stage magic

ZOOLLUSIONIST

☆☆☆

Tucked away in the basement of a pub, the Zoollusionist is an absolute delight of a show. The titular Zoollusionist is a real life zookeeper, Lizzie Durkin, a Fringe newcomer who is doing a great job with her debut show. Durkin lists several ways that the audience can tell her day job, but the most obvious is the way she speaks, with the classic cadences of a wildlife lecturer. It’s the perfect immersion into her zoo-themed performance.

The Zoollusionist is, naturally, themed on zoo animals. As suggested by the advertising, it’s an especially excellent show for penguin fans. A highlight is a trick that involves the audience members holding up photos of different penguins from Durkin’s zoo. Magic aside, the penguins are just too cute. The audience participants at the reviewed show, this reviewer included, had a great time comparing penguins and admiring each others’ photos. They are an adorable species that should be universally beloved, and a great choice to take center stage for so much of Durkin’s show.

Perhaps because of the day job, Durkin’s performance feels very child friendly. Youngsters who are old enough to enjoy a zoo will probably be old enough to enjoy this show. It’s perfect for adults who love zoos and/or animals as well. Durkin does not try to hide the problematic aspects of zoos, and provides information on how contemporary zoos rectify the problems of their pasts.

While Zoollusionist is a great debut, Durkin does exhibit a couple of the classic first-show issues. Performing an hour long show isn’t the easiest thing to step in to, even for someone with a public-facing day job. Some of the transitions feel either abrupt or drawn out with chat that feels only loosely scripted. She also on occasion stumbles over how to instruct her participants to engage with her tricks effectively. On the other hand, the magic all goes to plan and is perfectly themed on her chosen subject. Durkin mentions that at prior Fringes she attended a lot of other magic shows, and the research shows. The missteps are those that can only be rectified with the actual performance experience that she is now getting in.

For a fun, free to enter Fringe show with both magic and a light educational experience, The Zoollusionist is a great option. Hopefully Durkin has enough fun to come back as a performer, she’s a natural on stage and already skilled with both her magic and show construction. The young and young at heart cannot fail to have a good time at The Zoollusionist.

COLIN CLOUD: CONSEQUENCES

☆☆☆☆☆

Colin Cloud is no stranger to the Edinburgh Fringe. His gigantic, sold out venue on a rainy Monday evening is a testament to the work he has put in to building his Scottish fanbase. These days he is usually based in the US, and recently became renowned for putting a small American town called Las Vegas on the map as a holiday destination when he opened his new headline show there. This year is also Cloud’s first full Fringe run since the pre-pandemic era, and to mark those special occasions his show Consequences is a mentalist retelling of how the consequences of various moments in his life have led to the moments that each audience spends in his company.

It’s easy to assume that a magician has full control over everything that happens in their theatre—which is not always the case, as much as they might pretend—but Cloud regularly caters to the skeptics in his audience by inviting outside input in to his shows. As the audience files in to Consequences each evening they find Cloud sitting onstage wearing a blindfold, with instructions on the screen behind him to ask their social media friends and followers for random words to be used to create one of the impossible moments later in the show. Cloud’s use of popular technology to make his magic seem even more impossible is one of his signatures, and always gets a great reaction from the audience.

As with many of his colleagues, Cloud’s road toward his career in magic began when he was a child, and the audience is treated to stories that provoke a range of emotions in the retelling. Each is accompanied by a mentalism effect to illustrate key themes in the story. Cloud is often described by both himself and others as the real life Sherlock Holmes, an apt comparison, and in Consequences his childhood love of mystery books is cited as one of the factors leading to his present reality. His mentalism is here framed as deductive reasoning, and of course, like magicians, the best mystery writers are masters of misdirection. Fellow fans of Conan Doyle will especially enjoy Cloud’s book trick, and trying to guess popular words from the famous stories while Cloud deduces them magically.

Cloud gets a fair few members of the audience involved in his show, sometimes at random but often also by choice. He is kind to his participants and especially apologetic when, on occasion, he asks them to do a slightly more confusing task for the sake of the trick. With a venue large enough for balcony seating, those who wish to secure their safety from the stage are able to put an entire staircase between themselves and Cloud.

