2 Stars

AMERICAN MUSEUM OF MAGIC: HOUDINI SÉANCE

☆☆

On October 31st, 1926, at 1:26pm, magician Harry Houdini died in a hospital in Detroit, USA. Houdini had had a complicated relationship with the popular Spiritualist séances contemporary to his life, and spent much time and effort debunking false mediums who used magicians’ trickery to deceive grieving people. However, he and his wife Bess established a code phrase that could be used in the event of either of their passings to attempt contact and determine if such a thing was actually possible. After his death, Bess made several attempts to no avail, ultimately giving up a decade after Harry’s passing. Since that time, other magicians and Houdini aficionados have continued this as a tradition, generally more as a tribute than with any real sense of belief. And what better time to try again than on the 100 year anniversary of Houdini’s death?

The American Museum of Magic is approximate 100 miles away from Grace Hospital, where Harry drew his last breath. Also, it is stated during their anniversary séance event, the museum was grown out of a private collection of the late Robert Lund, whose wife Elaine had been in the process of being born in that very hospital while Houdini was dying in it. Their collection is an impressive array of magic memorabilia and historical artifacts that any fan of the artform would be delighted to see. In the time before this event, friendly museum docents and board members eagerly give tours and show off an impressive and clearly passionate knowledge of magic history.

Unfortunately, passion does not always translate to aptitude at all things one may undertake. The organization and marketing of the 100th Anniversary Houdini Séance was mismanaged to the point of almost entirely taking the wind out of the sails of the event. The stated event time, on all easily locatable public facing pages, was to be 12pm- 3pm. By well before 12pm, the chairs set out in the American Museum of Magic were full of excited attendees, who had arrived promptly and were ready for the event to commence. At approximately 11:53am, the museum manager started casually mentioning to people that actually the event would not start until 1pm, and they had just said 12pm just to ‘make sure people had time to get seats’. It is standard to be explicit about door vs event time, so the lack of doing so here was already problematic. About 10 minutes later, a member of the board of directors stepped in and corrected that actually the event wouldn’t start until 2pm. When a member of the audience voiced frustration that the event had been advertised as starting a full two hours before it apparently was planned to, this board of directors members stated “no, we said it would be two”.

Perhaps the American Museum of Magic board can find some internal emails where they said the event would start at 2pm. This reviewer has no doubt that such an intention must have been put in writing somewhere when it would in fact be the case. But with the ample amount of time (2 hours) now afforded to this reviewer, research was done to explore whether they should be given the benefit of the doubt. The event time on the website of the American Museum of Magic was posted as 12pm – 3pm. There were social posts on both their Facebook and Instagram that very morning stating a noon start time. The tickets purchased online had no event timing info, and no email with any such information was sent to ticket purchasers. Not only is it an absurdly amateur error to list a completely different event start time, but this also baked in an additional error – the run time of the event was thence listed and could be understood as 3 hours. The actual run time was 35 minutes. When one is accepting money for tickets, there is an expectation that people determine if the amount of event is worth the amount of money before they make their purchase. This bait and switch was inappropriate.

It would be dishonest for me to say this poor planning isn’t bad in itself. It’s quite bad. But it was made so much worse by how the museum representatives responded to frustration, and the other hallmarks of disorganization throughout the event. The board of directors member blatantly lying to a member of the audience did so in such a snide tone that it was honestly shocking. This same person was asked a question by another attendee who called the event a “show”, and he proceeded to snap at the attendee that it wasn’t a show, it was a séance. While this may be the case, it is an odd hill to die on when one knows many people are going to use the word ‘show’ as a catch all for any event where they are viewing something. They also oversold their available seating with no indication that anyone would be subjected to standing room, and then made no attempt to apologize to people who voiced frustration.

Once the attendees finally filed back in at 2pm, energy noticeably muted, the 100th Anniversary Houdini Séance commenced. The preliminary opening talks were quite self referential for the museum, focusing significantly more on the museum founder than on Houdini. This event had the feel of one organized for the museum staff and local magic circle, not one intended for a general public. Then the elements of the séance meant to draw in the spirit of Houdini were established, including a bell for him to ring, a slate for him to write on, and placed in the milk can from his escape trick was a bagel with cream cheese and lox, which the séance leader claimed was one of Houdini’s preferred snacks. (This could not be independently verified, as the only resource this reviewer could find mentioning such is a quote from this museum’s founder and then people referencing him.) The inner circle of attendees held hands and Houdini’s spirit was called to, and two moments of silence were held to await his response. Houdini did not respond.

