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Ever the street performer, Charlie Caper knows how to get his audience hooked quickly. At the reviewed show of his street magic spectacular Magical, Caper was repeatedly interrupted by a Furby he’d brought along from his other show as a flyering aid. Caught without a screwdriver, he proceeded to hack in to the Furby on his computer to get it to stop talking. While that didn’t end up being the most impressive part of the show, it was an incredible first impression, getting the audience on his side pretty much instantly.

Caper’s street magic skills are unmatched. He even performs coin magic with a very large coin for good visibility, making sure that the whole audience can see the effect. While street performance audiences might wander away halfway through, that’s slightly more difficult from the basement of an Edinburgh venue, and Caper structures his show with build and motifs to reward the audience for their fidelity. His bowtie is a perfect example. It might disappear and reappear at random moments—even those who have seen Caper before and therefore expect this running gag may struggle to spot it going—and Caper makes sure to include miniature bowties on various props.

Audience participation is always a chaos factor, and magicians often get the best and the worst of it. Caper was lucky at the reviewed show to get an adorable young boy as a participant for his cup and balls routine. The magician-participant relationship started strong, with Caper jokingly suggesting a few obvious misdirection tactics, and the participant yelling cheerfully for the whole audience to hear, “you can’t trick me!” Naturally Caper proceeded to blow his tiny mind, and the minds of a good few older members of the audience along with it. The participant’s full-body expressions of amazement were visible from the back of the large room.

No Caper show would feel complete without at least one robot. The Magical audience is treated to several, including getting a glimpse of a larger one that features prominently in his other show. Caper has produced many robots over the years, and the audience is treated to a routine from a returning favorite, Caper’s mini-me who performs magic with him. Caper’s little assistant is always a highlight.

Magical is both a perfect exemplar of street magic and a wholesome treatise on living life more magically. Caper closes on an inspiring note, encouraging the audience to romanticize life even when it doesn’t perfectly resemble a fairy tale. Caper’s Magical is a reset and reminder of exactly how good magic can be in the right hands.

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Charlie Caper is not only a magician but also a robotics inventor, and in The Future he brings both skill sets to the stage. Not even the stormy weather in Edinburgh could keep audiences away from his tent for the reviewed show, which was cozily packed full. Caper uses both of his areas of expertise to create a fun, unique experience for his audience.

Caper may be the magician, but when the robots are onstage they tend to steal the show—compliments to his robotics skills. Those who have seen Caper perform at previous Fringes may recognize some of the robot friends that he brings to The Future, and these adorable little creatures are always a welcome sight. However, it’s one of the new ones that causes the biggest stir amongst the audience, with its impressive tricks and surprising capabilities, even joining Caper at the end of the show to receive thanks from the audience as everyone filters out.

Caper often uses his audience to help out with the act, often just to pick a prompt from their seats or lend him an item for a trick. One particular highlight is his mind reading routine, in which his fun, silly bits of showmanship culminate in a visually beautiful form of technological reveal—all without the audience participant having to do anything more than say “yes” to verify that Caper is on the right track.

The magic and robots are perfect, but there are a few moments that indicate that The Future is still a work in progress, which is appropriate enough given that title. These are in the transitions, which are still a bit clunky. Caper even comments on needing to work on one in particular that was especially abrupt. These minor imperfections stand out a bit more as the content of the act as it happens between the transitions is all so perfect. It’s exciting to see Caper’s mind at work as the final joints of this come together.

As Caper describes it, The Future is an exciting place—not without threat, but at the same time, something to get excited about. A child friendly show, it’s especially worth a watch for families looking to inspire their children to pay attention in science class. That being said, the inspiring effects aren’t age dependent. Surely anyone who sees The Future with Caper will feel more curious and excited to watch it unfold outside of his tent.

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The simplicity of the show title “Magical” perfectly reflects Charlie Caper’s 2022 Edinburgh Fringe show.  He doesn’t bother with an overarching plotline for the show, the closest we get is his recurring bowtie magic motif.  However, he is a master of the street magic style that he performs.  Everything bumbles along perfectly in keeping with his slightly scatterbrained character, without him ever losing control of the stage. 

The highlight of Caper’s shows is never the magic, as perfectly performed as it always is.  Caper always brings a selection of the robots that he creates to join in his show, to play the assistant role in a few of his tricks.  It’s the marvel of these robots and the delight of his adorable interactions with them that really sets his shows apart.  This year we only get two of them (Caper’s fans may remember that he devoted his show to introducing us to hundreds of them a few years ago) but they are as delightful as ever.  The most memorable one is given a little bowtie to match Caper’s own. 

The magic that Caper performs may be recognizable to those who attend a lot of magic shows, but here we see it performed flawlessly.  His brief coin trick uses an extra large coin, which is helpful for those seated toward the back of his venue, and his card tricks similarly involve a signed card to make it easier for the whole audience to follow along with the action.  A veteran street magician, it’s evident that Caper has honed his act in front of large crowds and easily avoids any of the usual pitfalls of performing sleight of hand to such a big group.  He is especially charming when he invites a young child on stage to participate in a trick, indulging her curiosity about his props without letting it break his flow. 

In Magical, Caper’s effects are always perfect and often beautiful.  Though he is not especially well advertised, his reputation alone gets him a decent crowd early in the Fringe, which can only grow as word of his current show’s quality spreads.  Fringe goers interested in excellent magic would do well to spend an hour with Caper. 

More information on Charlie Caper and his performance dates can be found here.