magic tricks, and a wholesome friendship between two performers, magicians Sam Hume and Justin Williams, who have been working together for a decade. The high energy Adults Only Magic Show delivers on all fronts.

Fringe magic fans may be most used to shows with just one magician, maybe two if they’re lucky. The Adults Only Magic Show has not just two magicians but an extra two performers, emcee/glamorous assistant Magnus “Danger” Magnus, and the sexiest assistant in the history of sexy assistants, a topless man called Richard Sullivan. While Hume and Williams are undoubtedly the stars of the show, their auxiliary performers are on hand to hype up the crowd, help out with props, and contribute to the general nudity of the evening.

It’s easy to look at the marketing for this show and assume that the emphasis will be entirely on the sex appeal of the performers, but the magic is very present and very well done. Magicians tend to perform their reveals with their own distinct flourish, but few reveal quite as much as Hume and Williams in the name of a good trick. Hume also makes time for the performance of the first card trick that Williams ever saw him perform. In amongst the nudity is a level of sweetness that can only come from two close friends who are palpably enthusiastic about making magic together.

Hume and Williams take the bribery route to getting their audience participants enthusiastic to join them onstage, with drinks tickets and even at times actual drinks. The worst audience participants may have to go through is some temporary light stress and respectfully aggressive flirting. It’s clear that Hume and Williams keep an eye on each individual’s boundaries and limit their interactions depending on the personality and preferences of who they get onstage.

Adults Only Magic Show may not be for everyone. The promotional material makes it clear that the show contains nudity and sexual humor, so hopefully those who aren’t interested in that will self select out of the audiences. There is an absolute appeal for those who are into men. And even for magic fans and magicians, it’s interesting to see a sexy take on magic performed with such clear passion for the magic itself. In addition to showing off their bodies, Hume and Williams will show their audience just how adaptable magic is as a performance art.