Asi Wind: Incredibly Human – Underbelly Boulevard, London

Magician and mentalist Asi Wind has built himself up as a household name over in America – working alongside well-known stars such as David Blaine and Penn & Teller throughout his career. His residency at Underbelly Boulevard has him posing the question – can he still be honest even though his show is full of deception?

Wanting to be seen as both credible and incredible, Asi Wind spends the 80-minute runtime encouraging the audience to really think about his performance, using the space between each trick as a brief moment of reflection as he monologues about his life and motivations for practising magic. The intimacy of Underbelly Boulevard lends itself perfectly to this performance style, which focuses on tricks of the mind rather than big showy routines.

Audience members are frequently called at random up to the stage – his charming manner and gentle warmth immediately put them at ease, championing some of the younger audience members with a wholesome degree of interaction. Each of his tricks has a story behind it, whether it’s showcasing the spellbinding simplicity of the first trick he learnt, or using his show as a platform for his beliefs, such as his frustration over banned books, that is worked into an incredible book trick that has the audience astounded.

His memory is impeccable, with much of his set relying on his impressively honed skills. He takes familiar tricks, such as memorising a deck of cards, and elevates them into something even more spectacular. In this instance, recalling the place of every single shuffled card, even with the called order being changed frequently by his volunteer on stage. Another trick has each member of the audience select an inspirational public figure for him to guess, which results in Wind unexpectedly showcasing his artistic talent as well as his showmanship. His routine mainly focuses on small, but spectacular feats of mind work, stripping back from magic shows that are normally steeped in glitz and grandeur, allowing the focus to fully remain on his work itself.

Asi Wind’s show does exactly what he sets out to do. He embraces the human behind the tricks, not just by delving into his backstory, but also by acknowledging that it’s perseverance that makes his show great, rather than magic itself. He uses a credible level of impressive practice to perform incredible tricks that stun the audience – a wonderful performer, with a brilliantly entertaining show.

Runs until 5 January 2025