It won’t be news to fans of magic and mentalism in Edinburgh that Consequences is an excellent, must see show of this year’s Fringe. Cloud is the go-to for those who want to tick magic off their Fringe checklist without having to fear the risk of a poor quality performer, and he does not disappoint. Each year has added a ever growing depth and nuance to the structure and format of his shows, and Consequences is a welcome addition to that trend, with a blend of storytelling and Cloud’s classic comedy mentalism that feels distinctly unique. While each evening of Consequences offers a moment for the audience to reflect on the results of both Cloud’s and their own pasts, Cloud’s constant self improvement is a testament to the reality that dealing with the consequences of the past never stops, and the power of each individual to take advantage of that to undertake actions in their present to improve their future consequences. 

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

TOM BRACE: THE RIDE 4D

☆☆☆☆

With a sold out theatre on a sunny Monday evening, Tom Brace’s new Fringe experience The Ride 4D is evidentially a hot ticket. This is all the more impressive with a start time just ahead of 4pm—Brace’s magnetic pull on the young families of Edinburgh is so great that many left work early to make it to his show. It is a family friendly show, and the vast majority of the adults at the reviewed show were accompanied by their children. The Ride 4D takes place in Tomlannd, Brace’s new theme park, and all the magic is perfectly themed to immerse the audience in the experience.

An approachable performer with an audience largely composed of young children, Brace had an ample supply of willing, excited participants for his games and tricks. One of his best participants was a young girl early on in the show to play a fishing style magical theme park game. She looked absolutely thrilled to be chosen to join Brace on stage and really gave it her all, and as Brace says early on, in Tomland everyone is a winner. Brace involves many of his young fans in the show, and when adults are required it’s for good reason.

One of Brace’s regularly used props that makes a welcome return is his leaf blower. On a sweaty Edinburgh summer day in a classically overheated Fringe venue the breeze is a significant benefit to this show. The front rows get the best of it but it can even be felt further back. Later the audience also receives a sprinkling of water too. Brace is a Fringe regular and he has learned how to treat his audiences well.

On entering the venue each person in the audience is given a pair of 3D glasses, hinting at the vehicle for one of the final reveals. Audio cues throughout the show build anticipation for the filmed portion of the afternoon, and it does live up to the hype. Brace sets up several tricks to come to fruition throughout the film, and if there is a brief hiccup he breezes through it with the utmost professionalism. After all, magic is an art, not a science. A cleverly placed final reveal leaves the audience more impressed than not with the tricks.

Brace developed The Ride 4D following a trip to Disney World in Florida, and even with the notoriously rising prices of Fringe tickets, The Ride 4D is the cheaper option—not even including airfare from Edinburgh to Florida. For a family day out that will keep the kids occupied and even the parents engrossed, or a grown up day out for magic and/or theme park fans, you can’t go wrong with The Ride 4D.

More information on The Ride 4D and its performance dates can be found here.

STEVE WILBURY: THE UNLUCKIEST MAGICIAN

☆☆☆

The title of Steve Wilbury’s show The Unluckiest Magician is a thesis statement that he amply proves over the course of the show. Part magic show, part medical horror story, this show had a broad appeal. That being said, it is not for the faint of heart. Those who would rather not consider the huge variety of ways that the squishy bits underneath their skin can sneakily try to kill them would probably be better off giving this one a miss. It’s a fascinating, magical 45 minutes of a show, with real life plot twists that are even more surprising than a magic trick.

Wilbury sets the medical scene early on with one of his magical effects, swallowing needles, which he explains is the first trick he learned that caught the attention of the many nurses who cared for him throughout his medical issues. Straight off the bat the audience is confronted with fear for the internal organs. The trick is well performed, and the intimate theatre means that the glittery needles are easily visible to all in the audience. On the flip side, one of the prettiest effects is Wilbury’s demonstration of how it feels to be on heavy duty painkillers—without handing out said painkillers to the audience. It’s a really beautiful stunt with special juggling balls that has to be seen to be believed.

The Unluckiest Magician does contain a fair amount of magic in addition to the medical stories, although unfortunately on occasion this is not the strongest element of the performance. With the note trick in particular Wilbury would do well to mind the ends of his fingers. With a magic show predicated on the unluckiness of its star the odd slip up is almost in character, and after hearing Wilbury’s story the odd sleight misstep seems like the absolute least of the problems that he has had in his life.

In addition to sharing his story, Wilbury offers helpful advice on dealing with both physical and emotional difficulty in life. On the face of it it’s straightforward enough to hear, but means a little more coming from someone with such significant lived experience. Many Fringe performers seem eager to be rid of the audience by the end of their show, but Wilbury is the exact opposite, inviting his audience to have a further chat after his final trick if they are dealing with similar issues.

