author: Hannah S

TIM LICATA: CLOSE-UP AND PERSONAL

☆☆☆☆

Anyone in Edinburgh who commutes up and down Leith Walk will be familiar with the name Tim Licata, resident magician at the Joker and the Thief pub. And after watching his Fringe show Close-Up and Personal, they may be tempted to stop by the pub specifically to watch his magic. In Close-Up and Personal Licata reveals his family lore through magic, acting, and occasionally even dance.

The dancing is both a surprise and an unexpected highlight. Licata recounts the start of his love of magic by performing a ‘70s themed routine, complete with props commonly available in beginners magic sets and his delightful dancing. Those in the audience who were not alive in the ‘70s may suddenly find themselves wishing they could travel through time just to see whatever it was that inspired Licata to create such a performance. Although after Licata, it will surely fail to live up to expectations.

Each one of Licata’s magic routines is perfectly themed and placed in the story that he tells about his life and his family. The card tricks in particular are exceptionally fun to watch, whether themed on the more standard topic of a family member’s skill at poker, or the ridiculously entertaining presentation of a card trick to illustrate a story about a serial killer. Many magicians joke that for those who aren’t particularly fans of card magic card tricks can be boring to watch, but that will not cross the mind of anyone in Licata’s audience. The card tricks may not have necessarily gone to plan at the reviewed show, although Licata integrates the perceived missteps so readily that it’s difficult to tell if they were genuine errors or dramatic flourishes to underscore the points of his stories—a true sign of a great magician.

The participation in Close-Up and Personal is  mostly volunteer with a bit of random selection. The more involved participation is done by the volunteers, or those selected by a random choice game with easy moments to opt out for those who prefer it. Licata is kind to his participants, even pouring a couple of them drinks. In a close up venue and with Licata’s friendly presence, participation in his show feels more like joining in a fun game than being put on the spot in front of strangers.

Close-Up and Personal is one of the cozier magic Fringe shows, and not just because of the close up venue. Licata may at times bring up murder and organized crime, but the energy of the show is too soft and fun for any of these themes to feel threatening. It’s the Fringe equivalent of curling up with a mug of hot chocolate and a mystery novel, the perfect nightcap of a show before bed.

More information on Close-Up and Personal and its performance dates can be found here.

JAMES PHELAN: THE DREAMER – LIVE

☆☆☆☆☆

This year, James Phelan joins the extra daring magicians who have set their shows on round stages. As The Dreamer skews more toward mentalism and hypnotism, it may be a more achievable aesthetic decision than for a physical magic based show, but still demonstrates a deserved confidence in his skills. That being said, Phelan notably spends a relatively low proportion of his time actually on the stage. He instead fills his time pacing through the audience, trawling for participants to join the show and getting to know everyone who catches his eye. It’s a personal show, and in keeping with that theme, Phelan takes the time to get to know some of the members of his audience personally. However, curiosity about Phelan’s personal life is not the primary draw. His mentalist and hypnotist routines are interesting to watch and engagingly performed.

Straight from the start Phelan gets everyone involved in the magic, with a opening filmed mentalist effect that works on everyone who takes part. Phelan’s attractive and widespread advertising lured in audience members to the reviewed show who had not been to a magic show in their lives, and for them in particular, seeing the universal effect of this particular trick was absolutely mind blowing. Phelan also gets the whole audience involved in his hypnotism warm up exercises, which provide audience-wide entertainment regardless of whether those audience members ultimately participate in the hypnosis.

Both due to Phelan’s friendly performance persona and habit of centering the performance away from the stage, despite the sizable venue The Dreamer is not an intimidating show to participate in. The more involved participation points are in the hypnotism section of the show, and these are on an opt-in basis due to the nature of hypnotism as a practice. Audience members can be confident that if Phelan selects them at random they will not be asked to do anything too confusing to help him demonstrate his skills.

The foundation for The Dreamer is in Phelan’s parents’ IVF journey, in the early days of that science—appropriately enough for a magician, Phelan’s very existence is due to an impossibility becoming possible. While it is not an uncommon message for a magic show, Phelan thus has a personal stake in The Dreamer’s messaging that everyone watching it should follow their dreams regardless of how impossible they might seem. If it weren’t for his parents’ pursuit of their “impossible” dream, he would never exist to create the moments that bring his audiences together in the first place. Phelan’s effective use of hypnosis in particular drives the point home, playing with audience expectations of the movability of mental barriers.

