4 Stars

INSTRUCTIONS FOR A SEANCE

☆☆☆☆

Harry Houdini is by no means the first magician. He would not even have his name if it were not for one of his precursors. He is, however, probably the best known to the modern day layman. And, if bogged down by the trials of life, you are inspired to call out to any magician in the afterlife for help with escaping, he’s the only real option. Instructions For A Seance is one woman’s story of just that – a harried modern day woman, wife, mother trying to just exist in a world that beats us down every day and going, “hey, you know what? What if I did just… do a seance for a 100 year dead Hungarian escapologist?”

Instructions For A Seance is a solo show by playwright and actor Katie Bender, who breathes immediate and brilliant life into the room as soon as she enters the stage. Solo shows can be challenging even without the additional task of communing with the dead, the success of which we will not spoil here, but her ability to commune and connect with the audience from the very first lines is exemplary. The staging of the show is brilliantly constructed to visually demonstrate that open and honest dialogue Bender has with the audience. Tables, chairs, and even cushions are strewn about the stage for people to sit, filling any real space barrier between Bender and the off stage seating as well. The lights stay bright almost throughout so all aspects of the room are easily inspectable, and nearly every possible surface and floor area is strewn with papers, rugs, furniture, and Houdini decor. Even the ceiling drips with dozens of lights, fully making the theatre feel like a Edwardian era reminiscent parlor.

Counterbalanced with the mystical nature of the task at hand is Bender’s proclaimed impetus for it- the desperation to escape responsibilities and agonies that feel all too modern (although, perhaps, are not so much so as they seem). For our target audience of those who love a good magic show, the billets laying under seats will look very familiar. Bender uses these to get a read on the audience- what trials are making the average attendee feel trapped that way in their own lives? Some very relatable concerns are shared, and cathartically purged through appropriately magical means.

The real highlight of the night – the result of the seance – cannot be fully shared without detracting from the magic. However, we can at least state that it may not be what you expect, but is so much more appropriate than you could have dared to ask for. Seances have been conducted to commune with Houdini for almost 100 years, since after his passing on Halloween of 1926. And as we approach Halloween of 2026, we learn that our predecessors in this challenge may have had more success if they had just been slightly less specific about the call.

Instructions For a Seance is a bright, engaging show seemingly about a historical magician, but more so about how we engage with the things in our lives that we feel compelled to escape from. Maybe we need to, maybe we just need a reframe, but either way, Bender’s show presents a beautiful and vivid demonstration of facing this shared experience.

LORENZO: MAGIC INK

☆☆☆☆

You would be forgiven for thinking that a magician’s most important skill set is in sleight of hand, in their motions and their movements and physical reality. But what really lulls an audience into whatever feeling they will experience at a magic show – shock, wonder, horror – is words. Magician Lorenzo is no stranger to leading an audience to wonder though his words, but in his latest show Magic Ink he explores more deeply into the magic of words themselves with his literary based magic, with a particular focus on Shakespeare.

Lorenzo stands out from his peers in terms of his ability to connect on a genuine level with his audience. Even with him standing on a stage in front of several dozen people, his shows feel like parlor magic, like we are sitting aside him in easy conversation as he makes miracles occur within our own minds. He feels without artifice even in a career built entirely on artifice, seemingly without the trappings of a fictional performance persona. Like someone you know who just happens to have a beautiful and exceptional talent.

Unfortunately at the reviewed show, some of those miracles had more down to earth hiccups. While most of his mentalist effects went well, there were a couple of missteps to his mindreading. There was a bit of tension amongst the audience from secondhand embarrassment when Lorenzo was thrown off by not getting a reveal correct, but in a sympathetic way that spoke to how much he had already won them over. And to that point, some of the audience also seemed to think it had been intentional, with one person overheard as they left the venue saying “I thought he was going to mess up for a minute there, but he didn’t!” He did, but the magic was clearly not lost in everyone’s eyes. Lorenzo still aptly wove magic through books, touch, and a beautiful effect with a string of yearn passed around the entire audience, ultimately getting back on track to great affect.