It is okay to not be able to hold publicly ticketed events. Some groups may be better served just having private events for their insular group who have internal access to what the particulars will be. Not everyone has the aptitude to event manage, market events honestly, or even view events from the perspective of a prospective attendee. The American Museum of Magic is a beautiful resource for anyone interested in magic history, and they seem to have excelled in acquiring and housing this collection. Hopefully they will develop their skills at hosting events to a similar level before they try again.

COLIN TIE: THE BEST COMEDY & MAGIC SHOW YOU’LL SEE IN THE NEXT 45 MINUTES (PROBABLY)

☆☆

Colin Tie knows how to set realistic, achievable goals. His Fringe show The Best Comedy & Magic Show You’ll See in the Next 45 Minutes (Probably) gives the audience the right idea of what to expect from the start. Tie’s sarcastic humor is a constant throughout the show. He’s certainly popular, especially with young families. The reviewed show was completely full, and even had latecomers standing in the back and at the sides once the seats filled up. While the magic he performed feels fairly basic by Fringe standards, and the show itself feels at times tonally confused, Tie has put together a solidly family friendly set that he performs well.

The Best Comedy & Magic Show is less focused on thematic cohesiveness and instead is composed of a series of magic routines that are perhaps simply Tie’s favorites. While these may be familiar to magic fans, and not always performed quite as neatly as Fringe magic regulars are used to, Tie’s young audience members certainly enjoyed them. An early highlight was Tie’s foam balls routine, which the young participant was visibly thrilled to see happen in his own hands.

Tie makes a real effort to involve as many of the children in the audience in the magic as possible. He is great at stage managing his younger participants, and gracefully allowing them to take the spotlight when they are unexpectedly funnier than him. Where adult participants are required Tie is clear about his needs and makes sure he gets folks onstage who can adequately assist in the task of the moment.

The majority of the show might be in Tie’s sarcastic comedy style, but he makes a few digressions that seem out of place. Some, like a rant against smartphones and tablets that has no apparent connection to the trick that he’s performing, feel like an attempt at comedy that just didn’t land with the majority of the audience at the reviewed show. Others, like his final monologue, feel like the bones of a second show peeking through, slightly more serious and perhaps more structured. It may be a mixed impression, but overall Tie’s approach builds interest for seeing what he might do next.

The Best Comedy & Magic Show You’ll See in the Next 45 Minutes (Probably) may not be the most consistent show, or the neatest magic of the Fringe, but Tie’s personable approach to magic does a lot to make it feel worthwhile. It’s particularly notable as a prospect for families with young children, as an accessible option that only requires a queue rather than a ticket. The children in particular will appreciate Tie’s magical performance.

ANDREW MCKINLAY: CLASSIFIED

☆☆

In a colorful central venue, Andrew McKinlay can be found performing his mentalist show Classified… or at least, that’s his cover for recruiting for the mysterious Bureau, one audience at a time. McKinlay takes his audiences through a series of tests to judge their suitability to join up. While the show is not not flawless and McKinlay seems to struggle at times to connect with his audience, it’s an entertaining time.

McKinlay has made an effort to theme his effects for a recruitment drive, and by and large he’s done a good job. Perhaps, in this case, slightly too good of a job, as his reveals may come to feel a bit same-y. To a skeptic this is arguably a feature of magic in general, but many Fringe magicians add in enough creativity and variety of effects to keep their shows interesting. The effects employed are all mentalist in nature, so perhaps particularly suited to fans of that genre of magic.

With a relatively small venue and recruitment theme, McKinlay is able to include pretty much the entire audience in his act at the reviewed show. Results are complimentary, with McKinlay ensuring that everyone passes the tests and is judged suitable for The Bureau. McKinlay is a friendly presence, and makes participation feel more like the most chill job interview ever than like joining a magician onstage.

McKinlay struggles slightly with timing and connection with the audience throughout the show. He has a tendency to draw out the setup, slowly showing the audience nearly all the cards or pages in a notebook where it might feel slicker to just show a few as a representative sample. The connection with the audience may be more a problem with the audience at the reviewed show, which was slightly combative, than with McKinlay himself. After the show McKinlay could be seen chatting to tables of strangers at his venue with more charm and charisma than he displayed during the show. While it’s unfortunate that McKinlay wasn’t able to recover this show’s audience, he is clearly able to win over others.