The Unluckiest Magician is narrowly focused, which inherently sets limits on its target audience, but it’s surprisingly enjoyable even for those who aren’t natural fans of medical horror stories. Wilbury is a funny guy and charming performer, and his attitude towards both his past and his future is inspiring. One of the benefits of the Fringe is finding performers who tell such niche stories, and Wilbury is a lucky find for all who make it in to his audience.

More information on The Unluckiest Magician and its performance dates can be found here.

BEN HART: HEX

☆☆☆☆☆

Edinburghers fear not: the witch is back.  Ben Hart is always one of the more stylishly dressed magicians. This year he looks so sharp in his tan suit that Americans might feel compelled to vote for him for president. Hart has performed at the Fringe for the past ten years, and this year’s show Hex is billed as a retrospective, composed of the best tricks and bits from previous years.

Ever the storyteller, captive to his magical talents and creativity, Hart does weave a delicate yet cohesive storyline through the themes of the various effects. This is so perfectly done and perfectly revealed that it would be a shame to say any more in a review. Suffice it to say that if there is such a thing as a good year to skip Hart’s show, this is not it.

Due to the nature of this show regular attendees of Hart’s Fringe offerings may recognize specific effects from past years. Hart is such a creative performer that it feels like a real treat to revisit these effects; these are all the most inventive, personalized routines that were genuine highlights of previous years.  That being said, while perhaps Hart’s long time superfans who have attended all ten of his Fringe shows may recognize all of the effects performed in Hex, for the rest there will be novelty. Magicians love recovering lost items via citrus fruit, and Hart’s take on this classic theme is an early highlight in the Hex magic lineup. As with this effect, while the bones of oft-repeated magic tricks are occasionally detectable through the meat of Hart’s performance, they are entirely transformed by his tinkering with the specifics of the presentation.

A self described witch, Hart curates an intense, otherworldly stage presence. Nevertheless he allows gaps in the intensity to welcome his audience participants into the show. Hex’s participation points are clearly delineated and easy to engage with—for many, the participant does not have to get up on the stage to be a part of the magic, and at no point does Hart even ask anyone do anything even as challenging as remembering a playing card suit. Hart uses magic as a vehicle to reawaken the wonder in his audience, and removes any potential difficulty in participating in it, keeping both the challenges as well as the secrets for himself.

Hart is consistently one of the best magicians at the Fringe. Each show has a theme, or sometimes a story, and while Hart himself has a specific, recognizable performance style, each show that he creates also has its own defined character that feels both distinct and entirely inseparable from his baseline stage presence. Describing the precise genius of Hart’s performance to any degree of adequacy is a regular, welcome challenge. In its own way Hex is no different… and, of course, completely different. Hart will undoubtedly continue to be a highlight of the Fringe for as long as he is willing to grace Edinburgh with his presence.

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

ANDREW FROST: CARDS ON THE TABLE

☆☆☆☆

The show is called Cards on the Table. Upon entering the theatre, the audience sees a mostly empty table with a few books, a lamp, and a deck of playing cards. The first thing that magician Andrew Frost says as he steps on stage is, “I hope you like card tricks”. Anyone who chose to come to this show hoping for anything other than card tricks will be disappointed, and that would be on them.

What follows is, as promised, a full hour of card magic. Frost covers the expected types of tricks in this sub-genre, from fancy shuffling through to trick dealing and card finding. With a whole hour devoted to card magic, Frost is able to delve a little deeper and take common tricks that are recognizable to magic fans that extra step further that more generalist magicians wouldn’t often make time for, especially at a festival like the Fringe with its oft-proscribed time limits.

The unifying feature is Frost’s exceptional skill at card magic and his clear passion for this particular type of magic. If anyone is considering getting in to performing magic (or reviewing it) this is the perfect show to see for an example of what card magic should ideally look like. It’s a classic of magic for a reason, and seeing Frost is a reminder for all who need it of just how impressive card magic can look.  There’s no other theme but the cards and the variety of ways that they can be manipulated, which is all that is needed for Frost’s purposes.

Even at the sold out show that was reviewed, Frost got a decent proportion of the audience onstage for various tasks. Frost is an approachable performer and makes his participants feel welcome. He’s especially helpful in explaining card terminology and even in helping his audience with the most difficult bit of audience participation in a magic trick, remembering which symbol is spades and which is clubs. It’s self serving in that it enables his own show to go more smoothly, but the audience also comes away feeling like they have learned something new and that they can be that tiny bit more comfortable participating in future magic shows.

