stage magic

MARTIN BROCK: ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE 2.0

☆☆☆

Many magicians claim to show their audiences impossible feats, but Martin Brock is much more honest. If he can do it onstage, it must not be impossible! So he is very candid in titling this year’s show Almost Impossible 2.0. Brock’s show is a visually beautiful performance-collage of the best bits of magic he’s learned and created over the course of his career.

If one skill shines through in particular, it’s Brock’s card tricks and cardistry. His aces finding trick in particular is so perfectly performed that it feels like art, even before the final reveal. While there isn’t a strong conceptual theme to the show, the style of magic that Brock employs is consistently sleight of hand, and it’s clear that this is his strength.

If there is an area of Brock’s performance that could use some work, it’s in the timing of his magic. At the reviewed show he had a tendency to draw out each effect for a bit longer than felt strictly necessary, and this was pervasive enough that it became a drag on the flow of the show. To be fair, for most of the audience, the perfection of execution would undoubtedly easily outweigh such a relatively small issue—everyone exiting the show was clearly delighted by what they had witnessed. Excellent magic has a tendency to speak for itself regardless of subjective issues in the construction of the show.

Brock only involves a few audience participants in his act, and is sure to get enthusiastic consent from them. An especially keen participant at the reviewed show was a ten year old boy who helped with an early demonstration of card magic. Brock set him up for success, giving him ample opportunity to receive applause from the audience, ensuring a positive memory for one of his youngest fans.

As a family friendly celebration of sleight of hand magic, Almost Impossible 2.0 is a great addition to any Fringe schedule. Brock will get the littler audience members involved in age appropriate ways and keep the adults entertained with his beautiful magic.

JAMES PHELAN: THE MAN WHO WAS MAGIC

☆☆☆☆

In the hierarchy of Fringe venues, James Phelan has undoubtedly earned the use of one of the best this year, with The Man Who Was Magic finding its home in the beautiful McEwan Hall. Phelan honors the venue with an equally beautiful magic show that makes great use of the space. With a well-balanced mix of hypnotic effects, mind reading, and magic, Phelan’s show is as ever the crowd pleaser, with a real heart to back up the tricks.

One of Phelan’s notable strengths as a performer is in his crowd work, and this was readily apparent at the reviewed show. With his quick wit and charm Phelan has an easy chemistry with everyone who he invites to get involved in the show. Participants are made to feel comfortable, and as Phelan keeps all the hard work for himself participation feels particularly unthreatening. McEwan Hall is a big room, but like every good host Phelan turns the space into a welcoming home.

The hypnotism and magic performed are all done with exceptional skill. At the reviewed performance there were a few noticeable teething issues—nothing out of the ordinary for the second day of the Fringe—but if there were any genuine problems with the tricks performed, Phelan played them off so well that the audience was left unsure if these were planned “mistakes” to set up the reveal, which is surely the truest tell of magical excellence. A crowd-pleasing highlight is Phelan’s ring trick, with a reveal that neatly ties in to the show’s theme of making the important things permanent, which in this case took the form of a permanent testament to the impermanent moment of the reveal.

That theme of creating permanence may initially seem at odds with the medium of live performance, a necessarily impermanent art. Phelan navigates this in part with the obvious, the gifting of souvenirs to his various participants, and in part in autobiographical storytelling and general inspiration. In a way his slick handling of early-Fringe issues contributed to the theme as well, with the temporary technological problems becoming surpassed by the permanent impression of controlled professionalism that he leaves on the audience. Phelan even refreshes a form of final reveal that in other hands feels overused, breathing new life into this classic magical ending by imbuing it with new meaning.

Phelan, the Man Who Was Magic himself, is certainly one to see this year for anyone in need of an uplifting hour, which would probably be just about everyone this year. His show is one of those impermanent things that is worth being made permanent, whether in reviews, in the futures of those who he takes the time to inspire, or even just in the memories of everyone in his audiences.

LIN LU-CHIEH: TAIWAN SEASON: DAZED AND CONFUSED

☆☆☆

Who doesn’t love talking about themselves? Autobiographical magic shows are a classic for a reason, especially for a magician introducing themselves to a new marketplace. Lin Lu-Chieh’s Taiwan Season: Dazed and Confused is excitingly not just his Edinburgh Fringe debut, but his fully-English-language debut, and it’s a memorable introduction. Dazed and Confused is light on magic but big on heart, and Lin is easy to watch onstage.

