magic

ANDREW FROST: JUST LET ME HAVE THIS

☆☆☆☆

Popular card magician Andrew Frost seldom uses other props, but in his new Fringe show Just Let Me Have This he breaks with tradition to briefly consult a dictionary. So, it’s fitting that as his audience filtered out, one woman could be heard saying to her friend, “I’m the definition of flabbergasted!”

Frost is a friendly stage presence from the moment that the audience enters, greeting folks as they come in and getting early arrivals to help with the set up for a trick while the rest make their way in. Like most magic shows Frost uses a significant portion of the audience in the act, and at the reviewed show his friendly demeanor is, at times, tested by the unexpected nature of these interactions. Luckily Frost is a true professional, remaining kind to his participants even when they mistakenly undercut the occasional reveal.

The magic that Frost performs is, as his fans will have come to expect, primarily card magic. It can be a challenge to make an hour of card magic feel varied enough to hold an audience’s attention, and even more so for an annual regular like Frost, but you wouldn’t know it to watch him perform. This year he does include a few other props, including a couple of books and even a mathematical prediction, which he performs with his usual skill. However, Frost evidently knows what his fans come back for, and the card tricks he performs are the clear highlights.

Frost also leans in to his storytelling talent this year, spending slightly more time telling the audience the stories from his life that augment the tricks. He is an entertaining speaker, frequently getting laughs as big as the applause for his magic. In a festival known for having possibly too many comedians, this may not be the factor that sets him apart, but it certainly increases his appeal.

If the sold out reviewed show is anything to go by, Frost’s previous ventures have cemented his status as the Fringe’s favorite card magician. In a way Just Let Me Have This is more of the same, with its perfect card magic to satisfy his fans and gain him more. It’s also different enough to make Frost a reliable performer to keep coming back to. Frost has become the must-see for card magic fans, and Just Let Me Have This will only help that reputation grow.

FORGET ABOUT ME

☆☆

Breaking up the magic fan’s usual Fringe schedule with something a bit different, Forget About Me is as much a horror play as it is a magic show. It’s also very funny. As the audience enters the theater space, Dylan Howells stands in a bathtub shrouded in a curtain—the perfect introduction to a show about a ghost in the bathroom. While it may not be as frightening as the more ardent horror fans might prefer, or have as much magic as fans of that art form might like, it’s an interesting blend of the two, helmed by a skilled performer who easily holds the audience’s attention.

Howells uses magic to illustrate his story to often good effect. There was a slightly sloppy moment at the reviewed show when Howells cleared away a few props in front of the audience, visibly snapping a string and challenging the audience’s suspension of disbelief. While the rest of the effects were performed well, when the magic is so sparse such a noticeable imperfection has a greater effect. On the other hand, the effect that Howells uses at the end is cleverly done to highlight and indeed augment the final plot reveal, in a particularly impressive use of magic.

As a mixed genre show, Howells asks for fairly minimal audience interaction. He requests a few pieces of input from the seats and doesn’t bring anyone onstage with him. Howells’s primary interaction is with his tech man and voice performer, and their stage chemistry is a highlight. Both have excellent comedic timing that they use to bring a welcome levity to the show.

While Forget About Me is horror, it’s structured to feel accessible to those who may not be as enthusiastic about being scared. The scary moments are well signposted, making mental preparation easier to do. The final plot twist may be easy to predict, even by viewers who don’t partake often with from the genre, which is perhaps unavoidable given the ubiquity of these tropes in popular culture. However, Howells’s use of magic makes it interesting again.

Howells is an engaging performer and Forget About Me is an interestingly constructed show. It may not be the tidiest blend of magic and horror, but Howells’s charm makes watching it an enjoyable experience. The reviewed show was early in the run and Howells will perhaps benefit from the chance to develop the show over the course of the Fringe. Howells’s creative approach to both magic and horror, not to mention his talent as a performer, makes Forget About Me worth seeing, particularly for fans of both genres.

TAIWAN SEASON: BIRTHDAY PARTY

☆☆☆☆

It’s not really a party if there’s no magician around. Lin Lu-Chieh has had plenty of experience providing the magic in other people’s parties, but this year at Taiwan Season: Birthday Party he is both the magic and the celebrant, throwing an exceptionally magical birthday party for himself and inviting the entire Edinburgh Fringe to celebrate with him.

