Given that I’m seeing a total of 33 shows during this magic festival (haha yes – crazy, I know!) it is rare that I would go back and see a show again. In fact I can only recall this happening one other time during the MMF. This year, an opportunity arose to see the delightful and divine Lucy Darling (performed by Carisa Hendrix) in her show “The Ladies’ Guide to Deceit and Debauchery”. Given the theatrical nature of this show, portions of it end up being a sort of ‘choose your own adventure’ scenario (with Lucy at the helm of course) so I was compelled to see the show again to see what new adventures unfolded with Lucy Darling. Little did I realise exactly how exciting this show would be.

Before I commence raving about this show, I should dispel some assumptions about seeing the same show twice: I was not coerced to see it again, I sought it out and used my own free will; I was never bored – in fact seeing the show twice gave me a chance to experience some small tweaks that Lucy had made to her show. Being able to see this show twice was a gift in itself, as I’m sure there were some jokes or aspects I missed the first time around as I was so caught up and focused on Lucy’s aesthetic and her varied skills.

Prior to the show, the premise was explained to the audience – especially regarding the improv sections of the show and that audience members would have the chance to contribute and help out. During this show, I was sitting next to a friend and also had plenty of other friends located in the audience. This is important, due to the ‘improv’ nature of the show and the simple fact that the enjoyment of this show is magnified when shared with friends. Lucy Darling also took an easier path with some audience members, asking those in the front row if they could help her / if they were the person she’s looking for and if not she simply moved on to the next person. Lucy has so much charm and a great persona that finding some to help her was never a difficult task. Audience members reacted to Lucy’s scenarios in clever ways and really got into the spirit of what Lucy was asking of them, which I relished. I even had the chance to help Lucy on stage, which remains a festival highlight for me! I adored being able to help Lucy and she rewarded me so well (as with all her audience helpers). Who could ask for more from a show?!

This show was definitely as much fun as the first time I saw it (perhaps even moreso). Lucy Darling casts such an enchanting spell on her audience. I’m really going to miss her and I hope she returns to Australia soon.

Walking into the theatre, audience members were greeted with a range of props and items of furniture draped in old white sheets, which made for a haunting scene. This helped to set the scene of the show as Cath Jamison specialises in mentalism and mysteries. Audience members can be a little nervous watching mentalists however Cath is always so friendly and constantly reaches out to her audience members, requesting their assistance for various pieces and mysteries. She goes to some length ensuring her audience feels welcomed and settled before she delves into the minds of her audience.

I’ve seen a few performances from Cath before, however there were elements of this show that made it stand out from the rest. There was a particular piece of magic that the entire audience helped out with, via everyone holding hands. I really enjoyed that as for a brief moment, all audience members were linked together for the same common goal. It was a unifying experience. Card predictions were made and Cath even took one lucky audience member on a trip to a magic casino to try his prediction skills, which was an enjoyable routine to watch. The finale of the show was equally impressive and left the audience stunned and wondering how she did it all! I overheard some audience members in the bathroom in the show wondering how certain objects were found in the most unusual places – Cath’s show clearly impressed the audience and contained many surprises.

Ever the sassy and showstopping host, Cath’s shows are always a solid evening of fun entertainment, so I’d recommend her shows if you ever get the chance to see one.

The MMF is run by the Australian Institute of Magic (AIM) and they host a juniors program that encourages young people under the age of 18 to develop their skills in the magical arts, and to learn from magical mentors. During the MMF, the AIM Juniors in the program have the chance to perform a short magic piece in front of a public audience. In the past I haven’t come along to this, however magic will be a dying art if young people don’t take it up and continue to learn the skills so I decided to attend this year.

The AIM Juniors show was hosted by magician Josh Staley (who has 3 shows on during this year’s magic festival). Josh opened the show with a short magic piece before introducing the first of three juniors to perform their short pieces of magic. The audience was treated to magic with rope, interesting looking props and even some predictions. One thing stood out to me when watching all the juniors – they all had impressive stage presence. They all moved around the stage with ease, and were relaxed when talking with or obtaining help from audience members. The youngest junior presenting magic was 11 years old, and I felt they had performance and stage technique well beyond their years (at 11 years old I would have been mortified to help out a magician on stage let alone hold stage time by myself!).