Cards on the Table is a must see for fans of card magic. Even fans of magic in general who have found card magic underwhelming in the past may gain an appreciation for it in Frost’s hands. Come prepared to be amazed by the entertainment value of the often seen but often under-appreciated type of magic.

More information about Cards on the Table and its performances can be found here.

PADDY THE IRISHMAN: HOW LUCKY CAN ONE MAN GET

☆☆☆

Paddy the Irishman is a frequent flyer at the Edinburgh Fringe, and in his new show How Lucky Can One Man Get, he tells the story of his eventful life interspersed with jokes, magic, and music. He caters to the family friendly crowd with his early morning time slot, at the reviewed show there were several families with preteen and teenage children. Paddy has had an interesting life so far, and in his company the time flies by.

There are relatively few magic tricks in the show, but those that are there are performed well. Paddy tells the audience about his childhood in Northern Ireland, and includes a magic trick that saved him from the army early in the show. For the younger folks he also demonstrates a common street scam, which at the reviewed show sparked a particular interest in the young volunteers he chose to help him demonstrate it. The participants could be heard discussing theories and phrases to further research the effect as they were leaving the show. Even if they do not end up inspired to become magicians themselves, learning how their attention can be so easily manipulated is a great lesson for young people today.

Not every story is accompanied by a trick, but that’s not detrimental to the show. Paddy has had many adventures in his life that are a pleasure to hear about. For audience members who have been lucky enough to have grown up in peaceful times, hearing about his youthful encounters with military forces is fascinating to hear about. Paddy’s casual attitude in recounting these episodes is interesting to note. He has also travelled widely and lived in several countries, each of which is described in turn. The songs that Paddy sings are related to his stories as well, but really just an excuse for him to show off that he recently learned to play guitar. This is inspiring in its own way. As Paddy points out, he’s lived a longer life so far than many of the people he gets in his audiences, and demonstrates his continued love of learning and adventuring in part to show us that we can age as gracefully.

How Lucky Can One Man Get is essentially a one man, one show full Fringe. He’s got the magic, comedy, and music all in one hour long performance—going to this show is like a speed run of the Fringe experience.

CHRIS CROSS: NOT PLAYING WITH A FULL DECK

☆☆☆

Sometimes performers come to the Fringe with their sharply honed, beautifully produced masterpiece show that fully encapsulates the extent of their creative abilities. Other times, they’re just here for the party and a laugh, and invite the occasional audience to join in. With his performance of Not Playing with a Full Deck, Chris Cross feels squarely in that second category. And for what it is, it’s a good performance. Cross is in his element onstage, with jokes and magic with a blend of varying quality that feels perfectly balanced by years of experience in keeping people entertained.

Flyers for the show warn that it’s “not for the easily offended”, which may sound worrying at first, but Cross’s bark proves worse than his bite. His crowd work may feel more like a comedian’s than a magician’s, but his prodding remains gentle enough for the audience to still like him. If he does make the occasional marginally offensive joke, it feels almost like a tick box exercise; like the weird uncle at Christmas dinner who sticks his finger in the pudding not because he wants to taste it but just because he likes the idea of fulfilling the archetype of the family’s weird uncle. Perhaps this is a sign that the audience of the reviewed show was indeed the “not easily offended” that the flyer requested.

Cross has demonstrably significant experience as a magician and in Not Playing with a Full Deck it definitely shows. Card trick fans may even just appreciate the fancy shuffles and card choreography that he employs during the requisite card trick sequence of the show. The card tricks themselves are a highlight as well. Every magician who has ever performed a card trick has, at some point, claimed that the trick they perform is the Best Card Trick Ever. Cross is no different, and he puts forward a strong contender for that title. At the reviewed show Cross performed several tricks with a card deck he borrowed from a member of the audience, which provided a lovely little moment of unplanned audience participation. Cross’s stunt work is equally perfectly performed, timed down to the second for maximum effect.

As evidenced by the highlight reel that Cross plays before the show, and indeed by the archives of this publication, Cross is a highly skilled magician perfectly capable of performing an excellent five star show. He may not have chosen that route this year, but his fun mess-around show is still well worth the ticket price and hour of the audience’s time. If at times it feels like he is conducting a group interview for post-performance drinking buddies, who can blame him? The world is burning and we could all use a laugh, a trick, and a drink.

More information on Not Playing With A Full Deck and its performance dates can be found here.