Phelan makes great use of his status as both a magician and real life magic trick for his parents in the performance of The Dreamer. He’s the perfect performer to celebrate the achievability of the impossible. The focus is decidedly on the mind, this is not the right show to go to “see” magic on the stage, but for those who are interested in feeling it, and watching others feel its effects, The Dreamer is the place to be.

More information on The Dreamer and its performance dates can be found here.

DAN BASTIANELLI: DECEPTION

☆☆☆☆

Dan Bastianelli is a popular guy. At the reviewed evening of Deception his partner and a crowd of his friends attended to support him. They were the most useful type of hecklers. In the opening moments of the show they helped Bastianelli warm up the audience with their exaggerated reactions, and then all quieted down once he got in to the main body of the performance. They deserve more stars than a review site can give them for their exemplary show of support. However, it’s clear that Bastianelli doesn’t need them there every evening, as his perfectly performed magic and nicely structured show speak for themselves.

With an intentionally intimate venue, Bastianelli’s focus is on close up magic. The audience is indeed very close, leaving no room for error. Luckily Bastianelli is a very skilled performer and doesn’t make any errors, or at least none that are visible from about four feet away. Bastianelli performs a variety of magic but the card tricks in particular are all highlights. For fans of card magic, the physical element of the shuffles and findings can be very beautiful, and Bastianelli adds additional elements of physical beauty with card folding and a secret surprise at the very end of the show that is very pretty and very difficult to describe without spoiling it entirely, but it worth looking forward to.

At a close up magic show with an audience that is small by necessity, the audience must go in assuming that the majority of them will end up participating in one form or another. In Deception most of the participation is fairly laid back and achieved from the participants’ seats. Bastianelli comes across as friendly, perhaps an impression augmented at the reviewed show by the presence of several of his friends, and even for the few who stand in the stage area it feels like a relaxed kind of show.

Deception is framed by its butterfly theme, as hinted by the posters. Bastianelli uses this effectively to aid in the description of card tricks and in very pretty non-magic effects performed solely for the audience to enjoy his beautiful props. Other minor motifs run through the show as well, giving Bastianelli extra scaffolding for his effects and narrative. The structure is as admirably precise as the magic, allowing the separate effects to flow together in a way that feels natural.

Bastianelli makes it clear in his advertising that Deception is a close up magic show, and hopefully his audiences are self selecting for those who enjoy these kinds of physically smaller effects. For fans of close up magic this will be the perfect Fringe show to see.

More information on Deception and its performance dates can be found here.

ALEX KOUVATAS: THE MAGIC OF LOVE

☆☆☆

Alex Kouvatas is back at his venue in the basement of the Burrito’n’shake, an admirably central venue. This year they seem to treat him and his fellow performers a bit better, with a relatively quiet environment. If there is the occasional disruption, Kouvatas is ready and willing to get them to quiet down. This year’s show, The Magic of Love, is well themed and performed, if there is the occasional area for improvement.

Kouvatas is an incredibly likable performer. The reviewed show on a weekday afternoon may not have had the largest audience, but he got everyone involved and engaged with the show. Given a slightly longer time slot he would have undoubtedly transformed the group of strangers into new friends. If there is a slightly juvenile element to his performance, especially at the start of the show, it almost feels like an adjustment period as he code switches from performing his children’s show earlier in the day. Performing two shows for an entire month is tiring, it’s not surprising that it takes him a minute to switch to adult mode, although the effect may be slightly jarring to those who don’t track the Fringe magic schedule so closely.

This year’s tricks have moments of exceptional creativity. There’s an unusual visualization trick that gives the audience participant an especially pleasant experience. While this may be limited to the one audience member, they can share it with their neighbors as they retake their seat. Kouvatas also performs a lovely effect involving a story about his family, with impressive magic and a heartfelt message. As Kouvatas continues to develop his brand of themed storytelling magic hopefully more and more of the show will be this beautiful.

There are moments in Kouvatas’s performance where the experienced magic fan may note a slight clumsiness in his performance of certain effects. It’s not all of them, but even with one like the previously mentioned effect involving his family story, the method of the trick could be better concealed. On the other hand, there are moments like the visualization trick that were perfectly performed. Kouvatas’s magic feels like a work in progress, but hopefully one that he continues, as he is a charming and creative performer.