The reviewed show of Classified may have been a mixed experience, but McKinlay is clearly a competent performer and his concept for the show has an interesting potential. Mentalism enthusiasts, and those who would like to join The Bureau, may enjoy it.

FORGET ABOUT ME

☆☆

Breaking up the magic fan’s usual Fringe schedule with something a bit different, Forget About Me is as much a horror play as it is a magic show. It’s also very funny. As the audience enters the theater space, Dylan Howells stands in a bathtub shrouded in a curtain—the perfect introduction to a show about a ghost in the bathroom. While it may not be as frightening as the more ardent horror fans might prefer, or have as much magic as fans of that art form might like, it’s an interesting blend of the two, helmed by a skilled performer who easily holds the audience’s attention.

Howells uses magic to illustrate his story to often good effect. There was a slightly sloppy moment at the reviewed show when Howells cleared away a few props in front of the audience, visibly snapping a string and challenging the audience’s suspension of disbelief. While the rest of the effects were performed well, when the magic is so sparse such a noticeable imperfection has a greater effect. On the other hand, the effect that Howells uses at the end is cleverly done to highlight and indeed augment the final plot reveal, in a particularly impressive use of magic.

As a mixed genre show, Howells asks for fairly minimal audience interaction. He requests a few pieces of input from the seats and doesn’t bring anyone onstage with him. Howells’s primary interaction is with his tech man and voice performer, and their stage chemistry is a highlight. Both have excellent comedic timing that they use to bring a welcome levity to the show.

While Forget About Me is horror, it’s structured to feel accessible to those who may not be as enthusiastic about being scared. The scary moments are well signposted, making mental preparation easier to do. The final plot twist may be easy to predict, even by viewers who don’t partake often with from the genre, which is perhaps unavoidable given the ubiquity of these tropes in popular culture. However, Howells’s use of magic makes it interesting again.

Howells is an engaging performer and Forget About Me is an interestingly constructed show. It may not be the tidiest blend of magic and horror, but Howells’s charm makes watching it an enjoyable experience. The reviewed show was early in the run and Howells will perhaps benefit from the chance to develop the show over the course of the Fringe. Howells’s creative approach to both magic and horror, not to mention his talent as a performer, makes Forget About Me worth seeing, particularly for fans of both genres.

DAVE REUBENS: THE MAGIC GAME

☆☆

Magic shows are often interactive, and Dave Reubens takes this a step further with his new venture The Magic Game. Part magic show, part game show, there are plenty of areas to get involved in the act. The concept is good, and Reubens manages the various moving pieces of a hybrid show largely with a practiced ease. While there is certainly room for finesse Reubens ensures that everyone involved has a great time.

The magic is a mixed bag, but at points in the show it’s incorporated in particularly fun ways. Reubens’ use of an advertisement break with magical demonstration of the goods on offer is reminiscent of one of the better and more magical MCU properties, with the concept made his own. At the reviewed show unfortunately this did not all go to plan due to some mislaid props, which Reubens hopefully found for future audiences. Some of the effects were treated more as magic-themed jokes, with a presentation that felt deliberately sloppy to allow for comedic flashing.

Advertising a magic game show takes care of one of the pitfalls of a standard magic show—the entire audience, by and large, arrived eager and happy to participate. The game show elements were especially popular, Reubens had no problem getting enthusiastic participants to join him onstage. The participants were treated well, and were allowed to consult their team even while they were the ones who had to deliver the final response, making it a low stress environment.

At the reviewed show there was a slight disconnect in the tone versus the way participants were invited up. Much of the humor, including the playfully flashed magic, felt geared toward the younger age range of children. However, the opportunities for participation seemed distinctly oriented toward older audiences; two children participated in the first game show segment, and after that Reubens specifically requested adults. Aligning the age appeal might help the show feel more cohesive and find the right fans.

Reubens has put together an awfully fun experience in The Magic Game. While it may be a bit confused as to which age range it is best suited for at the moment, it’s a solid concept led by a great host. Hopefully it will find its people.

CAVAN BOOTH: THE HONEST MAGICIAN

☆☆

For a career field of professional liars, magicians are not great at keeping secrets. Revealing bits of magic to make bigger reveals more impressive is a staple of the genre. Cavan Booth has even brought an entire show to the Fringe with the theme of revealing magical secrets, The Honest Magician. Booth’s emphasis on this one type of quasi-honest reveal makes for an interesting premise. Notably, he doesn’t venture far (if at all) beyond the quasi-reveals that are common amongst magicians. 