Lin utilizes the magic in his show in a consistently thoughtful way, the tricks feel well chosen to highlight the story. If there is the occasional moment where the sleight of hand feels a little bit clumsy—maybe a card edge peeking out where it shouldn’t, or a prop that is slightly fumbled—it’s only because the Edinburgh Fringe has such a high standard of magic, and it doesn’t have a huge effect on the overall enjoyment of the audience. There are plenty of magic highlights in the show, most notably a sequence in which Lin demonstrates his enthusiastic performance of the first card trick he learned to all of his friends and classmates. Lin has perfected the balancing act of performing the same trick over and over just often enough for it to feel entertaining each time, making this routine particularly fun to watch.

Naturally following from the light sprinkling of magic is a light sprinkling of audience participation. At the reviewed show, Lin found ample participants in the front row who were visibly delighted to take part onstage. Lin’s personable stage presence made joining in on the act an appealing proposition.

The story that Lin tells about his journey into magic is compellingly relatable. At a time where the concept of finding and staying in one dream job forever is increasingly unrealistic, Lin’s tale of stumbling in to magic as a just one attempt of many to find something that he is both passionate about and able to excel at will ring true for many who are watching. Lin simultaneously demonstrates and pokes fun at the advice he received early on from his father, that miracles aren’t real but are just the result of persistence. With enough strategically applied persistence, he may not yet be a baseball star but at least he is able to create miracles in front of his audience.

With a lunchtime time slot, central venue, and family friendly theme, Taiwan Season: Dazed and Confused is sure to be a hit this Fringe. Lin’s magic-flavored recollections of his childhood easily hold the audience’s attention, and his creative approach to magic performance leaves them excited to see what he does next. 

ROB ELLINGER: HYPNOS

☆☆☆☆

Hypnotism is a fairly niche genre, and in Hypnos Rob Ellinger has created an even more specific niche for himself. His combination of magic with hypnotism—plus a light sprinkling of pop psychology as a stage-appropriate nod to his job as a hypnotherapist—makes for an especially unusual and memorable Fringe show.

The magic that Ellinger employs in creating his hypnotic atmosphere walks the tightrope of the surprise inherent to properly performed magic, and a relaxingly dreamlike vibe as befits a hypnotism show. If that sounds like a contradiction, that’s because it is. Ellinger manages to find that balance with a precision that’s difficult to believe unless you’ve seen it. While he may very occasionally lack that precision in the technique of the magic that he employs—perhaps a pea is momentarily revealed before its cue, or a prop transformation is not quite concealed from the edges of the audience—there is such an abundance of magic performed well that it hardly affects the overall impression of the show. The power of the effect he creates over the course of the show is, after all, perhaps the more unusual “trick” that has attracted his audience.

The heavy use of physical magic makes Hypnos exciting to watch for non-hypnotized participants. Hypnotism requires the consent of the hypnotized, and Ellinger makes that explicit immediately at the start of his show, explaining that he will allow participants to opt in before attempting to hypnotize them and will respect the wishes of those who prefer to watch. Those who do participate are treated with respect, and are asked to do nothing more difficult than the average non-hypnotized participant in any other magic show. 

Of the routines themselves, there are many highlights that are particularly well themed and cleverly executed. While the pea in the shells is a classic, often overlapping significantly with the cup and balls for larger audiences, Ellinger’s hypnotic-themed ending makes it slot neatly in to his theme. Many, like this one, are designed to work wholly in his hands for the seated audience, so no one is called upon to become part of the entertainment. When an eager audience member is invited to experience hypnotism for a card trick, Ellinger similarly crafts the ideal ending to emphasize the imaginative power of his audience. 

While Ellinger himself is a hypnotherapist, and leaves his business cards for the audience to take with them, Hypnos is not a therapy session. As he points out, no one in the audience has paid him enough for that. Most cynically, it could be seen as the flashy trailer for the more serious services that he offers. But that would do the clever craftsmanship of the show a disservice. As a work of performance art it stands up on its own as worthy of time and attention. With a wide ranging appeal to fans of magic, hypnotism, and the intersection of these art forms with psychology, it is not at all surprising that he has all but sold out his run. Hopefully this unique experience will return for future audiences. 

CHRISTIAN LAVEY: ENCHANTING MINDS – A NIGHT OF MAGIC AND MINDREADING

☆☆☆

Hailing all the way from Luxembourg, Christian Lavey presents his Adelaide Fringe debut Enchanting Minds—A Night of Magic and Mindreading in a pleasantly cool room conveniently in the center of town. As far as show structure goes, Lavey keeps it simple and straightforward. With his engaging stage presence and well performed mentalism, it is certainly an entertaining evening.

