☆☆☆☆☆

Edinburgh’s newest cult leader Stuart Lightbody is very popular. At the reviewed show and/or recruitment event The Magic Eye, the room was completely full, with people even standing at the back for the entire hour to witness the magic and join up. Lightbody may not have the power of some of the better known cult leaders, but he’s almost certainly more entertaining.

Like any good cult leader, Lightbody displays an increasingly dramatic series of miracles before he asks the audience to pledge their loyalty. Lightbody’s card tricks are always a highlight, with his quick hands and impressive shuffles. Here he puts many of the most impressive of these tricks in the hands of his audience, both making the reveals all the more impressive and binding his new acolytes in the ritual of his magic. While Lightbody is always the leader, the Magic Eye is an empowering organization, and Lightbody celebrates the magic that the audience performs under his stewardship.

As both a magic show and a cult induction there is naturally a significant amount of audience participation in The Magic Eye. Lightbody’s dominant yet welcoming presence makes this a fun event to take part in. Many audience participants are just called upon to examine or choose props and then hold them for Lightbody to work his magic on. The few with more involved roles get clear instructions from Lightbody and are rewarded for their work with the experience of magic happening in their hands or right in front of them.

Lightbody’s commitment to the cult bit is truly impressive. He manages to fold all the usual Fringe bits in to the theme, from crowd control to requesting word of mouth recommendations, and even to the obligatory PBH Free Fringe bucket speech. The tricks and stunts are perfectly performed, as is his custom, and also here perfectly aligned with his goal of Edinburgh-wide domination. Meeting in the basement of a takeaway on a busy road adds to the ambiance as well, the hustle and bustle that filters in to the room provides contrast to the religious concentration of the audience as they watch Lightbody work.

Cults may have a bad reputation, but that’s just from people who haven’t yet seen and joined Lightbody’s Magic Eye. It’s the only cult worth joining, and Lightbody’s magic is always worth seeing too.