Magic Ink is a quick and charming show that will remind you of the power of storytelling in literature and in our own lives. Even if not performed perfectly on this occasion, the vision was beautiful and we have confidence that it can grow to be something truly compelling.

00:30 CABARET O’CLOCK: MAGIC VS BURLESQUE

☆☆☆☆

Anyone at the Fringe who is even remotely a fan of magic or burlesque will almost certainly be very familiar with the iconic Voodoo Rooms ballroom. But none will have seen a show as perfectly suited to the space as 00:30 Cabaret O’Clock: Magic vs Burlesque, featuring real-life cabaret power couple, magician Arron Jones and burlesque dancer Fou Fou Kaboom. It may be presented as a showdown between magic and burlesque, or “tits versus tricks”, but there are no real losers in an audience that gets to watch these two fantastic performers work the stage for an entire hour.

Jones is a familiar face for magic fans, known for his wonderfully weird, creative takes on the very concept of how to perform a magic show. At Magic vs Burlesque he only has two chances to make an impression, but with a couple of crowd pleasers he does Team Tricks proud. His first trick is the highlight, a tried and tested favorite card trick that he often performs in variety lineups. He manages to get the whole audience involved and excited in a way that is rarely seen in a card trick. It’s the perfect example of the approach to magic that sets Jones apart, and is why he has found such a successful niche with his performance style.

Kaboom will similarly be a familiar face for many Fringe regulars, primarily due to her popularity on the many late-night cabaret variety shows that regularly run at the Voodoo Rooms. For the fans she has cultivated through this work, the most satisfying part of Magic vs Burlesque is seeing this incredible performer get the focused attention and literal spotlight that she’s always deserved. The second of her two performances in Magic vs Burlesque is a highlight, showcasing the expertise, creativity, and playful humor that Kaboom is known for. This publication might be contractually obligated to consider itself Team Tricks, but it’s worth mentioning that Kaboom’s second choreography isn’t just a highlight of the show, it’s a highlight of this year’s Fringe. For anyone with any level of interest in burlesque and/or dance, it makes the whole show feel instantly worthwhile—even if, somehow, it hadn’t already. 

Magic and burlesque each have their own particular approaches to audience participation, and both are at play in this show. Jones and Kaboom are both respectfully playful with their participants. The entire audience also gets involved in the competition between magic and burlesque. Jones and Kaboom split the audience between themselves at the start, and representatives from each side face off in a series of games, as well as coming together to participate as a whole. Both performers expertly select their champions, with priority given to the numerous excited volunteers.

Magic vs Burlesque is the perfect way to end a day at the Fringe. The real life love story between Jones and Kaboom makes this lightly combative event feel wholesome. It’s notable and adorably impressive that their chemistry is so evident in their limited, fairly structured time together onstage. Their physical and verbal affection has the confident understatement of a couple seemingly very secure in their relationship, which doesn’t just bode extremely well for their upcoming marriage, but also makes their shared stage feel like a safe space for a little loving rivalry. Whether audience members come in biased toward tits or toward tricks, they will leave with a new appreciation for both. 

UNDERGROUND MAGIC

☆☆☆☆

For most of the year it may be Edinburgh’s favorite fortnightly night out, but for the duration of the Fringe, Underground Magic, like many Edinburgh locals, is working extra hard. Every single night the Fringe crowd is welcomed to the Liquid Rooms for a night of magic (underground) featuring a regularly rotating lineup. The reviewed lineup was composed of Cameron Gibson, Max Fulham, Andy Boyd, and Elliot Bibby, hosted by one of the founders of Underground Magic, Luke Osey.

Osey is an able host, getting the audience excited and performing bits of magic in between the featured performers. The reviewed show was a treat for his longtime fans, featuring everything from a certain favorite prop that is reminiscent of his “assistant” in his solo show last year to a newer circus trick that few, if any, will have seen him perform before. It’s this newer trick that proves a highlight of the evening, as Osey got several members of the audience involved in helping him successfully complete it.