The magic that Lavey presents is a series of his favorite tricks, organized neatly to provide an escalating degree of impressive reveals. As a non-native speaker of English, one trick involving a reveal of reciting non-linear lists of numbers stands out as especially well performed. The reveal itself is of course innately impressive, but as any language learner will know, listing random numbers in a non-native language is a particularly difficult skill to master. It is commendable that Lavey not only chose to include this trick in his first Adelaide fringe show, but also that at the reviewed show he presented the reveal without a hitch.

The success of this trick was not a unique feature, Lavey’s magic is well performed throughout. His sock card trick was a highlight, with a fun reveal that neatly led in to the next effect in a slick transition. The venue is relatively intimate and Lavey gets the majority of the audience involved in his show. The majority of the participation is completed while staying seated, saving time to pack in more magic and keeping the level of participation required fairly relaxed. Lavey is welcoming to everyone who gets involved in his show, whether from their seats or with him on stage.

Lavey is evidentially a skilled performer, the smooth delivery of both his routines and patter indicate a wealth of experience. However, as with every magic show, the audience participants are still a wildcard. At the reviewed show one in particular adds flair to the segment she participates in—a classic “dangerous item” routine. She eagerly inspected the items that Lavey uses, and, with equal eagerness, selected and deployed them, risking harming Lavey with each choice, all with zero hesitation. This was not due to indifference to Lavey’s potential harm, but, she explained, due to her trust that he knew what he was doing. Her contribution to the act made for an unusually wholesome take on this classic of magic.

Lavey successfully enchants the minds of the audience of Enchanting Minds. Perhaps the best measure of the success of a show is how the audience gossips amongst itself once they are out of earshot of the performer, and following the reviewed performance of Enchanting Minds audience members could be heard extremely pleased to have experienced such a well performed show to kickstart their evening. Despite the central location, the venue is tucked away a bit from the gardens that the Fringe revolves around, giving Enchanting Minds the feel of a hidden gem of a show. With its great tricks and Lavey’s skilled performance, it can only be a success.

REUBEN MORELAND: ABRACADABRA, B*TCH!

☆☆☆☆

It’s a satisfying moment in a book or movie when one of the characters says the title of the work in conversation. Audiences at magic shows don’t often get that particular moment of minor joy. Reuben Moreland, however, does things differently, leaping to the stage yelling, “Abracadabra, B*tch!” to kick off his highly energetic show. It’s a delightfully and consistently silly show, and a genuine pleasure to watch.

The magic that Moreland performs is remarkably well styled to his stage presence. If it could be said that there is a theme or story to the show, it’s relatively minimal—a running joke is used as a structure around which Moreland organizes the bulk of the content. This suits the type of comedy magic that he performs. It’s the personalization of the magic that is most impressive. Even the most ardent magic fan will take a moment to discern the bones of a familiar trick disguised so completely by the trappings of his performance.

Moreland set the tone early, with a series of magic tricks and jokes illustrating a hopefully completely imaginary disaster of a first date. This gets all the stereotypical props and classic self-deprecating magician humor out of the way early for those who turned up to see a magic show expecting such things. Later highlights include a signed card trick, featuring a reveal that Moreland had set up pretty much from the start of the show. This interweaving of effects and reveals is in itself a highlight. The attention to detail and exact timing pays off in the audience experience.

Like many magic shows, Abracadabra, B*tch! relies heavily on audience participation. Moreland does occasionally ask a bit more of his participants than most. At the reviewed show there was one significant participant who was chosen by Moreland apparently at random. Luckily Moreland appears to have mastered the most crucial mentalist trick any magician must learn: how to intuit, from the stage, which member of the audience will have fun playing along with his act. While Moreland’s choice to pick this particular participant at random was the right decision for his narrative, at other moments he opened the stage to volunteers, many of whom were eager to join in the fun.

At one point in the show, Moreland jokingly questions, “What kind of a person would actually buy a ticket to see a show called “Abracadabra, B*tch!”? The answer is, exactly the kind of person who would most enjoy the show. It’s very well named to let potential audiences know what they’re getting themselves in for when they purchase their ticket. For those to whom the title appeals, the silliness will be a delight.

LUKA: MAGNUM OPUS

☆☆☆☆

Magnum Opus is many things, but a show for introverts it is not. Magician Luka, either though good fortune or force of personality, commands an audience of participants eager and willing to engage in every trick of magic and of witticism that he has to offer.