For a sweet magic show with easy access to burritos, The Magic of Love is the one to go to. Kouvatas is always improving and pushing himself creatively. Every Fringe the audience leaves his show wanting to see what he comes up with next.

More information on The Magic of Love and its performance dates can be found here.

CHRIS DINWOODIE: OFF THE CUFF: STAND-UP COMEDY MAGIC

☆☆☆

When audience members find a magician through the Scottish Comedy Festival section of the Fringe, it does prompt the reasonable hope that the magician in question will be both Scottish and funny. Chris Dinwoodie does not disappoint in either respect with his debut Fringe show Off the Cuff. Dinwoodie has a relatively strong accent, which he jokes about right at the start of the show. Luckily he is understandable even to international visitors (if only just at times), as he is hilarious all throughout the show.

If the magic that Dinwoodie performs is not necessarily unique to him, he does perform it especially well. A particularly impressive card counting trick may seem familiar as a trick usually seen performed with two audience participants, but Dinwoodie’s version with just one is that little bit more interesting to frequenters of magic shows. Even without trying to work out the trick, after seeing the exact same one multiple times it can be difficult not to develop theories as to how it’s done, and it’s refreshing to see a variation that disrupts the more obvious of those takes. Dinwoodie’s sillier interludes, such as his playing with a poker chip, are still exciting to watch just as they show off his manual dexterity skills in a fun, visual way.

Dinwoodie interacts with his audience like a comedian, frequently teasing anyone he can spot in the audience. His association with the Scottish Comedy Festival is a warning as much as it’s an advertisement. While this takes up a fair portion of the comedy element of his stage time, he isn’t mean about it. The only marginally tetchy comment at the reviewed show was directed at an audience member who had been making a habit of heckling Dinwoodie, and thus deserved what was coming to him.

Dinwoodie’s ability to gently tease while maintaining the audience’s goodwill was in fact proved beyond doubt at the reviewed show. One of his friendly targets revealed herself to be a Scottish country dancer, and when invited to show off a couple of steps at the end of the show took him up on it for an unexpected end to the afternoon. After soaking up the spotlight for the hour, it was very sweet that Dinwoodie was willing to share his final moments onstage with a talented audience member.

Off the Cuff has plenty of draws that are no doubt each contributing to keeping his venue so busy. Magic fans will enjoy watching a master of that art. Comedy fans will enjoy Dinwoodie’s wit—at this Fringe he is undoubtedly functioning in part as a magic ambassador for fans of comedy who might not see a magician otherwise, and is doing an excellent job in that role. Scotland fans may also enjoy Dinwoodie’s excellent accent. With so many features of excellence and such a central, well ventilated venue, it’s no surprise that Off the Cuff is proving so popular.

TOM BOLTON: GROW UP MAGIC MAN

☆☆☆☆

It would help many people to learn the balance of how much to grow up to function in adult society without losing the joy associated with childhood. Magicians may not have all the answers, but in Grow Up Magic Man, Tom Bolton uses his childhood experiences of magic to try to reintroduce a little bit more of that joy to the adults in his audience, and keep the spark alive for a little bit longer in the children.

Grow Up Magic Man is a family friendly show, and Bolton places an emphasis on inviting the children in his audience to get involved. The shyer children are invited to get involved from their seats while the ones who are visibly excited to join Bolton onstage—even clambering over the seats in a theatre that was clearly not build for magicians—are given roles that are easy to follow and often allow them to be the stars of the routine. One of the most excited children is invited up for the Rubik’s cube trick, which sees the magic happen right in the participant’s hands. The finale trick is exceptional, giving one young participant an experience to remember, and providing a highly visual end to the show.

The way that Bolton presents his magic tends to be fairly sweet, and one of the sweetest is an effect in which he emphasizes the bond between one of the parent-child pairings in the audience. This is a particular effect that is often performed in a way that the participants themselves can’t fully appreciate, which always feels like a shame as they’re the ones putting themselves on display for the rest of the audience to gawk at. Bolton has found a way to remedy this flaw without undercutting the magic of the trick. It takes a little bit more of his stage time, but demonstrates Bolton’s commitment to offering the whole of his audience a magical experience.

A Fringe newcomer, Bolton has not yet built up his Edinburgh fanbase. If the audience of the reviewed show is an indication, Grow Up Magic Man is currently highly under-appreciated. Families with teenage and preteen children may be a particularly good audience for this show, but it has something for everyone. Grown up magic fans will also appreciate the perfect magic and fun story, and maybe even find a renewed belief in magic.

