Chris Cook

CHRIS COOK: HEIST

☆☆☆☆☆

Watching magician Chris Cook stroll around his stage at the Voodoo Rooms, strum on his guitar and make sarcastic little asides to the audience, you would be forgiven for thinking “oh, so this is his screw around show.” After all, Cook is upfront about having another show, at a non-Free Fringe venue, that he not only put on last year as well but has been touing in the meantime. It’s fair for him to balance that out with a less high pressure, less intense show. Well, maybe Heist is Chris Cook’s screw around show. But for this infuriatingly skillful magician, even his screwing around culminates in a clever, dramatic, and really damn enjoyable performance.

The premise of Heist is that we are going to accomplish one together. Cook collects ideas from the audience about what tropes are necessary in any form of heist based fiction (or fact), like a goal, a crew, etc. He receives some entertaining joke answers, but for the most part the audience understands the mission, and Cook easily guides them where not. He then matches different magic tricks to the different suggestions, effortlessly creating the structure not only of a successful heist, but of a well developed and engrossing magic show.

Among the tricks Cook integrates in Heist are some briliantly dexterous sleight of hand pickpocketing, card tricks (would it be a magic show without one?), and mentalism effects. There isn’t an inherant consistency with the type of tricks used, but they are adeptly integrated into the theme of a heist. Not only that, but where the underlying methodologies may not be original, the way Cook presents his tricks makes it seem like they are. This show will be enjoyable to anyone and everyone, but in particular if you have seen a lot of magic shows, Cook’s unusual presentation is a breath of fresh air.

The most powerful skill Cook brings to the stage is not his well crafted premises or even his flawless technique. It is his easy, perfect connection to his audience. It’s hard to pin down exactly what Cook is doing that gives him such likable stage presense. Likely part self aware mockery, part confidence, but mostly just that he seems like he is having so much fun on stage, and you in the audience desperately want to be along for the ride. Heist is a delightful and diverting hour of undeniably masterous magic.

CHRIS COOK: FAKE

☆☆☆☆☆

Who is going to believe a magician? Everything they do and say is fake, after all. Well, audiences of Chris Cook’s Fake need not fear, we did some fact checking, and the story he weaves has truth to it. How much, only Cook could say. It’s up to you if you believe him, and it’s also up to you if it matters. At one point of Fake, Cook quotes Kipling’s “it’s pretty, but is it Art?”. While this line could inspire an enire Fringe worth of shows and never come to any conclusion about the parameters in which we can define art, here at World Magic Review we just go ahead and executively decide that magic shows are indeed art. And Cook’s Fake is not only pretty, not only art, but is in fact a triumph of magical storytelling.

The storyline of Fake is to follow the history of early 20th century art forger Han van Meegeren, who found success forging works of art masters, most notably Vermeer. Within this story, the audience of Fake not only learns a little something about art history, but experiences skillful magic along the way. The test of a solid narrative magic show is how each element would hold up if the other was eliminated. Without magic, Fake is a TED Talk about van Meegeren and the William Ellsworth Robinson, a magician who used falsehood not only in his act but as part of his entire public persona. Cook’s delivery just on these historical truths is strong enough that yes, it could stand as an entirely magicless show.

Then on the other side, without the history of these figures, Cook would be forced to be successful on the strength of his adeptability in creative magic effects and skillful sleight of hand, something attendees of his past shows will know he is more than capable of. During Fake, Cook incorporates a brief linking rings trick, then quickly segues it into something much more personal and compelling to the audience. Later, he successfully performs a memorable bullet catch (believe us, this is exactly what happens. Chris Cook catches a bullet live inside an Edinburgh venue. The participant can even show you the bullet!)

While both the storytelling and the magic of Fake are independantly strong enough to be successful even were they alone, the marriage of the two facets together are the true hallmark of a Cook performance. Cook not only shows off his almost annoying skill at sleight of hand, but he is first in class at making the audience care. And not only care for frivolous, ‘fake’ reasons that only stand up to scrutiny within the confines of his venue, but for actual reasons that we can connect to at personal and visceral levels, whether we were a participant in a trick or just a viewer.

Speaking of participation, this aspect is at a lower level than many magic show or even at Cook’s own historical leve. However, he maintains his ability to interact with his audience in a genuinely respectful way, only targeting people who are comfortable being involved, and only showing them encouragement and support as they step out of their comfort zones to join him.