Osey’s first guest is his co-founder of Underground Magic, Edinburgh’s own Cameron Gibson. Gibson performed a crowd-pleasing favorite, his take on the cup and ball trick. It may be described as the oldest trick in magic, but in Gibson’s talented hands it still has the power to amaze and entertain modern audiences. Even those who have seen this performed by others would enjoy Gibson’s neo-classically clean interpretation.

The next in the line-up is Fulham, Underground Magic’s diversity hire. Underground Magic regularly includes non-magician variety acts as a little bonus for its audience. Fulham might be a ventriloquist, to this untrained eye probably the best ventriloquist in the world, but he still gets in on the magic fun, performing both a puppet act and a puppet-assisted magic trick.

Third in the lineup is Fringe favorite Boyd, who has the skills of just about an entire circus. Boyd demonstrated a fraction of the range of his skills, which are still plenty to keep the audience going. He had the dubious honor of performing the grossest trick of the evening, which truly has to be seen to be believed.

Underground Magic might be founded and run by Osey and Gibson, but they’re not just a double act, they’re two thirds of Edinburgh’s premier platonic power throuple Insane Magic. The audience at this reviewed show were lucky enough to also get to see the third member, Bibby, headline the evening. Bibby lived up to his reputation with a ridiculously exciting card trick reveal with a real emphasis on the “reveal”. 

The lineup of Underground Magic might change every night, but the reviewed show is evidence of the high caliber of talent that they are able to attract. For Fringe audiences, it’s a taster of the different magic and variety shows on offer. For Edinburgh locals, it’s also a reminder of how lucky we are to live in this city, with these two incredible magicians who take the time to curate a varied, exciting lineup of performers for us twice a month every single month. Either way, it’s the perfect inclusion to a Fringe night out.

HOUDINI SPEAKS TO THE LIVING

☆☆☆☆

The complicated relationship between magician Harry Houdini and author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is a popular one for Edinbugh Fringe content. After all, Conan Doyle is from Edinburgh, and the Fringe attracts a large number of magicians who are interested in Houdini. What could be more apt? The twist on this particular show, however, is that the actor playing Houdini is also a professional magician himself, and integrates actual magic effects in Houdini’s quest to disprove Spiritualist tricks Conan Doyle has fallen for.

Houdini Speaks to the Living does not make mention of this (likely to keep their script timeless), but we are quickly approacing the 100 year annivesary of Houdini’s death. He passed on Halloween of 1926, and as the play makes clear though including the recording of his wife Bess, attempts were made for many years to communicate with him from beyond the grave through seances. While Houdini was open to the idea of communicating with the dead, due to his career he was more aware than anyone the tricks that were used to fake such content. This infuriated him, and he made it a personal mission to bring these con artists to justice. On the other hand, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a proud believer in the Spirituaist techniques, most certainly through the desire to communicate with his son who had been killed in World War 1. He insisted first that Houdini must be underestimating mediums, and when disproved on that front, then that Houdini must himself have mediumistic capabilities he was lying about.

Through conversation between Houdini as played by Patrick Terry and Conan Doyle as played by Robert Matney, we learn the preceding information and have a glimpse into an imagined showoff between the two, where Conan Doyle insists there are skills mediums have that Houdini is incapable of replicating through stage magic, and Houdini shuts down each of these suggestions one at a time by doing just that. Accordingly, the tricks performed are ones that a medium would attempt, so include slate writing, floating tables, and so on. As Houdini does each trick, he includes audience participation just like a “real” magic show, creating an immersive experience for the audience. Terry is a skilled magician and most certainly does justice to Houdini’s reputation.

This is not just a magic show, of course, but magic within a theatrical performance. While the magic tricks are a delightful inclusion and heighten the intensity of the showoff, the acting itself is absoluteley strong enough to stand on it’s own. Terry’s Houdini is shocking well aligned with what we know from recordings of Houdini’s unique manner of speaking and even way of holding himself. But in terms of pathos, Matney’s Conan Doyle steals the show. His pain when exploring his need to believe in Spiritualism is leigitmately moving, and may bring tears to some eyes.

