3 Stars

SEAN HARRINGTON: SLEIGHTLY FUNNY

☆☆☆

Comedy magician Sean Harrington doesn’t even wait until showtime to hit the audience with the jokes, considering his pun-y show title Sleightly Funny. As promised, the show contains laughs and magic. At the reviewed show on a drizzly weekday afternoon the attendance wasn’t huge, but really solid considering. Harrington has a good balance of jokes and magic that keeps the audience entertained.

The magic is nearly all well performed, with just one keynote and unfortunately very brightly colored prop sneaking a peek at the audience behind Harrington’s back before its official reveal. An early coin routine is a highlight, well performed by Harrington and immediately grabbing the audience’s attention. Elsewhere Harrington performed some great magic-themed comedy, as exemplified in a mind reading sequence with a carefully placed audience participant who played along happily to great effect. It’s in moments like these that Harrington really shines. He mentions the similarities in approach of both comedians and magicians in entertaining an audience, and it’s clear that this is an avenue that he is passionate about exploring, and one that he is well equipped to demonstrate to audiences.

With a small audience naturally everyone got involved in helping Harrington with his magic. Harrington is friendly with his audience, and they are happy to join him—as with the participant in one of his magic comedy segments who unquestioningly played along to help Harrington create a funny moment for the rest of the audience. While there is one participation moment that is a little bit more nerve wracking, living in a country with nationalized healthcare takes some of the pressure off of the participant. And of course, Harrington is always in control.

These days everyone could probably do with a laugh break, and for the next few days Sleightly Funny is here to provide it. Harrington is a funny performer and skilled magician. Magic and comedy fans won’t regret spending time with him.

PHILIP NORTHFIELD- MIND READER?: OBSESS

☆☆☆

It can be difficult for lunchtime shows to attract weekday audiences. Phillip Northfield—Mind-Reader?: Obsess did manage to get a small audience at the reviewed show despite the day, timing, and rainy weather. While one friend group had a self-imposed magic ban for this year’s Fringe due to disappointment last year and had come by mistake, even they left with smiles on their faces. Northfield took full advantage of the crowd he had, still delivering a full show.

Obsess is about obsessions, how they make us who we are and should be celebrated. It’s a nice message from a performance art that, like many, calls for some level of obsession from its practitioners if they want to be considered successful performers. Northfield brings some level of non-magical obsession to the show with his demonstration of a Rubik’s cube solve, but this is such a common magic effect it feels adjacent. He shines a light on how hard magicians must obsess to learn the skills that they perform.

The magic that Northfield performs by and large is a tribute to how much he has obsessed over it. His card shuffling sequence is certainly entertaining, with one handed moves that he makes look deceptively easy. While his actual trick ran in to some trouble, with a participant calling him out for switching out the card she pointed to even without her glasses, Northfield recovered the effect for a nice if somewhat undercut reveal. Most of the magic goes to plan, with a series of mind reading effects that see Northfield successfully reading the audience’s thoughts.

With small audiences,  participation is inescapable and building the show can feel like a collaborative experience, as there are times when there are as many or even more members of the audience on the stage as off it. Northfield balanced his participant use well, ensuring that each audience member had an approximately equal time onstage with him.

Obsess is a really lovely tribute to the work it takes to become a working magician. While the reviewed show was perhaps hampered by the weather and time of day, it could easily be a great option for a start of the day show, particularly for Leithers on their way in to town to enjoy the Fringe. Northfield’s perspective on magic gives new insights into the art form.

ANGUS BASKERVILLE: HIDDEN POWERS

☆☆☆

Magician Angus Baskerville has quite a following, at the reviewed date of his Hidden Powers show he managed to get a strong audience on a sunny weekday afternoon. He has a dual mission of educating his audiences about autism and also impressing them with magic, all structured around the story of his own childhood as an individual with autism. It’s gently empowering with some well performed magic.

The magic performed tends toward the modern classics, themed on stories from Baskerville’s youth. If some of the humor comes across as a bit juvenile from an adult perspective, it feels appropriate for a family-friendly show that, at the reviewed date, had a significant minority of children in the audience. There is a clear creative highlight in Baskerville’s bank note routine, which features a particularly unusual reveal, allowing Baskerville to show off a few skills at once. Thematically it’s perhaps a bit tangential to the primary point of the show, but it’s such a fun reveal that the audience hardly notices.

With an audience of mixed ages Baskerville does a great job of balancing getting the enthusiastic children involved with making sure he gets adults onstage with him when required. Baskerville is kind to his participants, often asking for volunteers, and when he does need a random choice for effect ensuring that the participant is chosen via a selection process that is easy to opt out of. Those who do participate are even sometimes rewarded, even sometimes with a cheeky monetary memento.