DIARY OF A MAGICIAN

☆☆☆☆

Diary of a Magician is marketed as a family friendly show, and for good reason. Even before the titular magician Mu-Syuan Chang steps onstage the show’s support staff are on hand to make family units feel welcome, ushering children to the front row and making space for parents to accompany those too young to sit alone. While missing even a second of this performance is not recommended, children who enter the show slightly late are still made to feel welcome, with staff adding chairs to the front row so quickly and unobtrusively that it’s almost as magical as the act onstage.

Chang is equally welcoming of his young fans, making a point to interact with them to their comfort levels and at one point making his way along the front row to ensure that each child gets a special magical experience. Shorter adults may also appreciate this approach, as it’s easier to see over children’s heads than those of their parents. Like the seating choice, Diary of a Magician itself is appealing to all age groups, with highly visual effects that capture and keep children’s attention as well as theatre and artistry that keeps everyone in the audience wanting more.

The magic is themed on classical poetry, and the lines appear as a pre-caption ahead of each section. Each dreamscape style diary entry is beautifully brought to life by Chang’s magic. Magic regulars may recognize the basic structure of the effects that Chang employs, but they are rarely seen performed with such specific artistic sensibilities that are more reminiscent of the movements of a dancer or acrobat. A particular early highlight is an especially beautiful scene involving a light and a wooden staff that Chang uses to bring a starscape into the room, earning gasps from the youngsters and applause from their adults.

Chang’s excellent staging and lighting choices deserve a mention as well. Simple props turn the stage in turn into such varied locales as the night sky, a train station, and a field of flowers. Chang’s metal hoops routine is an especially strong use of lighting, with the multicolored lights making the hoops look like they’re lighting up as well, enhancing the artistry of this scene.

Magic is known for its heavy use of audience participation, but aside from getting the front row involved briefly from their seats, Diary of a Magician does not use audience participants, with Chang alone in his dreamscapes creating the magic entirely in his own hands. The audience does not feel this as a loss—in fact may only realize that this was the case on reflection after the show—and indeed for some it may be a huge plus. Whether due to youth, shyness, or social anxiety, those who have been put off witnessing a live magic show because of a fear of needing to go onstage can safely enjoy the magic of Diary of a Magician.

With such broad appeal to all ages and all types of audience members, it’s no surprise that even on the sunny weekend day that Diary of a Magician was reviewed it filled out the theatre. After the show children could be heard begging their parents to let them take a picture with Chang on the way out, and was he obligingly just outside the door to fulfill requests. Chang’s physically inventive style of magic is a welcome addition to the Edinburgh Fringe scene.

LIZ TOONKEL: MAGIC FOR ANIMALS

☆☆☆☆

The Fringe can get pretty hectic, with shows that don’t even start until the wee hours of the morning. Many such shows are completely dead on weekday nights. The fact that Liz Toonkel could pull a whole first row at her nearly-midnight time slot on a weekday is an impressive testament to the reputation that she’s built for Magic for Animals in the brief time that’s she’s had in Edinburgh so far.

Magic for Animals is deliberately onion-like in its construction. There is little time to think that it’s going to be a standard, classic magic show. Toonkel struts out in her instantly iconic outfit and briefly plays that role, but soon makes her way to what she’s really here to talk about: animal rights (it would be a shame to reveal too much in a review beyond that). There’s a lot in the show for vegans and vegetarians in the audience to love. A highlight of Toonkel’s animal rights themed magic, and in fact one of the effects that gets at the heart of the show is her take on the kind of sleights usually seen in coin tricks but using pearls, and performed in conjunction with a discussion of the abusive nature of pearl farms.

But the true highlight of Magic for Animals is less the trickery and more the perfect, beautiful construction of the show itself. It does touch on serious themes, beyond animal rights, but Toonkel leads the audience to where she wants them to go gently, using a reassuring succession of magic tricks to wind her way to the central thesis point of her performance.  Each trick and story gradually and gracefully leads her to her point, with the structure of the show functioning as the pearl shielding both audience and performer from what’s at its heart.

At the reviewed show, Toonkel played to an audience that was impressive for a weekday, but it was nevertheless an intimate performance. The close scrutiny perhaps didn’t do her magic any favors, some of the mechanics of her effects felt a little clumsy. This didn’t really affect the overall impression of the show. There’s so much more than magic going on, that while the tricks are used illustratively or connectively the magic itself isn’t the point. It wasn’t every trick, there were several great reveals that felt smoothly done.

Vegetarian or vegan feminists who love sequins may be the most obvious target audience, but Magic for Animals has a wide appeal. The way that Toonkel uses magic to tell her story is genuinely beautiful and interesting, the magic feels entirely, consistently in service of the story—magicians and magic fans might especially appreciate this.