THEATRE REVIEW: The Illusionists

Shane | 21 January 2014 | Reply

THEATRE REVIEW: The Illusionists
Crown Theatre, 18 January 2014
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar

The Illusionists brings together seven of “the world’s greatest magicians” and a bevy of dancers in an action packed show that is straight from the glitzy stages of Vegas.

Cleverly written and eminently enjoyable, the show doesn’t pretend that these “magic” tricks are anything other than sleight of hand and fancy illusion (the biggest clue being in the name, after all) and is all the better for it, peppering their stunts with flashbombs and jokes in equal measure to make a fun couple of hours go by in the blink of an eye.

Apart from a couple of overlong set pieces in the first half, the show barely lags at all, with highlight after highlight leaving kids and grown ups alike gawping in awe and wonder, or rolling in the aisles at the rapid fire gags.

The troupe – The Anti-Conjurer Dan Sperry, The Inventor Kevin James, The Mentalist Philip Escoffey, The Gentleman Mark Kalin, The Escapologist Andrew Basso, The Trickster David Williamson and The Enchantress Jinger Leigh – seek to redefine what a magic show is in 2014, paying homage to the past with a truly astonishing take on the classic “sawing a woman in half” trick, which was a delight to watch, as was another classic, The Escapologist escaping from being shackled upside down in a water tank, a la Houdini. Audience murmurs abounded with theories as to how the performers pulled these stunts off, but like all good magicians, no-one was completely sure afterwards.

Finishing not with a ‘magic trick’ so much as an extended, hilarious sequence involving 4 kids from the audience, a fake raccoon and a deck of cards was a very clever move. Heaven knows what Merlin would make of it all, but the packed house filed out with sore sides from laughing, and a lot of after-match dissection of ‘how did he do that’ to discuss.

The Illusionists runs until 26 January at Crown Theatre