☆☆☆☆

The popular Stuart Lightbody is worth traveling for. At the reviewed showing of Mysterious Moments with Stuart Lightbody, several audience members from Lightbody’s home country of South Africa reported that they had seen him in that country and loved him so much that when they found out that he would be in Edinburgh for the Fringe, they made sure to take the time to see him again. That level of committed fandom is surely the most impactful endorsement to hear. As soon as Lightbody gets started, the rest of the audience understand how he has acquired such enduring support.

Mysterious Moments may emphasize mentalism a bit more that Lightbody’s fans would usually expect, but they can be reassured that they will still see some of his excellent card work. Plus, the mentalism is equally excellent. One card effect in particular that garners a big reaction from everyone is part of a sequence involved in forging a connection between two randomly chosen participants. Many of the audience members at the reviewed show were on board as soon as Lightbody showed off his fancy shuffle work. The card effect itself earned Lightbody an affectionate expletive, and the subsequent demonstration of the connection forged left all in awe.

Lightbody gets a good proportion of the audience involved, while keeping anything difficult for himself. Much of the audience involvement can be done from their seats, including a highly impactful mind reading sequence that manages to get just about everyone at once. The one mildly disconcerting moment involves a participant whose consent is acquired ahead of the start of the show.

Mysterious Moments functions as a series of stories, sometimes even just vignettes, as a framework for Lightbody to perform his magic. This contributes to the dreamlike quality of the performance that he deliberately curates. It’s a highly effective way to frame and make memorable the mysteries that he demonstrates.

Many will be drawn to Lightbody’s shows due to their previous experiences with him, and those for whom that was not the case this year will find themselves in the same boat by the next Fringe. Mysterious Moments is an excellent primer on perfection in storytelling magic, that will ensure the viewer’s standards are high in assessing other shows. Lightbody’s hypnotically powerful magic perfectly highlights the stories.

☆☆☆☆☆

Edinburgh’s newest cult leader Stuart Lightbody is very popular. At the reviewed show and/or recruitment event The Magic Eye, the room was completely full, with people even standing at the back for the entire hour to witness the magic and join up. Lightbody may not have the power of some of the better known cult leaders, but he’s almost certainly more entertaining.

Like any good cult leader, Lightbody displays an increasingly dramatic series of miracles before he asks the audience to pledge their loyalty. Lightbody’s card tricks are always a highlight, with his quick hands and impressive shuffles. Here he puts many of the most impressive of these tricks in the hands of his audience, both making the reveals all the more impressive and binding his new acolytes in the ritual of his magic. While Lightbody is always the leader, the Magic Eye is an empowering organization, and Lightbody celebrates the magic that the audience performs under his stewardship.

As both a magic show and a cult induction there is naturally a significant amount of audience participation in The Magic Eye. Lightbody’s dominant yet welcoming presence makes this a fun event to take part in. Many audience participants are just called upon to examine or choose props and then hold them for Lightbody to work his magic on. The few with more involved roles get clear instructions from Lightbody and are rewarded for their work with the experience of magic happening in their hands or right in front of them.

Lightbody’s commitment to the cult bit is truly impressive. He manages to fold all the usual Fringe bits in to the theme, from crowd control to requesting word of mouth recommendations, and even to the obligatory PBH Free Fringe bucket speech. The tricks and stunts are perfectly performed, as is his custom, and also here perfectly aligned with his goal of Edinburgh-wide domination. Meeting in the basement of a takeaway on a busy road adds to the ambiance as well, the hustle and bustle that filters in to the room provides contrast to the religious concentration of the audience as they watch Lightbody work.

Cults may have a bad reputation, but that’s just from people who haven’t yet seen and joined Lightbody’s Magic Eye. It’s the only cult worth joining, and Lightbody’s magic is always worth seeing too.

☆☆☆☆☆

Stuart Lightbody may come from South Africa, but the story that he tells in The Man with the Golden Hands is recognizable to people of many nationalities: the United States government clutching at straws to gain advantage over its Cold War enemies. Any degree of knowledge of this crazy time in history will make everything that Lightbody says in his show sound feasible, regardless of specific knowledge or ignorance of the matters in question.

Specifically, Lightbody has framed his show as a discussion of the CIA’s use of misdirection techniques during the Cold War. It makes sense on the surface, and it allows him to demonstrate a wide range of skills. Lightbody runs through the range but excels at sleight of hand in particular. Watching him shuffle his cards is genuinely ridiculously impressive, he has such perfect control over his deck it’s like he has 52 extra hands. His card finding trick is perhaps too much fun for even a card trick, with an ending that no one will anticipate. It’s both a classic and completely fresh at the same time, in a way that perfectly dovetails in with his spy theme. It’s well worth the hour even if the rest of the show doesn’t appeal just to watch Lightbody’s card and coin tricks.

The participants in The Man with the Golden Hands by and large look to be having a great time on stage with Lightbody. For tricks like his card routine, the participants have a front row view and are extra flabbergasted by his reveal. In one memorable trick, Lightbody asks for participants first from the extroverts in the audience and then from the introverts. This is clever as well as kind, and in fitting with the theme. The extroverts have the extra moments onstage to bask in the attention, while the introverts are literally instructed to hide behind an extrovert—likely exactly what they would feel inclined to do anyway.

The theme is consistent and constant throughout the hour. Lightbody has put together a show that is both cohesive and highly entertaining. It’s a masterpiece that has deservedly won awards at international Fringes, and is deservedly popular here in Edinburgh. The Man with the Golden Hands isn’t just a magic show, and Lightbody doesn’t just show the audience how spies use misdirection but even teaches the audience how to use those skills themselves. Does that appeal to you? If so, make sure to catch the show before the end of the Fringe. Don’t worry, Lightbody isn’t looking for you.

More information on The Man With the Golden Hands and its performance dates can be found here.