Fake is not just a magic show but an exploration of magic as an artform. Along the way, attendees get to see some legitimately impressive magic tricks and learn a bit about the art world and Cook’s investigation of it – captivating, engrossing, and maybe just a little fake.

CHRIS COOK: FAKE

☆☆☆☆☆

If anyone is most qualified to tell the world not to believe everything they see, it would probably be a magician. That’s what Chris Cook would like the audiences for his new show Fake to believe, at least. A Fringe veteran and mainstay, Cook is notable for creating an all new show at each Fringe, making him exciting to see every year. Fake is no different in that respect. Cook squeezes even more in than usual this year yet his hour long show flies by.

Despite his trademark approach of illustrating his points with a relatively minimal amount of magic, Cook’s excellence in magic is crucial as ever, and he does not disappoint. Even those who have seen Cook perform a few of his favorites in prior years would have trouble spotting the exact moment when the magic happens, and there is magic that is new to him this year too. A returning favorite is Cook’s take on the linking rings trick, but here he also demonstrates the classic. Cook’s returning fans may be surprised to even see this prop sitting on his stage as they walk in. They will be reassured as he performs—Cook’s magic remains as creative as ever.

The theme of artistic fraud for a magic show could go in so many different directions. Cook keeps his story straight by mostly sticking to art history, with a few relevant diversions, telling the tale of the art fraud perpetrated by a specific forger. One of the main differences between art fraud and magic is that magic audiences expect and welcome deceit. Where the purchaser of a fraudulent work of art might feel ripped off, the magic audience that is deceived has gotten their money’s worth. That is to say, to those who don’t know art history, Cook’s entire art history tale could be made up, for all they know. Cook demonstrates to the audience that he is not a reliable source of information—entirely appropriately for a magician—and thus shows them the modern relevance of discussing historic fraud. ‘Fake news’ may be a modern buzzword, but humans have had limited knowledge and attention since probably forever. It’s not a new problem and no one is immune, not even art experts, magic fans, or magicians. For humanity, falling for misdirection (whether it’s magic, art fraud, or fake news) is a feature, not a bug. After Cook’s show his audience will have had an entertaining demonstration of just how easily they are fooled. Maybe he won’t fix the culture wars in one Fringe, but raising awareness of the flawed innate tendency to believe that one’s own view is the only true objective one chips away at what fuels them. Cook is once again making the world a better place, one audience at a time.

With his lightly magical approach, the audience is slightly more safe from being called upon to join in the act than they may be at the average magic show, but participation is still an element. At the reviewed show Cook made some great picks for his participants. One in particular helped him with imagined props, getting in to the fun and enhancing the sequence. Ever the professional, Cook ably balanced giving his participant his due with making sure the show stayed on track.

Cook is a master of crafting perfectly themed magic and storytelling shows. Fake is exactly that, a magically told story, with the chance to look at some art on the way. Cook’s final message is uplifting, for those who look to art for meaning in these troubled times. And either way, the show will make the audience think. For a bit of magic, a bit of storytelling, and a lot of heart, Cook’s Fake is the show to see.

CHRIS COOK: THE ART OF TAKING PART

☆☆☆☆☆

Last year, Chris Cook celebrated ten years of performing at the Fringe. This year, promotion for his new show The Art of Taking Part sounds almost like an abdication of his role as a magician, giving the show over to the audience to provide entertainment for each other. In practice this is not the case. The audience does not need to fear that they are being put on the spot to create the show for their peers, Cook’s guiding hand ensures that the show stays magically on course.

On the rainy weekday evening that this show was reviewed, the fact that Cook managed to get any audience at all was very impressive. Those that were there were the ones who really wanted to experience the show, which was actually perfect for the type of performance that it is. Every participant that Cook brought to the stage was enthusiastic in taking on their roles. There is an element of random selection as well, and for two of the elements requiring a very minor bit of physical skill Cook had the misfortune of selecting one of the most physically incapable people in the room, possibly in the world—this reviewer. Even then, Cook managed to keep the show on track with kindness and professionalism.