Lu’s magic and routines are consistently and delightfully birthday party themed. Scottish audiences may even learn a little bit about Taiwanese culture, with one of Lu’s early routines showcasing a candy that he grew up eating at friends’ birthday parties. A later highlight is Lu’s celebratory take on a dangerous magic classic, making this usually serious effect feel unusually playful and fun.

Both magic and birthday parties often require more than one person for maximum effect, and Lu does indeed invite the occasional participant to join him onstage. An affable host, Lu makes them all feel welcome. At the reviewed show, it was notable that Lu attracted a particularly friendly audience. When one participant who had arrived alone was involved in an effect that she couldn’t witness due to her role in it, an audience member seated near her quickly filled her in once she returned to her seat, without disrupting the next routine. The fact that his audience was willing to pitch in is a testament to the type of people that he is attracting to his show.

Lu’s Birthday Party is undoubtedly a success, both as a party and as a show. With its early time slot, Lu wisely keeps it family friendly to maximize appeal. While he does indulge in the very occasional joke that is more aimed at children, Birthday Party is largely performed to appeal to adult audiences as well. If birthday parties are the individual’s annual celebration of themselves, the Fringe is undoubtedly the performing arts community’s equivalent. Lu’s Birthday Party Fringe show is the perfect way to mark both occasions, celebrating himself and the art of magic.

JUSTIN WILLMAN: ONE FOR THE AGES

☆☆☆☆

How much magic makes a magic show… a magic show? What percentage of focus on sleight of hand, trickery, or carefully designed deceit is enough to say, ‘this is a Magic Show’? At this publication, we will review even the tiniest amount, eager to engage with every performance that even touches the world of magic. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t a topic worth pondering. Justin Willman is, undeniably, a magician. In his show One For the Ages, you will find all the comfortable classics you yearn for – cards to pick from, a thing turned into another thing, a word plucked from the very recesses of your mind. If you’re looking for originality in your magic, this is not the place. But the focus of One For The Ages seems a bit different. It seems magic tricks may be the skeleton, but humanity the filling.

Willman radiates openness (ironic for a magician) and down-to-earthness. His banter with the audience is eagerly received because for a lack of a better word, it is simply so normal. Willman is a working magician with a Netflix show and multiple appearances on daytime televison. Show attendees can be sure that every word he says and every breath he takes have been rehearsed down to the second. But he still manages to make it not feel that way. He makes every joke feel organic, and weaves his storytelling so languorously that you legitimately forget to expect the magic trick that comes at the end of it.

If this is an impressive skill to witness, it is not his only one. Willman’s sleight of hand is cleanly done and his show designed with enough variety to stay interesting, while still focusing around a few central moments that set a good pace for the night. Even more impressive is his – skill? luck? with audience participants. Perhaps Milwaukee is just a city teeming with character, and Willman had a 100% chance of getting a star as he brought multiple people on the stage to take part on long effects. But experience does not back that up, and more likely the culprit is just his practiced hand at setting participants up to succeed. The two main participants at the show reviewed were darn near show stealers in their own right, particularly a young lady who may have skewed a little too close to curiously skeptical for Willman’s taste in the end.

While the show was certainly designed to be completely family friendly and was clearly mostly intended for the under 18 set, it still full of tongue in check risque jokes to keep the elders entertained. Willman also wisely includes nods to Milwaukee’s favourite magic son (he was here for a few years in his young adulthood! That’s close enough!), Harry Houdini. And ranging from extensive audience interaction, literally running around the venue, and just exuberant clownishness, Willman’s show really does encompass enough to keep anyone entertained.

CHAMPIONS OF MAGIC: HOLIDAY SPECTACULAR TOUR 2025

☆☆☆☆

No good magician, nor performance artist of any type, backs away from a challenge. And to be part of an ensemble show when engaging in an artform that thrives on forging a unique identity is certainly that. Here at World Magic Review, we are wary of ensemble shows for exactly that reason, but the Champions of Magic prove that not only will they not back away from that challenge, but they will spend over a decade becoming quite possibly the best at it in the business.

The Champions’ show kicks off with an immediate burst of energy, with not a moment to lull an audience into it when there is so much trickery to accomplish in 90 minutes. This could go either way, and in the beginning the laughs are light, but the Champions’ effusive energy, particularly on the parts of magicians Richard Young and Sam Strange, ultimately wins them over.

