Edinburgh Review

Bespoke Magic

This was a 1-man show performed by Bruce Glen, an Australian magician who is also a member of the Magic Circle. He had done his homework on Edinburgh, and this became increasingly clear as the show progressed.

For most of the show, he took on the guise of the storyteller, allowing the audience to revert to the days of childhood and have a child-like wonder about things.

He set the scene by talking about some former Edinburgh storytellers – J.M. Barrie, Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle, Sir Walter Scott, and, in more recent times, J.K. Rowling.

The tricks performed all had a story running through them, Professor's Nightmare, Card Mess, the Knot Trick and a vanish and reappearance of 3 borrowed rings.

There were places where the show got a bit spooky, but then, Edinburgh does have a spooky history about it. Every night there will be ghost walks on offer somewhere in the vicinity of the Royal Mile. That said, this was family entertainment at its best, and Bruce's best trick was making an hour fly by !

Ali Cook – Principles and Deceptions

Previous reviewers have given this 4 or 5 stars, an accolade it very well deserves.

The show opens with a bit of fun, Ali taking the role of “The Enchanter” a cheesy 70s style cruise ship magician. That said, there was nothing cheesy about the Enchanter's 2 illusions, girl from cage, which I did spot the method but was still well done, then the levitating woman, which had me totally baffled. I do wonder if the woman selected was a stooge, but even with that question mark in my mind, I just cannot figure out how this was done.

Then Ali came on as himself. Interestingly, in his routine, he performed a trick which was essentially the same, but with a different presentation as one performed in Bespoke Magic earlier in the evening. It makes me wonder if that is a trick or just a phenomenon which cane take place under certain conditions. I won't spoil it my saying any more, but it has left me wondering.

Other routines included “Russian Roulette” but with the danger that he might drink from a cup that a volunteer had spat into (he didn't), the coin matrix, a love-letter prediction and the threaded razor blades

There was a brilliant illusion to finish with – poles through girl. I thought that I had spotted the method, then thought that it couldn't possibly be, only to discover that I was right all along. So how the middle bit of the illusion worked ??? Wow, that's the real magic !

A sell-out show, but do all you can to make a ticket appear in your hand !

Wet paint

This show took a while to warm up. Ben Hart struggled initially to have a rapport with the audience, though this did improve as the show went on.

The first trick was quite poor – a coin balance which obviously used adhesive. A coin cascade did not work, and was abandoned before it was due to finish.

As with “Bespoke Magic” some storytelling was used in the course of the show, and this helped break the ice and get the audience alongside that much more. The account of the Indian Rope trick had us spellbound. The only trick performed here was the straightening of a piece of rope, but the real magic was in the telling of the story to a rapt audience.

Linking rings – yes, we've seen that one before, but there was a twist here. Later, when 3 borrowed wedding rings were linked, the astonishment was complete.

Another trick I have seen elsewhere in this festival – the know trick.

The finish was a double act with Neil Kelso, and by now, the audience was enjoying the show. It's a shame they couldn't have started the way they finished.

Pete Firman – Jiggery Pokery

This show could easily have been spoiled by a certain, small section of the audience. There were 34 of them, and the start was delayed by a couple of minutes as one of them had been to the bar and was handing out beers – not to all of them, but to about 10. She didn't seem to notice that there was a room-full of people waiting.

It transpired that as we were taking our seats, Pete had been on stage all along, locked inside a wooden box. He could have done without the beer delay as well. A volunteer was chosen to verify that the key for the lock was indeed the right one, after which it got mixed up with 4 others. When they were eliminated one by one and mixed up with about 500 others, the key that remained did indeed open the lock and let Pete out of the box. Had that trick gone wrong, the show could have been very interesting indeed!

Instead of having 2 cabinets and swapping 2 assistants, a smaller version of this was done by swapping drawings which Pete and a volunteer had done.

What irked me most about what was an entertaining show on the whole was Pete's use of language. There is no need for swearing. Some might get a cheap laugh from it, but not everyone. Yes, I've heard the words before, but I don't expect to hear them when at a magic show.

The extended routine at the close of the show was well worked out. It started as a borrowed £20 routine – it was obviously going to be a vanish and reappear act. It was indeed, but with other acts along the way thrown in to keep the audience waiting, to keep the volunteer on the stage and to further the entertainment.

Between the vanish and the reappearance, there was a head-chopper routine, and the volunteer was made to realise that he had no option but to be the volunteer in this illusion as well. Brilliantly done.

The final reappearance of the £20 note was quite spectacular and brought the show to a well-received end.

A good act, sadly spoiled for me by his use of language and some members of the audience

Barry and Stuart – Show and Tell – The Show

I had an idea what to expect with this – I have seen these 2 Scottish magicians perform before – they are very good, but a bit too gory for my liking. That said, there was not too much gore in here.

The opening act was a memory feat, tearing pages out of a magazine, passing them to members of the audience and then recalling from the stage what was contained in the pages. Stuart was doing the act, and every time he hesitated, Barry made sure that his pain increased, to help him recall what was in his mond. The final pain challenge was Barry standing on Stuart as he was on a bed of nails. Ouch!

If facebook friends are wondering why one of my recent status updates read “Pick a card, not an ace” - it is because we were asked to set that as our Facebook status, and later, towards the end of the show, someone who had received a reply would be chosen. To everyone who replied “Birthday card”, “Credit card” etc, ha flipping ha :-) It turns out that you weren't the only ones – it happens every night !! And a serious thanks to those of you who did seriously name a playing card. When someone was chosen later in the show, the card selected by their facebook friend was indeed the card that came out of the pack. Magic using internet technology – the next generation indeed.

Another version of “Russian Roulette” followed - supposedly using sulphuric acid which could kill a goldfish. Instead, no fish were harmed, but a copper coin got some interesting treatment !

There are many ways to make a chosen card appear, but a good one is to make it appear inside Stuart's mouth, which has been taped over and he has been securely bound by rope. After the card appeared, Stuart, still bound, made his escape duelling Barry who was doing a handcuff escape – both against the clock – Barry won.

There was a second part to the show – the tell, which promised to reveal how the tricks were done. I didn't go to that – part of me can work out how some of the tricks were done, part of me doesn't want to know, and that show started at midnight. At one point in the show, trying to find the average member of the audience, it was said that the average age was between 16 and 40. Without giving another secret away here, I am over 40, and shows at midnight take quite some doing, especially when my train home leaves the next morning !

So, 5 magic shows in 2 days – along with 2 comedy shows (one of which I have not blogged about as it was good but rather “bitty”) That is just a tiny fraction of the fringe, and doesn't even touch the International Festival.

If you can get a couple of days free one August, try the Edinburgh Fringe. It's busy, it's mad, but it's brilliant ! Now back to work for a rest!