Depending on the level of one’s interest in magic history, the story of Houdini and Conan Doyle may be very familar to you. But even if you know the story by heart, seeing it played out by Terry and Matney will steal your heart.

KANE AND ABEL: TWIN FEATS

☆☆☆☆

It’s so stupid. It’s such dumb humour. But you know what? Even if against your will, even kicking and screaming, twin magicians Kane and Abel will successfully have you buying in to their delightfully silly magic show Twin Feats. This show is an absurdly high energy from beginning to end, and as ridiculous as it may seem, it will fully charm you all the same.

Kane and Abel definitely cultivate an intentionally goofy shtick for their performer personas, and are consistent with it throughout every show. Therefore, while the purported theme of Twin Feats is them finding the balance of individuality with their twin relationship, and this storyline ties their tricks together, the real theme is them lunging for the cheap laugh at every opportunity. It cannot be more true here though that you have to be pretty smart to look so dumb. These personas are perfectly calibrated to keep everyone laughing and to play off each other impeccably (though they certainly should be able to by this point!)

More importantly, as silly as they act, Kane and Abel are incredibly accomplished and precise performers. At the performance reviewed, this reviewer was seated in the perfect location to catch any possible mishap. Even situated so, even with the knowledge of precisely what to look out for, only one glimpse into the sleight of hand secrets was seen throughout the show, and this would have not been visible to 99% of the audience. What’s more, even where Kane and Abel use the general ideas of familiar tricks – including card tricks and calculator mentalism, they are dressed up in so much original presentation that is artfully dialed into their unique vibe so to seem wholly new.

Kane and Abel’s show Twin Feats is a fantastic example of comedy magic that even the most cynical audience member will have no choice but to fall for.

COLIN CLOUD: HOAX

☆☆☆☆

Many magicians at the Edinburgh Fringe yearn to grow their shows to the Las Vegas level. Colin Cloud, rockstar mentalist, is the hometown (adjacent) boy who actually achieved that, and then returned for a victory lap with his new show Hoax.

Cloud may have travelled far and wide since his first appearance at the Fringe, but while has material has grown in flash and glamor, there are elements that he has been true to since the very beginning, and attendees will recognize in this year’s offering. In fact, if his opening intro isn’t word for word what it has been for the last decade, it follows the patter structure at least closely enough to be remembered as familiar. One thing that has been abandoned over the time, however, is his urgent self-classification. Cloud no longer works hard to define himself as the ‘modern Sherlock Holmes’, with the word Sherlock dropped only once in the show, and not even really in reference to himself. He also underplays the concept of mentalism itself, as if intending not to be simply a performer in a certain category, but a category unto himself. And he very well may be correct on this front. Hoax is performed in one of the largest venues at the Edinburgh Fringe, and if it’s not selling out nightly it is surely coming damn close.

Mentalism, which indeed Hoax is whether it’s proclaimed or not, is a difficult sort of magic. The most compelling aspect of it is that instead of working with obvious visual props, it relies on attendees’s convictions of the unpenetrability of their own minds. For the individuals who are used as participants, the amazement is heightened by how personal it feels to have one’s own thoughts accessed. But, this hyper personalization means that the performer has to work that much harder to make each effect interesting to those not involved. After all, we rarely know many of the other 700+ audience members, so why would we care about their thoughts? Well, because Colin Cloud makes us care, of course. Cloud is a pro at keeping his crowd engaged every step of the way, employing a ‘jovial aside’ method to directly and humourously address the audience as a whole even when he is in the midst of intructions and interactions with an individal. For the participant experience, Cloud runs a tight ship, letting those he calls upon show enough personality to give him something to play off, but not enough to steal or derail the show. At the reviewed performance, no particpant is particulaly memorable, and that’s how it should be.

While Cloud does follow the trend of having a certain theme per show, with this year’s being of course hoaxes, this is mostly superficial. While a little time and some segues utilize this theme, it appears to exist as a simple skeleton to underly the tricks of the performance. Cloud doesn’t really have anything profound he wants to share about Hoaxes, he just needs it for the clickbait factor. But once the crowd fills in, his performance is strong enough that no one actually cares.

