one4review has discovered a Magician who is hoping to review all of the Magic shows on this Fringe and we are delighted to publish their reviews. Only one member of the team know their identity and it is being kept secret to protect their anonymity.

It’s very difficult to find a magician who is doing original magic and comedy these days, but in Barry and Stuart we have found two.  They ooze professional authenticity from start to finish leaving the audience amazed, bewildered and entertained.  You will be hard pressed to find a better magic show in Edinburgh this year. 

Having secured great publicity and audiences last year, the Scottish pair have moved to a bigger venue and are relishing the bigger stage.  They have improved the double act interaction and created a slick show that the audience loved. 

They already have a cult following and that will sure to increase, it won’t be long before these guys are back on our screens again.

For a fresh, original magic show from two of the UK’s most creative magicians be at the Underbelly for 10.15pm.

*****

Pete is back in Edinburgh for his third year but unfortunately has lost some of his shine.  A funny and competent magic show – I’d expect nothing less from Firman – but lacks the sparkle of previous shows. 

Many classic* tricks were performed with very little improvement or gusto and even his trademark high-energy magic finish lacked his normal energy.  His £110 trick was particularly crap.  I almost got the feeling he was running out of material.  (*old)

Many of the jokes weren’t original, but I’ll definitely be using the tie one in the future!  You’ll need to go to get that gem.

I suppose even a bad Firman show getting 4* is the mark of a good performer but he has yet to adjust to a large theatre such as the Reid Hall.  This may affect his audience numbers for next year, however as the natural successor to Paul Daniels, I’m sure he’ll recover.

****

A decent first outing from the Cambridge pair, reasonably good magic with their cheesy comedy made for a good family magic show.  They are both likeable chaps who have put together a Victorian themed magic show with just enough Victorian references to make it work.

The audience quickly warmed to them as they went about their business of using 20 volunteers from the audience to help out.  Mind-reading, math tricks were the order of the day, complemented with, at times, dodgy sleight of hand. 

For the Magic savvy audience, these two are a U rated version of Barry and Stuart, not quite as slick, yet, but show enough signs of originality and decent presentation to make them one to watch for next year.

***

The most creative magic show I have ever seen, Xavier manages to create a magical world on stage and interacts with the most banal of objects.  He rides a stool bareback, pulls a broom from his tuba and has you immersed in a whimsical world where the boundaries between the cartoon-like shadow world and reality are blurred.

Xavier is a truly talented chap, mixing mime, sleight-of-hand magic, his mastery of a plethora of instruments with a fantastic make believe shadow world.  His timing is always perfect with even the most complicated magical demonstrations.

With influences as far and wide as Monty Python and Penn & Teller, this show is pretty artistic and probably wouldn’t suit an under 12 audience, but for everyone else, go along and enjoy a great show.

*****

***

There aren’t many performers who can claim to have performed of 18 solid years at the Fringe, but Ian Kendall can.  And his experience shows.

He has a commanding performance style and extremely competent sleight of hand.  There is no doubt about it, this is a good magic show and well presented, I just wish Ian would move away from classical presentations and challenge his audience with more original arrangements. 

This is probably why Kendall has had, in his own words, “nearly two decades of obscurity” and others have progressed. 

Most intriguing though are his stories of Fringes gone by; how the Fringe used to be and how it is now from a magician’s point of view.  Many Fringe veterans will no doubt share his fondness for the good old days. 

At times I don’t really get Ian’s sense of humour, but this show is really all about the magic and if I was grading on magic ability alone it would be four stars.  So if it’s good magic you want then go and see this show, if you want a bit more comedy then look elsewhere. 

***

***

This is a free magic show that shouldn’t really be a free magic show – it’s better than that.  A lot of time has gone into it’s creation and the show would definitely merit from appearing at one of the bigger venues. 

Piff (aka John Van Der Put) has a tempered Jack Dee demeanour, a dragon outfit (with lots of pockets), a sprinkling of sleight-of-hand and some mind-reading.  The product is an entertaining act that will only need a bit of work to make it really good. 

Despite Van Der Put’s stage experience, he often opts to embarrass his audience helpers rather than make them feel at ease with the show.  I was left cringing a number of times at the way he treated people on stage! 

There are many dragon related jokes, not all of which hit the mark and some fine card tricks – other tricks were more confusing than amazing.  This will be a will be good original show with just a bit of direction. 

For what it’s worth – free – go along and see a decent comedy-magic show.  But be ready to be subjected to some pretty heavy emotional blackmail involving a puppy when you walk past the hat at the end! 

***