To celebrate The Art of Taking Part, Cook regularly rewards his participants for joining him on stage. This is not achieved just through physical gifts, although those do appear on occasion, but Cook also places emphasis on tricks that happen in his participants’ hands, or that center the participant as the one taking credit for the magic part of the segment. One trick in particular sees a volunteer member of the audience take over the role of the central performer, and at the reviewed show she really got in to it, fully appreciating her share of the spotlight. Nevertheless it is clear that Cook is pulling the magical strings, there are plenty of skilled reveals over the course of the show.

Over the course of the show, The Art of Taking Part is revealed to be as much a manifesto on the nature of magic as an art form as it is the title of the show—the necessity of interaction with the audience is one of the key aspects of magic that sets it apart from most other performance arts. Cook devotes his show in part to celebrating this feature of magic, which gives the performer a unique ability to connect directly with members of the audience on a personal level. Arguably this facet is the crucial factor that has enabled Cook to create ten years of Fringe shows that are slowly but surely making the world a better place. At the same time, it’s a deeply silly show that gives the audience a chance to embrace the fun of magic, often in their own hands.

Cook’s habitual emphasis on guiding his audience toward self improvement is still very much present this year; regular fans will not be disappointed. For the perfect blend of seriousness and silliness The Art of Taking Part is the place to be.

More information on The Art of Taking Part and its performance dates can be found here.

CHRIS COOK: JAZZ MAGIC

☆☆☆☆

Of all the shows to describe as a “hidden gem” it may seem oddest when applied to one of Fringe institution Chris Cook’s ventures, but that is the lasting impression of his later evening show Jazz Magic. Cook has cultivated this aura of secrecy, even going so far as to list the show as “cabaret” so it shows up as a different color than the other magic shows in the PBH’s famous blue book. It’s not really a show, more like Cook’s office hours. While he appears delighted that people show up, the audience gets the impression that he would be equally content to sit alone in the air conditioned basement, drinking tea and practicing tricks by himself if no one visited.

As a non-show, Cook makes minimal plans for the hour and is open to suggestions from the audience. Each show becomes a personal experience for the exact audience that is in that evening. Introverts would be advised to bring their preferred dominant extrovert friend who would feel comfortable making requests, but even when the group is uncertain Cook runs through some of his best smaller-magic tricks that don’t often make it in to the scripted show. Cook is a multitalented showman who could undoubtedly perform an entire hour of card tricks, or make it through the whole hour with no card tricks, or, if the audience asks nicely, even do a handstand or some juggling. The options are endless.

It can be to tell when the magician is genuinely performing their new or unusual tricks for those who have seen that magician fairly frequently. At the reviewed Jazz Magic Cook did indeed perform tricks that he hasn’t been seen to perform before, and even that those who see a lot of magic shows may not have ever seen any magician perform before. It helps that the venue is pretty magical as well. An unexpected magical moment occurred when Cook broke a wine glass and then fixed it with a few magical hand gestures—no one other than the venue staff knew that the wine glasses had screw-on bases (or did they?)

Cook impressively received a “keep it Fringe” grant to help fund his scripted show, but Jazz Magic feels even more Fringe. No where else but the PBH would a performer be able to essentially hold office hours every day for a whole month to try out new and in-progress magic tricks on a fresh audience every evening. Audience members may find it helpful to bring suggestions, whether vague or specific, and perhaps a vibrator and a hat if they are so inclined. Cook will take it from there.

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

CHRIS COOK: ARROWS

☆☆☆☆☆

Chris Cook has been a Fringe institution for a full decade, and celebrated this milestone with a one night only show Arrows in his home, the Voodoo Rooms. Arrows contained all the classic Cookery his fans have come to love, but as much as it’s a celebration of Cook’s full body of work, as the title suggests there’s one stunt effect in particular that’s highlighted as exceptional. It was both a celebration and genuine entertainment from a superstar performer, and for one Monday evening in August it was the place to be in Edinburgh.

Arrows was as much a personal celebration for Cook as it was a show for the audience, which came through in several ways that only made the whole event more enjoyable. The audience itself was fantastic, with the majority consisting of personal friends and family or fans who were all immediately 100% behind everything that Cook said and did onstage. Cook even invited his girlfriend to join him onstage for an adorable final segment, and she briefly upstaged him with her perfect comic timing, getting one of the biggest laughs of the evening.

The magic involved was mostly familiar favorites, cleverly put together to form a cohesive theme around the titular arrow sequence. The jazz magic style of the first few tricks seamlessly blended with the more structured arrow-based second half. A highlight was a card corner trick that Cook performed with one of the Voodoo Rooms staff, who seemed incredibly excited to be included onstage.