There is a good reason that Colin Cloud is selling out show after show with Hoax. He has a winning formula, a charismatic personality, and the skill to back them both up. And more importantly, Cloud has put in the work to grow his act from little rooms in small venues to tour internationally, star in Vegas, and still return home to honor the same audiences that put him on that path in the first place. If you want to see an exemplary mentalism show performed by the most reliably consistent performer in the business, Hoax is the place to be.

ANDY BOYD: THE PROFESSIONAL SHOWOFF

☆☆☆☆

Audiences might expect a certain amount of cockiness in the attitude of a performer who would call his Fringe show The Professional Showoff. Andy Boyd isn’t like that. He might know how to do a lot of cool and unusual magic and circus tricks, but his demeanor throughout is friendly and welcoming, expressing appreciation for his audience members. The Professional Showoff is part magic, part homemade machine demonstration, and part juggling, and in all of those categories Boyd is exceptional.

There might be plenty of performance categories included, but the magic in particular is a recurring theme. Boyd frequently uses magic to highlight and punctuate the other elements of his show. A clear highlight is his final trick, which is so worth seeing that it would be worthwhile sitting through the whole rest of the show just for that trick—and Boyd makes sure that the preceding forty-five-ish minutes are plenty entertaining too.

Boyd’s fans may recognize that he has kept the same title for his Fringe show as last year, but he’s brought some new tricks and props. Particularly exciting is a very impressive robot-looking camera. Boyd demonstrates this on the audience and then uses the result for a unusual take on a magic routine. The creativity in his use of magic and its integration with the other skills that he demonstrates keeps Boyd’s work exciting even for magic fans. They might recognize some element of the trick, but Boyd will make sure they view it in a new light.

Much of the audience gets involved in Boyd’s show, in a variety of roles ranging from those that can be performed from their seats to some that are invited onstage. Particularly exciting is the opportunity to operate one of Boyd’s machines at will; audience members are advised to sit in the front row to have the best shot at getting to do this. Boyd might seem increasingly alarmingly talented as the show progresses, but he is evidently self-aware enough to know that not everyone has his skills, and makes sure to give his audience participants accessible tasks.

Boyd is a whole circus in one person, and in The Professional Showoff audiences get to witness some of his exceptional talents. Its lunchtime slot might make it feel like an early morning event by Fringe standards, but it’s worth a watch, whether as a lunch break or a way to start the Fringe day.

BEN HART: LABYRINTH

☆☆☆☆

At the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, magician Ben Hart’s real competition is simply – Ben Hart’s previous shows. Or at least you will believe upon attendance of his latest work, Labyrinth. One of the greatest appeals of the Fringe is the sheer quantity of shows a patron can go to in one day, one city. You could (we at WMR often do) fit in at least half a dozen magic shows in one day, running to venue to venue, gorging yourself on talent. But Hart’s truest showmanship talent is making the competition fully fall away in your mind while you are in his presence.

As always, Hart’s show follows a narrative theme. In Labyrinth, fairly self explanatorily, we are invited to reflect on the concept of following strings through a labyrinth, and the metaphorical implication of that concept as if in our thought processes and how decisions we make are strung together to the next step and overall impact on our lives, leading us through our own personal labyrinths. While a solidly relatable theme, Hart does not lean into it as heavily as may be expected. The opening stage is decorated with a clock face of strings, and the variations on this theme are mentioned to open various tricks, but the cohesion to the plot is not quite to Hart’s norm. It seems to be there more for conveniance than to demonstrate a story Hart wishes to tell through magic.

If we are a bit light on plot, the same cannot be said for enthusiasm of effects. Hart weaves into Labyrinth many tricks magic fans will be delighted to see, from found cards, mentalism, and physical effects. While a move here or there may not be quite quick enough yet for the trained eye, his talent is nevertheless unmistakable. A particulary impactful portion of the show is a shadow puppet interlude, during which Hart demonstrates that his skills and humor are ever growing. And while an ultimate reveal may follow a structure that magic fans will find familiar, the physical facet of this reveal is both unprecedented and highly impressive.