Hidden Powers is not just a magic show, Baskerville also seeks to educate and advocate for neurodivergent individuals, especially those that share his diagnosis of autism. It’s a theme that’s clearly very close to his heart. The theme does effectively tie the show together, and while there are a few moments where it feels tangential—and, in his final effect, it seems to wholly takes the backseat to a good reveal—by and large Baskerville does a good job of using it to mold the presentation of his tricks.

Well suited for all ages and demonstrably popular, Hidden Powers is a not-so-hidden gem of a show. Baskerville performs his magic well, with plenty of jokes and inspirational conclusions that he’s reached over the course of his life along the way. It’s wholesome, family friendly, and welcoming of all types of brains.

THE GRUMPY MAGICIANS PRESENT: WHAT’S THE CATCH?

☆☆☆

At the Fringe choosing a show can feel like having to choose between optimism that seems unrealistic in the context of current events, or a wallowing pessimism that makes the real world seem even darker than it needs to. The Grumpy Magicians are a great option off antidote to that dichotomy, with a performative low-level approachable grumpiness, not for any grand reason but simply for the sake of grumpiness itself. What’s the Catch? brings their trademark grump back for another year of magical entertainment.

Fringe regulars, The Grumpy Magicians have evidently earned a following, and pulled in a sizable audience at the reviewed weekday afternoon show. They manage to get a decent proportion of the audience involved in the show. Between their curmudgeonly yet personable stage presence and the sheer volume of participation, taking part is a very laid-back experience. As this is a family friendly show and they did have a few enthusiastic children in at the reviewed show, it might have been nice if they had some child-friendly participation moments, but they were kindly in letting the kids know that they were too small to get onstage. However, they did a great job of picking the kids’ responsible adults, and several of the younger audience members got to see magical mementos up close after their adult participated in a trick.

The magic performed may lean heavily toward the classics, but there are some fun themed moments and a few that take great advantage of having two magicians onstage. Magic fans may particularly appreciate the sassy commentary of newer magic that is popular amongst the younger magicians at the Fringe. While there may be the odd moment where the sleight of hand feels slightly less slick than Fringe audiences might expect, the issues are minimal relative to the enjoyment of watching the performance. They perform several card tricks, and often use larger cards for easy visibility from all corners of the room.

The Grumpy Magicians Present: What’s the Catch? feels like a real labor of love from two performers who, despite the grumpiness, seem to enjoy their jobs more than any other performers at the Fringe. They are a refreshingly unusual act by Fringe magic standards. Their magic may not be the most mind-blowing available this month, but they are always a pleasure to watch.

TIM LICATA: ABSOLUTELY MAGIC!

☆☆☆

Edinburgh regular Tim Licata can most often be found at his weekly engagement at The Joker and the Thief on Leith Walk. However, for the duration of the Fringe he is also more centrally located to put on a proper magic show, Absolutely Magic! right on Picardy Place. This is a fun range of magic and mentalism effects, from a fun and upbeat magician.

The magic may be recognizable but Licata’s performance of it is excellent. Even a fairly basic and well known effect like a rope trick is extra fun to watch in his hands. Licata excels and telling little stories as he performs, creating a narrative to enhance the physical magic that the audience watches him create. There’s a drama to the physicality of his performance as well—the rope trick may be a classic but rarely does a magician grapple with such a long length for the sake of this effect, Licata’s rope choreography elevates the trick.

At the reviewed show on a sunny midweek early evening, Licata still managed to pull in a large audience. A beloved local, his fanbase is evidently out in force to support and enjoy his Fringe run. It was a great ratio of audience for it to feel like Licata got a decent proportion involved while still allowing for shyer audience members to hide in the middles of the rows and backs of the audience if they so desired. That being said, participation was unintimidating and easy to undertake. One particular audience member was visibly keen to help out, and Licata made sure to let her have her desired moment in the spotlight.

Whereas Licata’s previous show leaned more heavily into storytelling, with magic designed to illustrate his story, this year’s is more formless. The theme is Licata performing great magic and creating a fun experience for his audience. It’s a great chance to see him perform longer-form pieces that might not suit the table magic that his fans are used to seeing him perform.

With a comfy venue and great energy, Absolutely Magic! is absolutely worth a visit. Licata consistently makes his audience laugh and gasp in almost equal measure. It’s impossible not to have a good time when Licata is performing.

FRANCISCO MOUSINHO: TRICKS I STOLE FROM DEAD PEOPLE

☆☆☆

A newcomer to the Edinburgh Fringe, Francisco Mousinho has brought his excitingly named Tricks I Stole from Dead People as a debut. While the venue may not have been what he expected and apparently hampered his act, no circumstances could hamper his spirit. Mousinho is an engaging performer to watch even if he can’t do quite as much as he wants to this year.

