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There’s a big illusion in Tom Brace’s latest Fringe show, Tom Brace Saws Himself in Half, and chances are most of the audience will have guessed what it is by the time they have bought their tickets. With such a famous historical illusion the element of surprise is no longer available, as soon as anyone sees that table with a box on it they’ll know what’s about to happen, so what’s left is the showmanship. On this front, Brace certainly delivers.

As The Sawing happens right at the end of the show—Brace does not perform the entire show while sawn in half—there is plenty of time for him to demonstrate other effects. The goal of the show is to get himself in to the magic hall of fame, so Brace has put together a series of tricks that exemplify the relevant criteria. His favorite random number generator makes a return appearance for a numbers effect that gets the entire audience involved, to mass amazement, even with the necessary limitation of having just one person in the random number generator itself. In a show that plays on a classic magician/assistant illusion it feels especially fitting that this particular prop makes an appearance. If Brace could be said to have an onstage “assistant” in his career it would probably be that random number generator, which, while it cannot fit in an illusion, is in all other respects his constant, reliable sidekick.

Brace gets a few members of the audience involved, with the trip into the random number generator being the biggest task asked of any one of them. For that task he makes sure to pick from a pool of volunteers who demonstrated their willingness to be a part of the show via a pre-show task. Audience participants can be a tricky bunch, and at the reviewed show Brace had to deal with a participant who did not know the details of the ring she brought up for him to do magic on. Ever the professional, he had the audience laughing with her, and made sure to get his reveal completed suitably impressively.

With such an odd title, Brace takes a suitably slightly sarcastic approach to the magic that he performs in Tom Brace Saws Himself in Half. This builds to the event itself, in which he attempts an impossibility even by magic standards. While it would be a shame to reveal what happens in that moment, it’s a great take on this classic. Brace balances poking fun at the sketchy history of this effect with demonstrating it in a genuine, impressive way.

When watching the traditional version of the sawing in half illusion it’s easy to think, ‘maybe the coward waving the blades should take a turn in that box if he wants a share of the applause that comes after’. Tom Brace Saws Himself in Half is the show for people who have had that thought. It also feels like a love letter to magic as an art form, acknowledging its imperfections and mixed history and working from a place of affection to drive its progress forward. A magician sawing himself in half isn’t something that even magic fans see often, if ever. If you’re curious, you won’t be disappointed.

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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.

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Tom Brace: Embrace the Impossible is a truly all-ages show. There’s the brightly colored props and exciting flashy effects to keep the kids entertained, and a pleasant nostalgia-fest for us adults—for those of us around Brace’s age, harkening back to a time when we were children ourselves, before we were fully aware of the often disastrous state of the world. The nineties theme runs throughout the show, which goes by quickly. Brace brings plenty of excitement to keep the audience interested.

It is not often that a magician who faces the sheer number of issues outside of his control that Brace faced on the day that this show was reviewed turns this in to such a positive. People both arrived and left late, and he could not have been more graceful about this, allowing both sets of individuals to run across his stage to get to and from the exit efficiently. Brace also had to deal with a dodgy microphone, which turned in to a lovely moment when his friend and techie joined him onstage to fix it. Sadly it did not last, and Brace eventually gave up on the microphone, but with his projection the whole audience could easily still hear him. He did not miss a beat through dealing with all this—perhaps a more impressive skill than any of the magic.

That being said, the magic was excellent as well. A card trick themed on Who Wants to be a Millionaire was a highlight of the show reviewed, with an enthusiastic participant (the very same lady who arrived late carrying two pints) who was happy to let Brace work his way through her phone book to find a friend who would pick up when she called. They found someone, in the end, leading to a much anticipated reveal, although with the onstage chemistry between Brace, his participant, and even her offstage friends, no one in the audience minded the extra long build up.

Just off bustling Bristo Square, Embrace the Impossible in Brace’s fantastic company is a great way to spend an hour of the Fringe, especially but not exclusively for those of us who remember the nineties. It may not be the kind of show that ordinarily comes with a lesson, it’s more of a good time show. However, the reviewed show certainly did—that if you can accept the uncontrollable problems in your life and make the best of it, you may just end up even more memorable than if you get caught up in trying to be perfect. Brace’s audience can safely expect a great show regardless of how much goes wrong around him.

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