Hart is and has always been a spectacular showman. His persona on stage is larger than life, and the ambiance of his shows is perfected to support them in every aspect. From matching his personal vibe to the grandiose and mysterious venue, employing approrpiately dramatic lighting and sound effects, and designing a beautiful stage, Hart is obviously aware that atmosphere has a powerful impact on how a performance is received. But even more impressive is how adaptable said onstage persona is. At one moment enigmatic and intimidating, Hart can switch on a dime to be a jovial and welcoming everyman, easily bantering with audience participants and easing any concerns they may have about participating, even while lightly ribbing their self consciousness.

The Labyrinth is an excellent example of how Ben Hart has dominated the Fringe magic scene for so many years. It is a wholly accessible primer of well performed magical effects, formed together in a thought provoking narrative concept. A wise Fringe attendee would indeed let the string of this review lead them to Ben Hart this year.

JAMES PHELAN: SHOWMAN

☆☆☆☆

When assessing Fringe shows, it’s not always fair to judge the quality of the venue, with such a variety of possibilities and with performers not always having perfect control over which they are allocated to. However, it is impossible to deny the powerful effect of setting, for good or ill, on any performance experience. Entering James Phelan’s tent for Showman, the most obvious first impression is that not only does he have a beautiful venue, but his set design is gorgeously put together to make the absolute most of it. Phelan lets his audience in early to enjoy the ambiance and pre-show live music, a relaxing contrast to the usual Fringe rush to get seated as quickly as possible. Once he takes to the stage, that calming trend continues.

Phelan demonstrates his mentalist abilities in a variety of ways, but his specialty here is hypnotism, and this is where he spends the majority of the show—perhaps more than usual at the reviewed show. The entire audience might get involved at first, in a series of activities that prove both interesting and relaxing, before Phelan chooses those who stand out to join him for a deeper hypnotic experience. Phelan manages to demonstrate an astonishing range of hypnotic and mentalist effects, in a way that gets many un-hypnotized members of the audience involved from their seats.

If Phelan is known for any one thing as much as hypnotism, it’s his excellence in dealing with the audience, as a collective but most especially as individuals. Phelan manages to make friends with a solid proportion of them at the reviewed show. His carefully casual attitude makes those who join him onstage feel welcome, without ever doubting that he is the one in control. He is such a welcoming host that at the reviewed show one of his participants took off her shoes to allow her to more easily accomplish her tasks, even leaning on Phelan to do so—far from a common occurrence at a magic show, or even a hypnotism show. While this behavior is not encouraged, the fact that it happened exemplifies the audience’s immediate trust in and affection for Phelan as soon as they meet him.

The theme of Showman might be the contrast between fragility and permanence, but, even with his mentalist powers, Phelan may not have been able to predict just how well the reviewed show would emphasize this. Whether his participants were unexpectedly leaning on him to remove their shoes or generally struggling with their role in the show, Phelan experienced a remarkable range of ways that audience participants can inadvertently attempt to derail a magic show, through no fault of his own. The audience was left with no doubt that he uses genuine participants without relying on stooges. What began as a magic show temporarily transitioned into a masterclass in participant management, as Phelan masterfully ensured that he got what he needed from his audience with the calm demeanor of a gracefully gliding swan that was undoubtedly paddling beneath the surface with increasing urgency. This became, as well, an active demonstration of Phelan’s ability to transform the fragile relationship between audience participants and his show into a permanent reminder of the power and at times sheer force of will that makes a true Showman. The strength of Phelan’s theme was clearly developed through the ordinary course of his show as well, he certainly didn’t “need” the audience’s help, but the events of the reviewed show ended up handing him an unexpected way to underline his point.

Phelan will guarantee that his audience gets the full experience of Showman, of that they can be certain. At the reviewed show he risked the notorious wrath of his venue management by running well over his allocated time to ensure that he could complete his show in spite of participant-related delays. This commitment to his audience’s experience is undoubtedly at least one of the reasons why Phelan is regularly selling out this Fringe. Prospective audiences had better act fast if they want to catch him in his beautiful tent.