This show has it all – cardistry, “close up” magic, grand illusions, mentalism, and escapology, and more. The four performers: the aforementioned Young and Strange, Liberty Larsen, and Fernando Velasco spread the disciplines between themselves, but still share so much stage time and assist in each other’s tricks so much that the entire show feels cohesive and well plotted. The Champions favor classic tricks that a magic fan is likely to be familiar with, but do an excellent job of constructing narratives around them in a way that make them feel unique. Not only that, but the Christmas theme is lightly, but cleverly, woven within the show.

The most and least compelling of the storylines are actually done by the same magician, Fernando Velasco. Velasco thrives with his variation on a Spirit Cabinet that connects the audience with the most famous Christmas ghost story. It is equal parts cheeky and earnest, and is delightful to see included in a non- Spiritualist centered magic show. He does misstep elsewhere, however, by missing an easy opportunity to localize a Houdini inspired escape when performing in Milwaukee, WI. Houdini grew up in nearby Appleton after his family moved to the US, and moved to Milwaukee for a portion of his young adulthood, which would undeniably make Milwaukeeans consider him a local boy and win any magician to call it out their favor. Coupled with fellow magician Larsen making nervous ‘windy city’ jokes when struggling to keep a card tower stable (and on a day the Packers lost to the Bears! Oh the controversy!), this unfortunately gave the impression that the simple work of making a few adjustments to connect to locals was not made a priority once tour cities were chosen.

Regardless, the Champions of Magic have created a fun holiday experience with this show, which easily delights the children of their audience and charms the adults too with their unfettered silliness and joy to be performing. Group magic shows are a difficult balance to maintain, and the Champions do it better than any other contemporary act.

RENZ NOVANI: SHAKESPEARE: MASTER OF THE MIND

☆☆☆☆☆

Magician and mentalist Lorenzo ‘Renz’ Novani has crafted a new show that has a bit of something for everyone. Shakespeare: Master of the Mind has the flawless mentalism that Novani is perhaps best known for, augmented with magic and storytelling that keeps the audience entertained while he educates them about Shakespeare. At the Fringe there’s a decent chance that the average audience will know Shakespeare better than the general public, which is to Novani’s benefit as the audience is extra locked in for him. But there’s no need to come with any special knowledge, Novani will provide it.

The magic and mentalist effects performed are perfectly themed to Shakespeare’s works. An early magical highlight is themed on Romeo and Juliet, featuring Novani revealing the connection between two strangers in just a few minutes—luckily a little bit longer than it took for that famous couple to decide that they had their own special connection as that ended poorly. Novani’s effect has a much nicer conclusion, with the participants’ connection being demonstrated through cards, touch, and books. The mentalism is equally flawless and perfectly themed. A slight but clever variation in the timing of a classic magician’s prop for prophecy, the infamous sealed envelope to be opened and read at the performer’s prompting, makes this format feel unusually impressive.

With a very full room at the reviewed show, Novani has ample choice of participants to help him make the magic happen. There are several moments when the entire audience can get involved in the selection process, via Novani’s funny Shakespeare inspired prompts. Audience participants always have the greatest potential to provide an impromptu test of a magician’s improvisation skills, and Novani passes his handily, clarifying any misunderstood instructions with charm and good humor.

Novani may be the artist onstage but Shakespeare’s presence is felt at every turn. The audience will probably learn new things about this famous playwright, and will definitely at least gain a new appreciation of his work and life. It’s a loving tribute that will probably speak most to Shakespeare fans but is easily accessible for those who are less familiar with his work as well. A Fringe regular, at Novani’s reviewed second night of his show he managed to acquire a sizable crowd and earn an enthusiastic standing ovation. The quality that earns him both the audience and their applause is evident to all who are lucky enough to witness him work. Shakespeare: Master of the Mind is a beautiful masterpiece of a magic show and tribute act.

DAVID ALNWICK: OCCULT ILLUSIONIST

☆☆☆☆☆

Busiest magic bee David Alnwick’s midafternoon show Occult Illusionist is as popular as is the norm for him, even on the reviewed weekday afternoon. His fans travelled from as far away as Los Angeles, to visit Edinburgh but also with the specific intention of seeing Alnwick perform. It’s a different kind of show even by the standards of the eclectic range of talent that Alnwick always brings to the Fringe. Here he explores the junction and overlap between magic and mysticism, throughout history and even into the modern era and his own life.