There are three parts to Magnum Opus, depending on how much you should be looking to pay for your magical diversion of the night. For the full experience, you get a half hour close-up magic show, followed by two hours with which to eat your three-course dinner upstairs at the Social American Tavern, and finally the main event of an hour long mentalist experience. If you’re looking to be a bit more budget friendly, you can skip the first two parts, but we cannot in good conscience imply they are missable.

The close up magic show provides audiences with their first experience of Luka’s very dry, sarcastic millennial humor. While this may not be for everyone – indeed over the course of the show reviewed it seemed to take some audience members a moment to catch up- it is generally well received. In terms of the magic, it is clear Luka is a master of technical skill. His sleight of hand is flawless, always a feat made more impressive in intimate settings where audience members are mere inches away, squinting intently at hands and pockets. Due to the smaller number of attendees, Luka can make each of his card and coin tricks far more personal than you would suspect, engaging in direct conversation to weave his effects within.

As this is a magic review and not a culinary one, we will not linger over the meal bridging the gap between magic shows, other than to say Social American Tavern provides a well matched ambiance to the mood of an evening of magical performance, delicious food, and magic-themed cocktails.

The main event, the mentalism performance, truly showcases Luka’s particular brand of showmanship. His takes on classic mentalism effects bewilder the audience and are somewhat made bawdy by Luka’s banter.  Definitely not a magic show to be bringing kids to, but that seems to be the point. Due to his chosen methodology of selecting participants, which comes with an unusual twist, it is likely that every performance will be notably unique in the communal atmosphere of the attendees. Sure, all will likely see a nail gun, balloons, books and rings do things we never thought they could. But Luka provides his audience with the opportunity to even steal the show somewhat, making everyone leave feeling like they’ve met their fellow audience members for far more than 60 minutes.

Magnum Opus is a well curated dinner theatre experience. If you are looking for a lively, engaging night out (and you have a slightly dirty sense of humor), look no further. Luka leads his crowd through a delightful experience of all different types of magical diversions.

DAVID ALNWICK: COMEDIAN MAGICIAN

☆☆☆☆☆

David Alnwick’s career as a Fringe magician may have now led him to primarily perform darker, spookier work that increasingly bends the boundaries of magic as a genre of performance, reshaping the definitions of the art form to suit his needs in much the same way that he appears to reshape reality itself in his tricks. However, he first built his Edinburgh fan base on his comedy magic, and in Comedian Magician that is what he celebrates. It’s a throwback to the Dave Alnwick brand that many may still remember, and a retrospective on how Alnwick’s outlook on magic, performance, and his career have evolved over the course of his time at the Fringe.

Many magicians in the past couple of years have performed retrospectives to mark the occasion of their tenth year at the Fringe, however as it transpires Alnwick’s first Fringe was 2010. Those who remember both 2020 and the tentatively sized 2021 Fringe will understand why Alnwick did not take that route—although he did, memorably, comprise a full third of the magic shows that the PBH free fringe hosted at that 2021 Fringe. This celebration of his career is long overdue.

As such, Comedian Magician is made up of classics of Alnwick’s comedy magic repertoire interspersed with vignettes from various points of his career. The magic is, as per usual with Alnwick, flawless. If Alnwick has not written the book on how to perform magic it can only be because he’s been too busy with the creation and performance of his four shows per Fringe. One of the many highlights is a recurring favorite in which Alnwick tells a story encompassing both one if Edinburgh’s primary off-season festivals, the International Magic Festival, and a beloved Glaswegian magician who occasionally makes an appearance there. The vignettes are insightful as well, for example audiences at the Fringe may not have an understanding of the trade offs involved in performing at the PBH free fringe rather than the paid venues.

Audience participation is as frequent as a comedy magic audience would expect. The most involved participant is the one for that previously mentioned card trick, and in recognition of that Alnwick seeks a volunteer for that role. At the reviewed show Alnwick chose the first volunteer, despite his young age. The volunteer looked absolutely thrilled to be trusted and take part. Alnwick undoubtedly played a role in a core memory for him that day.

Alnwick’s fans may be used to the feeling of surprise that they get when they rediscover his seemingly limitless skills at each of his shows, but it’s always a wonderful feeling. His audiences celebrate his talents at every Fringe, and it’s great to see Alnwick himself get in on the party.