More information on Grow Up Magic Man and its performance dates can be found here.

ANGUS BASKERVILLE: NAUGHTY OR NEURODIVERSE: MAGIC FROM ANOTHER PLANET

☆☆☆

In Naughty or Neurodiverse: Magic from Another Planet, Angus Baskerville uses magic to give insight into his life growing up as a neurodiverse individual. This comes in the form of tributes to influential mentors and media in his life, as well as moments that illustrate his personal outlook on how to live life to its fullest potential. The name of the show could read either “adult entertainment” or “child friendly”, but as the afternoon time slot suggests Naughty or Neurodiverse is decidedly child friendly. It’s an entertaining hour of well performed and largely personalized magic.

One of the primarily perils of performing a child friendly show is that there will often be children in the audience. Even the most adorable can have moments of distractingly chaotic energy. Baskerville was unlucky enough to have a group of three such children in his audience on the day that this show was reviewed. He did everything he could, inviting them to participate at the first opportunity, inviting their responsible adult to participate in an effect that resulted in her being given sweets that she could give them, and, in the end, studiously ignoring and talking over them. Baskerville’s audiences can feel confident that he will deliver his show regardless of audience distractions.

The magic in the show is often personalized to be both child friendly and specific to Baskerville. Magic fans may be aware of an often used effect involving paper bags, which Baskerville has on display onstage as the audience enters his theatre. However, he does not perform the traditional trick, which may have proved frightening for some of his younger audiences, instead combining the trope with an additional mind reading moment for a unique, and less scary, take. Baskerville’s Rubik’s cube narrative is especially sweet, taking another classic of magic and performing it in a way that gives the audience a new perspective.

Baskerville gets a lot of members of the audience involved in the show, some from their seats and some to join his onstage. In a relatively intimate space it is not an intimidating audience, and, while he remains very much the figure in charge, Baskerville creates a friendly atmosphere amongst members of the audience. One individual is tasked with helping the final reveal by writing down specific elements of the show as Baskerville instructs, and makes friends with the others in his immediate vicinity to make sure he tracks all the right information.

Naughty or Neurodiverse may feel, at times, a bit disjointed as a show. The sole unifying feature is Baskerville himself, and while the neurodiversity theme is also present it seems to take second place to Baskerville doing the routines that he likes. They’re good routines, it’s a fair choice, but does result in a show with a slightly less cohesive feel. Nevertheless Baskerville is a talented performer with a natural creativity that will be obvious to all who see this show. Attendants will be left wanting to see more of what he is capable of.

More information on Naughty or Neurodiverse and its performance dates can be found here.

SEAN ALEXANDER: 1 MOMENT IN TIME

☆☆☆☆

From big moments, to small moments, to the precise moment of the performance, 1 Moment in Time is, of course, about time. As themed magic goes, Sean Alexander has committed 100% to his bit. Every single trick, story, and moment in the show is perfectly, precisely on theme. The effect is powerful. Even if some of the coincidences that Alexander finds in the show feel like a bit of a stretch, this is still on theme—the magic is there, but you have to look for it. It might not be a unique theme for a magic show but it’s beautifully illustrated over the course of the hour.

Artistic beauty is in fact the first impression that the audience gets as they enter Alexander’s theatre. (That, and the unusually comfortable seats for a Fringe venue.) Alexander has set up his stage with a selection of paper cut artwork depicting famous impactful moments in time. These are available for the audience to approach and admire as they find their seats. The paper cuttings become a minor motif as well, and the ones featured at the start go on to be involved in something bigger.

Each piece of magic is similarly performed with precision. If there is one hiccup due to a stranger not obliging with their time Alexander pushes through professionally to achieve his reveal. An early indication of his skill is a take on a card trick that is both excellently performed and uniquely suited to the show. One data point is not as compelling a coincidence when a magician can create a total overlap of apparently random chance.

At the reviewed show Alexander ends up working primarily with one member of the audience over the course of several effects—a perfect coincidence, he assured the audience, just like everything else in his show. The primary participant seemed comfortable in Alexander’s presence. With so many tricks that all go perfectly, it is difficult to imagine anything going wrong in joining him onstage.

