Pete Heat

PETE HEAT: BOGUS

☆☆☆☆☆

Anyone who has been on social media in at least the past year will have witnessed irrefutable proof that society is ill equipped to handle conflict in a post truth world. There might be a moment of hope when a mutual shares content debunking obvious propaganda, only for that hope to immediately be dashed when they then immediately share equally egregious propaganda slanted in the opposite direction and claim it to be the unbiased truth. This is the foundation of Pete Heat’s Fringe show Bogus. Heat gets all that across in a manner that is very silly, very magical, and very effective.

As per usual in Heat’s Fringe offerings, magic does not make up a huge proportion of the show. Heat is a comedy magician who gives equal weight to both the comedy and the magic. The magic is remarkably slick, even if there are members of the audience who have seen Heat perform the same tricks before it’s by and large impossible to spot the moment that the deception is achieved. Those who take part in especially novel effects may find themselves quizzed by other members of the audience after the show, as they simply can’t believe that the participants are not stooges.

One of the more interestingly involved reveals is to a trick involving made up language, which leaves audiences flummoxed. Heat uses technology in Bogus in an inventive way, creating magical moments unique to this era. Random number tricks are often used as predictive effects, for the magician to show off their mentalist skills, and Heat’s version of this is both extra impressive and extra hilarious.

As methods to dispel the notion of objective reality go, magic may feel like a fairly obvious one. It’s the perfect option for discussing the effect of both deliberate propaganda and social media AI algorithms, as it uses similar principles. However, magic is explicitly for entertainment rather than for the lethal combination of infotainment and deliberate fracturing of the laboring classes often seen in non-magical misdirection. Heat’s other primary prong is, perhaps a little more unexpectedly, animal facts. This is equally effective in its own way, and far more cuddly.

Like any other magic show, Bogus is designed to leave the audience with more questions than answers, but explicitly draws the connection to the outside world. Outside of Bogus, we’re faced with nonconsensual, malicious, and dispassionate misdirection, and we don’t even know how tall the perpetrators are. Inside Bogus, we’re faced with benevolent misdirection from a very tall man—clearly the better option.  The irony of his infotainment approach to addressing contemporary media illiteracy suits Heat’s style.  And even audience members who aren’t in it for the big themes can enjoy the incredible magic and hilarious jokes. 

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

PETE HEAT: HUGE

☆☆☆☆☆

Pete Heat is as Huge as advertised. He absolutely towers over the audience, even in a Fringe venue without a raised platform, and is at least a head taller than every participant who joins him on stage. The title Huge is more descriptive of Heat than of anything that actually happens in the show, which is fitting for a performance that is fantastically weird and surreal (and even at times magical).

There is not a whole lot of magic actually performed in Huge. Heat is a comedy magician, but has reversed the usual proportion of comedy magic. Instead of telling a few jokes in between performing magic, he performs a few magic tricks in between telling jokes and the odd story. If it does occasionally come across as more of a stand up comedy show than a magic show, it definitely feels like the kind of stand up that could only have been written by a career magician. That being said, Heat is careful to cushion his comedy in enough magic that it doesn’t really feel like he’s completely lying about the genre of his act—it’s as if he carefully calculated exactly how many magic tricks he needs per hour to maintain the facade of magic.  The audience is too busy laughing to notice the lack of magic, although it might not be the right show for those looking for a trick a minute. 

The magic that Heat does perform is all perfect; with the little there is in the show, there’s no room for him to hide if anything doesn’t go to plan. Heat gets the whole audience involved in a way that genuinely feels unique. He states that the numbers and symbols on playing cards don’t really mean anything anymore, they’re far removed from the deeply meaningful symbolism of their ancestors, the tarot deck (this theory is not historically accurate, but an intriguing connection to attempt). Heat makes them interesting again by handing out blank cards and having the audience collectively create their own deck, which he then performs magic with. The delayed reveal is worth the wait. Heat also notably performs a mentalist routine that is simultaneously the best and worst mentalist routine at this Fringe. It’s far from a traditional mentalist bit, but is the most flawless mentalism sequence imaginable for the superbly weird show that Heat has put together.

Heat’s post-show merchandise deserves a mention as well. Audience members have the opportunity to purchase a book that Heat put together in anticipation of a mid-show career change. If you follow the instructions this book is the only example of its genre that you really need.

Huge might be several steps removed from what might be reasonably expected of a magic show, but Heat has carved a weird little niche for himself in the Fringe magic ecosystem. Should the repetitiveness of traditional magic become wearying, Huge is the show to see for a reminder of the ingenuity and creativity that magicians are capable of. And with an easily accessible evening time slot at a central venue, there’s no reason not to go.

PETE HEAT: BLIMEY

☆☆☆☆

Pete Heat’s name is especially appropriate for the day that his Fringe show Blimey was reviewed.  August has been unusually warm, and another mini heat wave this week saw Gilded Balloon staff warning audience members about the heat in Heat’s room and handing out cups of water along the queue.  It was indeed especially hot, even for a Fringe venue, but with the fans kept running and Heat adjusting his volume to compensate the show was able to go on. 

The majority of the run time of the show was not taken up by magic, Heat mentions toying with the idea of turning to stand up comedy full time and it’s evident that he would have no trouble generating material.  This does not come across as a flaw.  The full effect of his comedy and the sprinkling of magic does not fail to entertain.  While most of the creativity of the show is focused on the trappings around the magic—Heat’s delightful stories and inventive comedy props—the magic that he does, which includes both sleight of hand and mentalism, feels freshened by Heat’s performance. 

In a crowded little room with a nearly sold out show it was difficult for Heat to get too much in to his audience, but he ensures that everyone can get involved from their seats.  Despite the full room, with his height and proximity to the seats Heat is able to ensure that his magic is visible to the entire audience.  A few individuals were invited to join Heat on stage to witness his magic up close, and seemed suitably impressed by the experience. 

One point in Heat’s monologuing that may come across as odd to the Edinburgh magic fan is that it is not possible to use magic as a form of self-expression the way you could with other art forms.  Contrary to this assertion, Heat is currently sharing the metaphoric stage of the Fringe with several masters of such emotive magic. It feels incorrect to point out this shortcoming in magic as a genre without acknowledging that there are a significant number who buck the trend, or joining them as an example of the range of possible magical performance.  With his creativity and skill this absolutely feels like a feasible route for Heat if it’s a direction that he is interested in going in. 

Heat’s blend of stand up and magic makes for an exceptional hour regardless of the weather.  The audience is left wanting more, more stories, more magic, more of Heat’s show, a sure sign that Blimey is worth a visit. 

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