DAVID ALNWICK: THE MYSTERY OF DRACULA

☆☆☆☆☆

If David Alnwick is known for anything other than being likely one of the busiest performer at the Fringe, it’s his habit of bringing the same show back to the Fringe for another year, tinkered into something recognizable to returning fans but demonstrably better—even when it comes to his many 5 star shows. This is the case with The Mystery of Dracula, Alnwick’s magical play about the origins of both the story of Dracula and the art of magic, and where they intertwine.

Alnwick’s magic is honed to perfection, a crucial step to creating a show that uses magic tricks so sparingly. Magic is used here as an illustration of the history that Alnwick discusses, although at times the boundaries between academic demonstration and supposedly genuine conjuring (at least, we hope it’s only “supposedly genuine”) is blurred to great effect. The audience’s impression of the effects are often of not the usual assertion that Alnwick, the magician, knows all, but rather to pose the question, “does he really?”

The Mystery of Dracula may be nominally about Dracula and come around to also be about magic. However, other timely themes come through too, of vulnerability of loneliness and the all too realistic possibility of a charismatic voice persuading lonely individuals into self destructive behaviors in search of community. The pressure felt by Alnwick’s timeless character is recognizable to anyone who has ventured into spaces both on and offline offering community in exchange for money, loyalty, or your immortal soul.

As a play with a light sprinkling of magic, audience participation is similarly kept to a minimum.  Several participants may be chosen to take part from their seats, and when a few are called to the stage Alnwick gives clear directions to make their roles easy to follow. The biggest point of participation comes at the end, when the entire audience becomes complicit by default in Alnwick’s performance. The audience does not need to do anything in particular to achieve this, their presence is sufficient.

The Mystery of Dracula is a retelling of history, but in a far more clever, universalized way than the audience might expect. Alnwick perfectly captures the loneliness of both an obsessed academic and the mythic immortal who he’s obsessed with in a dark satire of fandom and the search for community, palatably ensconced in the trappings of dark academia. Alnwick’s own fans will never be disappointed to see what he creates next.

DEE CHRISTOPHER: THE PSYCHIC VAMPIRE

☆☆☆

Scottish vampire hunters have it easy. Dee Christopher openly advertises himself as The Psychic Vampire for any who are so inclined to seek out—during the Fringe, he even has a regular time slot and location where they can find him. Luckily Christopher wouldn’t need to use his vampiric powers to protect himself, as anyone who finds themselves in his show will not fail to be charmed by his hilarious performance.

Christopher structures his show around stories about his long life as a vampire, with each story containing his encounters with magical or mystical events (or, memorably, what sounded like a fairly standard whisky tasting competition—a different kind of magic) that lead in to his display of a magical routine. These stories and Christopher’s dry comedy are a highlight. He’s a gifted speaker and makes great use of vampire pop culture references to keep the audience entertained. Even magic aside, Christopher could undoubtedly find work simply appearing as a vampire at events.

The magical portion of the performance is a bit more mixed. The effects are perfectly vampire themed across the board, and Christopher’s vampire-specific flourishes to build to his reveals are excellent. However, at the reviewed show there were a couple tricks that, while they didn’t go wrong, felt like they could have been performed with more polish. The reveal of a dangerous bag variation fell a bit flat when Christopher struggled to remove a prop from its bag. Similarly, he performed a fun vampire take on Russian roulette only to undercut his reveal by spending a suspiciously long time with the final prop hidden behind his open suitcase before allowing the audience to examine it. There were also plenty of tricks that went well, but the risk of crafting a themed show that’s lighter on magic to make room for storytelling is that the performance of each trick has a proportionally higher effect on the overall impact of the show. Christopher’s theme is a strong point and a draw; regardless of how the magic goes the audience was visibly enjoying the performance.

Audience members get involved in a variety of ways, whether just from their seats or whether they join Christopher onstage. At the reviewed show a highly giggly group comprised the majority of the onstage participants, with Christopher cleverly making use of their energy to enhance the performance rather than risking them disrupting him from their seats. They appeared thrilled to approach Christopher and experience the magic firsthand. Those with an above average fear of needles may be best advised to avoid participating in The Psychic Vampire, but other than that Christopher provides an exciting participant experience.

The Psychic Vampire is one of the especially well themed shows of the Fringe. Magic fans will enjoy seeing such creative presentations of the effects performed. With such a gift for theme and storytelling, Christopher would undoubtedly be even better at a festival that allows for shows of longer than an hour. While some of the magic itself may benefit from a bit of work, whether through practice or reworking, Christopher is such an entertaining performer that his show flies by as though he has enchanted time with his vampiric super-speed.