Booth uses a range of both mentalist and magic effects to make his point. While they may not be new to magic fans, they are performed well. An extended mind reading sequence to do with judging audience members’ truth telling and lying is especially fun to watch. The reviewed show had a great plot twist in this routine when Booth’s brother volunteered to join him onstage. While his brother was fairly clearly not giving him any hints, it seemed like a lovely supportive relationship, which is always nice to see at the Fringe.

Audience participation was a mixed bag. For some of the earlier effects, to demonstrate his point about the necessity of lying to performing magic, Booth performs a few tricks that are experienced as “magic” by the participants but not by the rest of the audiences. The method and purpose is clever, but it would be nice if Booth clued in the participants after making his point. Ideally participating in a magic show should enhance the experience for the participant, or at the very least be neutral—it’s not ideal when participating takes away an element of the experience of the show for someone. To be fair to Booth he seems to make a point of choosing participants for this section who seemed to have come to the show with a group, so their family and friends could tell them what happened after, but in a friendly town like Edinburgh where strangers tend to get chatty it’s a risky calculation.

Booth may have billed himself as honest but he’s still a magician, and luckily for the audience members who want to experience magic, there are some secrets that he keeps, and some that he reveals because the secret is itself an impressive feat. His demonstration of how to solve a Rubik’s cube in what looks like a few seconds is one such moment. The audience watched Booth carefully make a few turns to make the cube look well mixed, but even so watching him solve it in a throw demonstrates dexterity and dedicated practice.

The Honest Magician may not be flawless yet, but it’s an interesting premise from a clearly thoughtful performer. Booth does a good job telling the audience how his perspective is unique, but showing them this perspective through the magic is still a work in progress.

DANIEL SINCLAIR: THE HYPNOTIST AND THE MIND READER

☆☆

Hypnotism is always a popular genre at the Fringe, and Daniel Sinclair’s The Hypnotist and the Mind Reader is no exception. Even a weekday show is fairly full, and he gets a good population up on stage to join him. While the hypnotism itself was patchy at the reviewed show, between those who managed to stay hypnotized, those who were willing to play along, and Sinclair working very hard, a version of the show was able to go on.

There are necessary alerts and reassurances ahead of a hypnotism show, and Sinclair’s version hits all the main points. He lets the audience know that he cannot force them to do anything they don’t want to do, hypnosis or not. Letting everyone know ahead of time that hypnosis is a mutual process is designed to get potential volunteers in the right mindset. If the people coming up onstage are ready to accept and work with Sinclair, the hypnotism process should work more efficiently.

The hypnotism process that Sinclair uses is nice and calming, even for those who don’t choose to go onstage. Sinclair even allows for everyone in the audience to participate in this from their seats if they want to, for those who would like to try to be hypnotized without being watched by everyone else. The sound that Sinclair uses is a classic hypnotism sound, difficult to describe but instantly recognizable, which is fun to hear.

At the reviewed show unfortunately the hypnotism by and large didn’t seem to take. There’s always an attrition rate with those who choose to take part in hypnotism, but rarely is it so pervasive and consistent throughout the show. Sinclair himself will be best placed to judge if this was an off day or if it’s worth adjusting his methods. To his credit, Sinclair breezed past the suggestions that just didn’t work, focusing on those where the majority of his struggling volunteers were willing to play along, and making the most of those who were able to experience hypnosis.

Every hypnotism show is different, and it’s a huge credit to Sinclair as a performer that he was able to recover the reviewed show to the extent that he did. The fact that so many of his volunteers were willing to play along with the majority of his show is perhaps a better testament to how fun his suggestions are than watching genuinely hypnotized participants undertake them.

SAM HURST: MAGIC! MAYHEM! MEMES!

☆☆

The nostalgia hits as soon as the audience steps in to the venue for Sam Hurst’s Magic Mayhem and Memes! show, to music classics that every millennial will recognize. The nostalgia doesn’t ever stop, with song references and memes of varying vintages. It’s certainly accessible even for the younger end of millennial, and probably even gen Z if they have spent enough time on the internet. If the Meme/millennial theme isn’t always a constant in the show, the fun is, and the time flies by.

The reviewed show was not without its challenges. Chief among these was a little French boy who tested Hurst’s skills with audience participants. Hurst had evidentially planned an early segment to cater to his younger viewers, always a nice thing to see in a magic show, but with younger viewers comes greater chaos. Hurst managed to muddle through with a mixture of simple French, miming, and the universal language of magic.  Additionally, Hurst experienced issues with the technology components of his show initially failing to perform their duties.  His good humor despite these setbacks made the audience feel safe in his hands.