However, the main point of the show was the arrow bits themselves. Cook had performed this neoclassical take on a bullet catch in a few previous Fringes and it’s a fan favorite—it retains the show of physical invulnerability from Cook, the magician, but shares this experience with an audience participant, and adds an aspirational element that is focused on Cook and his participant but that the entire audience can get involved in. It’s intended as a challenge to the audience to take concrete steps towards following their dreams, but of course art is always open to interpretation. It can equally have an effect on audience members who have just taken a big step towards following a lifelong dream, and come in to the show doubting if they’ve made the correct decision. Watching a charismatic man in a stylish outfit do an impossible thing and then say it’s worthwhile to follow your dreams can be oddly comforting, and a great reminder to those who are already living out a childhood dream of how lucky they are to have been able to do so.

Arrows was the perfect celebration of Cook’s first ten years of Fringe performing. Here’s to many more.

CHRIS COOK ASKED A ROBOT TO WRITE HIM A FIVE-STAR SHOW AND THIS IS WHAT IT SAID

☆☆☆☆

In his 2023 Fringe show ‘Chris Cook Asked a Robot to Write Him a Five-Star Show and This Is What It Said’, magician Chris Cook toys with the idea of letting his show be born through requests to ChatGPT, a popular AI info generator. Never fear that your favourite magicians will be replaced by AI however, what ensues is the journey of Cook interacting with and responding to the suggestions rather than a thoughtless script provided by robot overlords.

The suggestions of effects provided to Cook by AI bring to attention exactly how formulaic magic shows can get when lacking a magician’s personal touch. From insistence for a revealed elephant (difficult to do in a Fringe venue hardly larger than an elephant itself) to a perfunctory “read a mind!”, ChatGPT clearly lacks the forethought and creativity that, fortunately, Cook is very capable of bringing. He attempts to respond to the best computer-generated ideas by nothing less than sourcing chemically disgusting candy in the hopes of opening his and his audience participants’ minds, and traveling through time.

Cook is clearly aware that the factors that have historically elevated his shows are his confidence in forming classic magical effects around elements of modernity, and his mission of bringing out the best parts of humanity. The combination of these factors means that Cook’s shows almost always feel refreshing and authentic, and to fully hand over creation of a show to AI would seem to be sacrificing one of these aspects to the other. Instead, Cook creates a twist on this concept that makes this potential pitfall the very point of the entire exercise. He is a peerlessly skillful magician, not only in his relentless creativity but in his total technical competence in sleight of hand.

Ultimately, whether ChatGPT agrees or not, the most important part of technological progress is making sure that the world only becomes a better place for our children and generations to come, something Cook professes personal motivation for. And when it may seem like a cost of this progress could be a siloed perspective of only the base elements of magic, Cook reminds us that it is through connecting with our friends and loved ones and doubling down on our humanity that we are best able to take advantage of technological developments while never losing sight of the magic the world, and particularly Cook, is capable of.

CHRIS COOK: REFLECTIONS

☆☆☆☆☆

Chris Cook is a Free Fringe institution, now returned to his perennial late afternoon slot in the ballroom of the Voodoo Rooms, a PBH magic hub. Like many of us, Cook has done some reflecting over the course of the pandemic. Unlike most of us, he has transformed his ruminations in to a thoughtful and inspiring magic show, Reflections.

For the repeat attendees in his audience the tricks and themes of Reflections may feel reminiscent of Cook’s past shows. A few strong magical and emotional beats from 2017’s Control come through in particular. Fans of Cook’s more meta work will also not be disappointed, as the show develops to touch on the unacknowledged energy that we share in in-person interaction through the lens of the relationship between a magician and their audience.

The magic in Cook’s shows is always flawless. A highlight of this year is a mentalist effect featuring a multicolored cube. The first half of this is often performed in popular late-night mentalist acts, but here Cook adds a magic twist that keeps the audience on their toes. The segment leading in to this, that began with a full audience participation, is a highlight as well. This got several individuals fiercely competitive for the chance to join Cook onstage. At the reviewed show Cook dealt with an unusually lively audience, but had little trouble maintaining control of the room.