Perhaps due to the life events that Alexander reveals during the show, he places a high value on time, including that which the audience spends with him, and every moment of every visual and magical effect in 1 Moment in Time is in service of the theme of his show. It does, at times, feel like a masterclass in how to write and perform a themed magic show. If the theme is not unique his telling of it is—everyone has a unique story, and Alexander has mastered the ability of telling his in a way that is beautiful and universal.

More information on 1 Moment in Time and its performance dates can be found here.

DAVE REUBENS: FREAKY MAGIC

☆☆☆

Dave Reubens weaves a freaky tale this Fringe. His Freaky Magic is themed on an heirloom book of cult tales that he received from his ancestors, and the show is structured as a reconstruction of the magical experiments that it contains. Reubens has many skills and the show makes room for him to show off a range of them.

The exact tricks involved may not be especially novel to those who see a lot of magic shows, and if the performance by and large goes to plan there is the odd moment that the sleight involved feels a little more obvious than would be ideal. Specifically, an early moment involving an audience participant’s paper money sees Reubens fondling his contract for a bit longer than he could get away with. He doesn’t quite give away the magic at any point in the show, but it consistently feels like it could be slicker.

The inventive plot line that runs through the show makes it compelling. As has historically been the case with Reubens, he’s family friendly and best suited for slightly older children. The plot of Freaky Magic is gently frightening in a way that will hold kids’ attention and make the show extra memorable for them. Reubens makes an effort to involve the younger audience members in the act, at moments that are age appropriate and suited to the child’s temperament. A shy child on the younger side might be asked to keep an eye on a book from her seat, while a slightly older child might be asked to get involved onstage to commune with the dead.

As with all magic shows, the most unpredictable element is the audience, and the variety of reactions to the tricks can be memorable. It can be refreshing to see the responses of those with less experience—so much of magic is about surprise. A popular category of effect involves a step where an onstage audience participant reveals that a piece of paper has been magically torn. At the moment of this revelation at the reviewed show of Freaky Magic, a seated member of the audience could distinctly be heard to gasp, “someone ate it!” Reubens has many planned jokes and his humor lands with the audience, but sometimes an unfiltered exclamation of amazement just can’t be beat.

Freaky Magic may not yet be perfect, but it’s certainly a fun show, especially for fans of low stakes horror. Younger audience members in particular may be enthusiastic, and will be treated well by Reubens. With the majority of seats filled on a sunny Edinburgh afternoon, he is clearly deservedly successful this Fringe.

More information on Freaky Magic and its performance dates can be found here.

DANIEL SINCLAIR: COMEDY HYPNOSIS SHOW

☆☆☆

Hypnotism tends to be a favorite at the Edinburgh Fringe. Whether people genuinely want to experience hypnosis, want an excuse to be silly, or doubt the reality of hypnosis and come looking for proof, it always gets a large crowd. Daniel Sinclair’s lunchtime Comedy Hypnosis Show at the very central Voodoo Rooms is no exception. The focus is on those looking for direct experience, but Sinclair caters to all classes of audience in his show.

For the ones looking for fun, Sinclair starts his show with the audience being asked to repeat a pledge to have fun and be silly. This is followed up with the audience reshuffling and then being asked to physically interact with each other, splitting up existing groups and making friends of strangers. Hypnotism is not an exact science and no one hypnotist’s stage methods will work on the entire audience, but Sinclair ensures that everyone has a chance to be a bit silly at his show, regardless of their susceptibility to his methods.

The hypnotism portion is of course the primary part of the show. Sinclair places emphasis on allowing everyone who expresses interest to have the opportunity to try to be hypnotized, filling the stage and front row with the keenest for the most focused experience, and encouraging those who don’t manage to get one of these seats to get involved too from wherever they are. A fair proportion of those who take part experience at least some level of hypnosis—clearly his methods are suitable for purpose.

Sinclair acknowledges that there will be skeptics in his audience. Once he has his best hypnotized participants, he shows off the features of their state to prove the veracity of his claims. This is not a big portion of the show, and the focus is always on giving the hypnotized folks the best experience. However it is nice to see Sinclair acknowledging and interacting with all the segments of his audience.

In a popular genre with relatively few performers, hypnotism shows in Edinburgh will undoubtedly all be busy, and even in that environment Sinclair does his best to get as many people as possible involved. Everyone who finds themselves in Sinclair’s audience will find themselves entertained, regardless of their view of hypnotism prior to seeing his show.