In a show that’s relatively light on distinct magic routines it’s key that the magic included is performed perfectly, and luckily Alnwick handily delivers. One of the more interesting pieces gets the whole audience involved in the set up. It’s notable because this whole-audience involvement element isn’t just set up for an effect, but a genuinely fun and interesting exercise in itself. Each audience member can get something out of the process, in a way that manages to feel personalized even with Alnwick guiding the entire group through the process at once. In the end the output produced is used in a mentalist effect, with dramatic and accurate results. This underlines the “set up” process and makes it feel especially magical and memorable without overshadowing it; both pieces of the puzzle feel key to Alnwick’s point.

In a ritual magic performance participating might feel a little more intimidating, but not so with Alnwick. A veteran magician, he openly values his participants and makes sure they know that he’s on their side. When prompts may make audience members uncomfortable Alnwick gives a clear alternative that would allow them to avoid the discomfort without drawing attention to themselves.

While Alnwick’s Banshee Labyrinth shows have historically been fairly frightening, Occult Illusionist has a calmer, more spiritualist-adjacent energy. Alnwick wants to talk about life, death, and belief, through a magical lens and is appropriately respectful in how he approaches these topics. While naturally the information he chooses to share reflects his own perspective, he does by and large stick to sharing historical examples of the topics that he discusses. It’s a fascinating look at this aspect of the history of magic, from a magician who seems to have thought about it a lot.

Occult Illusionist is ideal for the magic fan looking to dive a little deeper into the backstory of this performance art. Audience members leave with a new appreciation for magicians and even some of their more popular props—and of course for Alnwick himself, who has once again reached into his seemingly endless collection of magical skill sets to create another unusual show.

IGOR LIPINSKI: PIANO ILLUSIONS

☆☆☆☆

Igor Lipinski may not be the only magician to combine his skills in magic and music, but the music and magic rarely feel as classy as in his Piano Illusions. The venue is slightly outside the main Fringe center but he’s worth the venture. Notably on the venue front, St Mark’s only charges their acts to rent the space so the full ticket price goes to the performers, making this beautiful space one of the more ethical venues—hopefully this is working out in Lipinski’s favor. Lipinski combines magic and music in increasingly interesting ways throughout the show, making for especially interesting and entertaining viewing.

As many may have realized from the title of the show, Lipinski is a pianist and uses his piano in both setting up and revealing his magic. A highlight in both realms sees his equally musically skilled wife, flautist Anna Chenoweth Lipinski, join him onstage for a lovely duet that also perfectly sets up and accompanies a romantically themed magic trick. While the trick might start in the expected way, the reveal is unusual, with specifics that may even make it unique at this Fringe. Novelty is rare and not required at magic shows, but it’s certainly nice to see when it happens.

While Lipinski is demonstrably hugely talented, he may benefit from adjusting the angles of his magic at times to preserve the illusion for the full audience. This is particularly noticeable from the first couple of rows when he performs his card finding routine. His sleight of hand doesn’t feel clumsy, it just looks like he may be more accustomed to performing it for individuals rather than both performing for a specific participant plus a whole audience at the same time. That being said, the card finding is a great routine that, at the reviewed show, earned specific compliments from the participant, who was evidently trying unsuccessfully to work out how it was done.

Like all magicians, Lipinski uses participants at times to make the magic more magical. Audience participants are obviously a benefit to the magician, but Lipinski particularly excels at making participation feel like a real benefit to the audience members who undertake it as well. Whether it’s a uniquely magical souvenir or a routine that makes the participant feel like they had a hand in making something magical happen, this is an especially positive show to participate in.

A properly mixed bill, there is a significant proportion of music mixed in with the magic. This is not a music review site, but both Lipinskis are definitely pleasant to listen to. Igor Lipinski in particular, as the primary star of the show, demonstrates his musical art in a way that almost feels educational. Those who come to the show more due to the magic may find a new appreciation for the ways that a pianist as skilled as Lipinski can manipulate a tune to his will.

Piano Illusions has something for everyone. It’s a perfect dual ambassador, bringing magic to the music fans and music to the magic fans, while ensuring that it will be a memorable evening for both. Lipinski is an exceptional talent whose Piano Illusions are a worthwhile addition to any Fringe itinerary.

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.