Writers: Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields with Penn and Teller
Director: Adam Megiddo
In the latest creation from Mischief Theatre, of The Play That Goes Wrong and Peter Pan Goes Wrong fame, in conjunction with the ever anarchistic Penn and Teller the audience are welcomed into an evening of magic titled Disasters in Magic Charity Fundraiser. The show-within-the-show to honour all the magicians who have met untimely ends within the last year is hosted by Sophisticato (Sam Hill) following the untimely death of his father the original Sophisticato, who is joined by a range of magical stereotypes.
Each of the acts bring their own element of magic to the stage. Rory Fairbairn’s The Mind Mangler psychic act is a highlight through a combination of his own timing and a few quick-witted audience members. Kiefer Moriarty’s Chris Angel inspired Blade brings his own flair and somewhat hapless intensity. With a different energy entirely, Spitzmaus (Jocelyn Prah) und Bär (Chloe Tannenbaum) represent the European branch of physical illusionists and seize the opportunity to showcase their comedic timing and play off one another wonderfully.
The entirety of the play runs like it truly is a magic fundraiser and soon has the audience forgetting that it isn’t. This makes the finale a bit of a shame, as it becomes somewhat saccharine and sentimental in a way that removes the audience from their suspension of disbelief and reminds them that they are watching actors in a carefully planned show, not magicians in a hilariously poorly planned one.
The wonder of anything from Penn and Teller is always the slick, cleverly planned twist on a trick that allows all of the elements to work together at just the right moment. The comedy of anything produced by Mischief Theatre comes from the concept that anything that can go wrong, will go wrong, then a few more things fall on top of it for good measure. The two opposing elements simply should not work together and yet they come together to make something magical.
This show is a maelstrom of lights, glitter, partial nudity, a bear, and several deaths in a barely contained chaos that brings out the best of the worlds of magic, and theatre.
Runs Until: 23 April 2022