Cook’s brand of emotive magic is invariably an absolute delight. His late afternoon shows are an invitation to consider your life, regardless of the title (“Reflections” of course openly encourages this), while watching some magic and listening to some stories. If you’re open to it this will be a comfort—a sort of guided meditation with plenty of jokes and a sprinkling of magic. Cook is gradually making the world a better place one audience at a time. While he talks about how his audience can show their appreciation for his magic tricks, this is his biggest effect and it’s a shame that there’s no defined moment for him to appreciate it.

It’s difficult to review Cook without sounding like a member of his cult, and perhaps it only makes it worse to say that if you attend his shows you’ll understand. That being said? This is definitely one to see. His always are.

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

CHRIS COOK: CONSEQUENCES

☆☆☆☆☆

Chris Cook regularly tests the boundaries of what can be defined as a magic show, and Consequences, his new and most meta show, is no exception. It is less of a “magic” show and more of an exploration of how magic shows, or at least Cook’s shows specifically, are made. There might be the initial fear that, due to this subject matter, Consequences risks becoming self-absorbed and bogged down in the individual problems of this one performer. Fortunately the other regular feature of Cook’s shows is his inspirational take on audience participation, at which he is almost uniquely effective—and in this Consequences is again no exception.

Those who have seen Cook previously might recognize many of the tricks used in Consequences as his dependable standbys. This makes sense in the context of the show. In a scene where he pretends to be performing at a children’s birthday party it makes sense to see him perform a card trick with an especially sweet ending. In a show with an overarching theme of struggling to come up with new ideas this recycling of tricks is simultaneously cleverly immersive and cheekily self-referential.

Cook’s magical abilities are superb. Perhaps in part because Consequences uses so many recycled tricks, Cook performs each one essentially flawlessly. This is particularly important in a show such as Consequences, as a less skilled magician complaining about the trials of successful show-writing might come across as bitter and resentful. Cook’s undeniable expertise bolsters Consequences’ implicit claims to genuine self reflection.

Many magic shows end with the magician revealing that they had predicted the audience’s behavior from the very beginning, turning the entire show into one big mentalist trick. The ending of Consequences is almost exactly the opposite. Cook attributes the success of his final magic trick to the power of a chosen audience member’s aspirations rather than his own skill, and his final “reveal” is nonsensically circular in a way that somehow still supports Cook’s ultimately inspirational message.

Consequences is an interestingly constructed and heartwarming magic show with a lot of character. Cook’s onstage persona might be seen to struggle with creating an inventive new show, but the effectiveness of Consequences is evidence in support of Cook’s imaginative talents.

More information on Chris Cook and his performance dates can be found here.

CHRIS COOK: ENTROPY

☆☆☆☆☆

Chris Cook performs Entropy differently every evening, varying the show apparently largely based on whim. This, he explains, is one of the reasons why he has chosen to call it Entropy—the universe’s tendency toward chaos, a fittingly playful anti-theme for this show.

Many of the tricks performed on the occasion of this review showcase Cook’s creative approach of magic. He might start a routine card trick, but he doesn’t stop after finding his participant’s card, instead building a new trick from the remnants that would more commonly be discarded. Magic fans will almost certainly see something new and different the first time that they watch Cook perform. In Entropy, there is a decent chance that even those who have seen him frequently will get to do so as well.

Cook was unlucky in having an especially disruptive audience member, but he did not let her derail his show, instead allowing her to join him onstage and become a part of it. When she takes up more of his time than planned, Cook ramps up his energy levels to deliver a speedily satisfying conclusion to the show at the last minute. Cook sets a casual tone for this performance and looks like he is enjoying his time on stage, but when circumstances are less than perfect the audience gains a better appreciation for how hard he is working to curate this experience for them.

The degree of spontaneity in Cook’s performance of Entropy is evidence of his incredible skill as both a magician and a performer. Cook has earned the calculated laziness of not carefully planning the flow of his show. He has perfected his individual routines and transition patter to the point that he can confidently use them to build the show that he wants to perform on the day. Watching a performer with that much trust in his own abilities, clearly justified by his performance, is always going to be a pleasure.

Cook is unflappably charming and his magic technique is flawless. The specifics of Entropy might change from one day to the next, and this is a point in its favor. After seeing it once, the audience will want to return as soon as they can to find out what else Cook is capable of.

More information on Chris Cook and his performance dates can be found here.