I think I can see what this show was meant to be, but it really didn't make it. To work fully, a show like this has to have some good old fashioned razzmatazz but this one lack it.
Don't get me wrong, most of the individual sets were impressive, even from the Royal Circle (they have jumbo screens to help) and some do, indeed, make you wonder but the show has been put together like a last minute family entertainment. The driving music cannot cover the long gaps or the lack of structure - magicians in jeans and t-shirts look great on screen or in close-up situations but on stage they just lack, well, "magic". I went after press night, it should have settled in a bit, but frankly the show as a whole just seemed so under-rehearsed.
- James Raven (The Magician)
- Very entertaining, some interesting illusions and some excellent patter ... kept the shoe moving along
- Andrew Basso (The Escapologist)
- One brief escape, from the stills outside it would look like what you get differs on a night by night basis, this might explain the ramshackle nature of the evening but our night saw just one quick stunt at the start of the show (impressive but lost in the intro, people were still settling)
- Kevin James (The Inventor)
- Some nice tricks, his close-up work was excellent but largely lost by the necessary video link
- Colin Cloud (The Deductionist)
- Impressive ... really enjoyed his bits, very, very clever
- Ben Blaque (The Warrior)
- Man with crossbows ... felt a bit "Sunday Night at the London Palladium" without the sparkles
- Den Den (The Manipulator)
- Beautiful but again, not really something to be seen from a distance with a video link ... probably better on YouTube
- David Williamson (The Trickster)
- Very funny, glad we had these more lighthearted interludes and his work with the kids was gloriously daft
- Ben Hanlin (not all dates)
- Less said the better
This is a short show and many in the audience really enjoyed it - I expect it to do well as a pre-Christmas mid-week entertainment but it lacks the style for a proper run and might be better off in a cabaret venue. I really enjoy magic but the acts were much better than the sum of their parts