The Edinburgh version of his act evidentially changes regularly, depending on the audience he gets—with a small venue and a late time slot, audience size can vary significantly. The reviewed show on a Sunday evening was intimate but not bad for the day before the start of the work week. Mousinho performed a variety of close up effects, each with a story to go along with it. His take on a rope trick was particularly fun to watch. A classic of magic, this is not often the most interesting to see performed, but Mousinho managed to make it his own in a fun way that really got the audience involved.

With a relatively small audience Mousinho was able to get everyone involved. Most of the participation involved checking out the props, and even sometimes patting down his arms and sleeves, to keep him honest—at least by magician standards. Mousinho is a friendly performer, the small audience felt welcomed and appreciated. With that type of crowd it can feel a bit like hanging out with the magician as much as watching them perform, and Mousinho readily adopted the attitude of the welcoming host, making everyone feel comfortable in the pub basement that is his home for the Fringe.

Mousinho readily admits that his show is not what he envisioned for the Fringe. The theme of tricks he’s stolen from dead people is certainly promising, and with the storytelling flair that he demonstrates even with the routines that he is able to perform, it sounds like the full act would be a real treat. Hopefully this year is the appetizer to get Edinburgh excited for the fully realized show that he brings to a future festival, whether the Fringe, MagicFest, or both. His audience walked out eager to see more from him.

Fringe audiences aren’t able to tell what they’ve missed with Mousinho’s performance, just what they have received, and he’s well worth the time. Tucked away in a venue slightly off the beaten path, he feels like a hidden gem of an act. Next time he visits he’ll still be a gem, but perhaps a little less hidden.

GEORGE HUNT: AN INTROVERT’S GUIDE TO MAGIC

☆☆☆

For an introvert, even attending a magic show can be an off putting proposition. Audience participation is often solicited—the introvert cannot guarantee the option to sit quietly and enjoy the performance from amongst the crowd. At George Hunt’s An Introvert’s Guide to Magic, however, introverts are at least among their own kind. Hunt curates a welcoming environment for all the types at his show.

That audience management piece is one of Hunt’s strengths. He benefits from being early in the schedule for his venue, so the audience can filter in a few minutes before he starts. He handily directs those who express interest in being left alone to the seats that aren’t likely to be picked on, helpful information for if they want to see other magicians, and then follows through with letting them watch his show without making them interact with him. On the other hand, at the reviewed show Hunt had many members of the audience who were actively enthusiastic to participate, and he made sure to involve several of them at various points. While their supportive chanting did at times become a distraction, by that point Hunt had won them over to the point that they willingly quieted down when he indicated this.

The magic of the act is largely performed well. In a true testament to the introverted mindset, Hunt frequently chooses audience participants to become the star of the effect in various ways, taking attention off himself without taking attention off the magic. Hiding behind willing extroverts is a classic introvert move, and it’s nice to see how this dynamic plays out in a magic show.

The storyline of An Introvert’s Guide to Magic is a classic, the tale of Hunt’s childhood introduction to magic and his subsequent life adventures in his pursuit of his career. The choice of such a classic feels deliberate, as it’s Hunt showing the introverted way to frame and tell this story. The journey from the bus rides of his childhood to the stage of today may not be thematically unusual, but he tells it well.

An Introvert’s Guide to Magic is probably the safest place for interested introverts to get to experience a Fringe magic show. For Hunt’s fellow introverts venturing out from their Rubik’s cube filled bedrooms to see him, it could even be inspiring—here is how to successfully perform entertaining magic in front of others while deflecting as much attention as possible. If introverts are going to congregate anywhere at the Fringe, it should probably be here.

PENMAN THE IMAGINATOR: YOU

☆☆☆

Hypnotism is a popular genre at the Fringe. Fraser Penman, hypnotist of Penman—The Imaginator—YOU is so popular that he even managed to pull a decent crowd even for the reviewed show at which he was playing against Oasis. With his playful style, he ensures that the entire audience enjoys the show, whether they’re onstage with him or watching from the safe seats.

The first hurdle of a hypnotism show is tempting volunteers to come try to be hypnotized. As Penman makes clear, hypnotism requires consent from the hypnotized. Anyone considering buying a ticket who is unfamiliar with hypnotism can be reassured that they won’t be forced to do anything against their will, even if they choose to sit onstage they have to be willing in order for Penman to hypnotize them. With these reassurances Penman has no problem getting people onstage, even slightly overfilling his allocated spaces in order to ensure that no one who wants the experience misses out.

Penman’s hypnosis process has a decent success rate at the reviewed show, and Penman is kind in escorting those who don’t respond in time back to their seats. He is a responsible performer and ensures that participants are fully recovered from any hypnotic effects before they leave the stage. Non-participants can enjoy the initial hypnosis as well, Penman has a great voice for it and listening to him go through the steps is a pleasant experience.