Unfortunately the magic itself was at times noticeably imperfect as well. Hurst could have performed the red balls tricks with a bit more finesse, and a noticeably discolored thumb in full view right at the end slightly undercut the final reveal. However, it’s clear that Hurst is a skilled magician, his version of the classic cup and balls trick was flawless, even to audience members who have seen it countless times before. If the audience and technical issues at the reviewed show might have thrown him off slightly, hopefully future shows will be smoother sailing.

Magic Mayhem and Memes! can be confirmed to contain all three of those elements in significant quantities. It feels like the adult version of a children’s birthday party. The silliness is infectious and Hurst’s humor keeps the whole audience laughing. If it isn’t always perfect it’s difficult to care too much. Millennials have gone through a lot worse than an imperfect magic show. Hurst won’t fix that but he will temporarily distract us from it—about all that can be reasonably expected from a magician. This is the show to nourish the inner child of every millennial.

BARRY POTTER AND THE MAGIC OF WIZARDRY

☆☆

At a show called Barry Potter and the Magic of Wizardry, the audience has to have a good idea of what they’re getting themselves into. Potter does not disappoint. The magic may be recognizable by those who have seen muggle magicians, but there’s plenty of Hogwarts-magic style props and more wizardry puns than you can shake a hippogriff at. The execution did face some issues at the reviewed show, but he pressed forward with admirable professionalism.

Potter has a decent rapport with the audience, but surprisingly given the type of show, seemed to have trouble connecting with the younger audience members. One youngest was admittedly overly chatty from her seat, and he shut her down pretty harshly for an overactive toddler, calling her narcissistic and telling her that not everything is about her. It would have been an understandable, if unfortunate, reaction from a non-performer, but for a magician performing a self-aware childish kind of show it felt far too unkind. Potter was better with a young boy who joined him onstage for a coin trick, who had a great time getting in on the magical fun.

The magic performed was well themed but had a significant error on the day that the show was reviewed with the final reveal. As much as it’s a shame to end on an error, the rest mostly goes to plan, and if the patterns are familiar, it’s all perfectly themed. Potter uses familiar props, such as a golden snitch and photos of the Harry Potter film characters, to perform his effects. He tells a Harry Potter style story throughout the show, but a highlight is his playing card retelling of the original story. This did hit a few snags at the reviewed show but was nevertheless creative and engaging.

If it wasn’t perfect when it was reviewed, Barry Potter and the Magic of Wizardry was still a great time, thanks to the irrepressible professionalism of Potter himself.  There are plenty of fun reveals even when things go wrong, and errors of some sort are inevitable in a month-long live theater run. Harry Potter fans looking for a dose of nostalgia peppered with the best kinds of bad jokes need look no further.

ILLUSIONATI – A MAGICAL CONSPIRACY

☆☆

Welcome to Illusionati, the theatrical magic show about whether there is a secretive club of elite magicians controlling all who would dare to perform the art, you know, like the Magic Circle (just kidding). This concept is created by a magician by the name of The Great Baldini, and is performed with great enthusiasm even if not with great finesse.

The first part of The Great Baldini (henceforth referred to as Baldini)’s show sets a tone that the show may actually be theatre with some magic thrown in for garnish, which may not have been a bad idea going forward, although it was not the idea chosen. Over the hour we see Baldini vacillate between this former structure of basic tricks forced into the story he wants to tell, or at times, a story forced around a couple of genuinely new, creative trick presentations. These fresh presentations are delightful to see in an creative field so desperate for innovation. Unfortunately, in this show they seem under-developed, dragging on far beyond a reasonable audience member’s expected attention span, which dilutes the effect of the ultimate reveals.

Likewise on the theme of inconsistency, Baldini’s attempts at humor throw off any chance for the audience to be drawn into the show. He is too silly to take seriously, but not funny enough to be entertaining. At times this makes the experience of attending the show feel like watching a child perform magic. You nod and smile along encouragingly, but are mostly left wondering if it is all going to be over soon so you can stop performing back at them.

Similarly to that experience, there is no ill-will felt to the magician. Baldini seems like a legitimately amiable and well intended performer, with a perfectly good concept for a show, just one in need of a creative director and a more coherent vision of how he wants to tell the story.

More information on The Great Baldini can be found here.