The prompts that Penman gives his hypnotized participants are definitely silly but not anything especially embarrassing. Hypnotism is by its nature a tricky business and at the reviewed show a good few participants seemed to “wake up” from their hypnotic state at various points, but they played along with Penman’s prompts until he could get to them for either re-hypnosis or dismissal back to their seats. He comes across well onstage, those who joined him evidently wanted to see his show be a success.

Penman—The Imaginator—YOU is a great time both for those wanting to be hypnotized and those who want to witness others having that experience. Penman is a practiced performer who has put together a personalized, stylish show. Fans of hypnotism would do well to attend.

JOSEPH WESTBURY: REALITY REIMAGINED

☆☆☆

Joseph Westbury may not be working from the largest Fringe venue, but he’s a popular performer and filled out the space even at the reviewed weekday lunchtime show. Notably, several members of the audience had received flyers from Westbury and were so impressed by that interaction that they had come along to the show. Giving and receiving flyers is a staple Fringe exchange, but it is somewhat rare to see it work out so well for the performer. Westbury is clearly very persuasive. And it’s not his only strength as a magician, as Reality Reimagined contained an impressive amount of very well executed effects.

Westbury favors physical magic but found a great range of classic magic props to demonstrate. While there are no tricks that would likely be new or even usual to magic fans, the magic is performed very well across the board. Westbury even performs his rope tricks with a noticeable flair, getting the audience on his side with jokes gently poking fun at this well known basic of magic. The illusion work performed is also particularly impressive. This genre of magic does have a bit of a reputation for and history of objectification, but Westbury manages to sidestep any potential issue with the help of his glamorous father in the role of the traditional assistant. His father performs the role with style. Illusion magic is one of the less common genres at the Fringe, and at the PBH free fringe in particular, so it is exciting to see it here.

With a small venue and lots of tricks, Westbury manages to include pretty much the entire audience in the act in various roles. He is a personable performer and makes all feel welcome. For one effect that involves a bit of reading it would have been nice if he could include the participant in the reveal—it’s a shame when the star of the segment misses the magic—but for the most part audience participants are treated well.

The theme of Reality Reimagined is lightly threaded through the act. It’s not an unusual theme for a magic show as it’s relatively easy to make a trick fit this theme; all the magician has to do is perform the magic properly and the audience can experience their reality become reimagined. That being said, Westbury shows an interesting inclination to get more creative with his magic, perhaps best displayed in the reveal of his Schrödinger’s cat themed card trick. This is great to see from a debut performer in particular, when the natural instinct may be to just run through a list of their favorite tricks.

Westbury’s performance of Reality Reimagined was only set for a short run, so by the time this review is published it will no longer be available. Hopefully he will return; the audience at the reviewed show walked out eager to see more from him. Westbury even earned compliments from a legendary Fringe magician who had taken the time to see him. With his magical skill and great jokes, Westbury is a welcome addition to the Fringe scene.

AN UNBEFLEAVABLE MAGIC SHOW

☆☆☆

It takes all kinds of events to make the Fringe the unique festival that it is. An Unbefleavable Magic Show is one of the stranger ones, bringing the wonderfully weird energy that the Fringe is best known for down to scale for the little ones: young children and, of course, fleas. The fleas are assisted by human performer Jamie the Hopscotch Magician, who skillfully keeps his younger audience engaged, encouraging involvement from the willing and showing kindness to the shy.

While the focus is on the fleas showcasing their acrobatic feats, Jamie also performs flea-themed magic and juggling himself. The way that Jamie demonstrates “the fleas” in action is fun to watch. Children will be the most entranced, but adults can appreciate the creativity and care that has gone in to inventing such an unusual act. The primary apparatuses are contained in an adorable little miniature circus, even smaller than doll size, into which Jamie has placed all the expected paraphernalia of an actual circus. The fleas he describes are in the expected archetypes for circus performers, showing Jamie’s attention to detail.

Interspersed and tied in to the main event is Jamie’s magic and juggling skills. These are clearly designed for young children to follow and participate in with ease. To an adult magic fan the tricks themselves may seem fairly basic, but they are well performed, suit the purpose, and the children are suitably impressed. Jamie gets a lot of mileage out of his rope trick in particular, with a couple of children participating in various stages.

The audience participation is largely geared towards the younger audience members. Jamie often asks for volunteers, and at the reviewed show was able to include all who put themselves forward. As the audience was quite young on average there were more interruptions than usual, whether from an excitable baby or enthusiastic youths. Jamie took this all in stride, responding in kind where he could, and ensuring that the show stayed on track.

With a great location along Leith Walk that’s convenient for a few of Edinburgh’s neighborhoods and a fun and creative subject matter, An Unbefleavable Magic Show is a great choice for family oriented entertainment. Adults will have a nice time as well, but the emphasis is definitely on entertaining younger kids, a good niche to have at the Fringe. And with the PBH free fringe setup, there’s no reason not to give the fleas a chance.