A particular highlight was the current Australian Junior Champion of Stage Magic – Prue Spencer – treating the audience to a set of rope magic. Prue is total delight to watch, so if you ever get the chance to see her magic then do go along and see her! Her snappy comedy lines makes her magic routines even more entertaining, and I always have a wide smile on my face when I watch her performances. Prue is definitely a young magician to keep your eyes on – she’ll be going places in the future!

It’s so important to nurture art forms (especially magic) in young people, so I applaud both the AIM and Josh Staley for their efforts in mentoring young magicians and ensuring they have the stage time that they clearly deserve.

Once every magic festival, all the little (and big) fairies get to gather for the annual Fairy Magic Show, performed by Fairy Lee (magician Lee Cohen). I try to attend this show each year as I love dressing up in my fairy outfit and it puts a huge smile on my face to see so many little fairies getting into the fairy spirit. I sat next to a friend, and had brought a spare fairy wand from home so we both sat and waved our wands and said the magic words when required during the show. This is quite an interactive show – there are plenty of chances for all audience members (big and small) to get involved and shout out the magic words to help the magic happen.

Fairy Lee’s magic show is very whimsical, which I thoroughly enjoyed. She commenced her show by singing us a song, gently introducing us to her splendid world of magic. Her wings and outfit glistening, Fairy Lee enchanted all audience members with her sweet nature and wonderful magic. All kinds of magic featured in this show: magic to help make Fairy Lee’s animal friends appear, magic with cards, and magic with a forest theme. There were many chances during the show for young audience members to help out and create some magic for themselves, which the audience helpers enjoyed. The littlest fairies sitting up the front had suggestions for everything when Fairy Lee needed help, and those suggestions were for her to use MAGIC (with the audience’s help of course)!

I can’t recommend this show enough – it’s a yearly highlight on the MMF calendar for me, and I think it is a real shame it’s only on once! Get your wings on and fly along to this show. Fairy Lee’s show always leave me so relaxed and feeling so happy (on the inside and out).

Simon Coronel regularly performs during the Melbourne Magic Festival, so I always make an effort to see his shows. Originally from Melbourne, Simon now lives in Los Angeles, California so it is even more exciting and wonderful to see his shows in Melbourne when he visits.

‘Things By Simon’ is a compilation of Simon’s most well known routines (featuring poker chips, and money folding) coupled with some fascinating observations of people, behaviour and magic. Particular highlights of this show for me were Simon’s stories from his time on Penn & Teller’s television show “Fool Us” (if you have not seen that routine, please promptly look it up right now!!!) and a very special piece of card magic that the entire audience had the chance to be involved in.

There are some aspects of Simon’s style that sets him far apart from the other magicians – his respect for the audience and practising ‘magic with consent’ (so no one has to assist him unless they really want to) and him seeking to find out which audience members treat magic as a puzzle to be solved vs those audience members (myself included here) who just want to be amazed / astounded and caught up in the magic itself.

It is clear that Simon puts an immense amount of effort and research into the magical “things” he presents to his audience. If you’re ever looking for a clever magic show that makes you think long after the show has ended then this is the show for you. I highly recommend you to see a show from Simon Coronel in the future if you can.

‘A Night of Variety 2’ is the second installment of a show by performer Raymond Truong. I did see the original ‘A Night of Variety’ during the previous magic festival, so I was keen to see more. This time around I attended the show with a friend and we were in for a treat! At the start of the show, Raymond mentions that the show is split into two parts: one part with close up magic featuring cards (and ‘old style’ card games like the 3 card monte) and the second part of the show which features Raymond’s fabulous juggling and physical comedy routine (which he performs as a character named ‘Copernicus’).

The friend attending the show with me was lucky to be selected to assist Raymond during his close up magic portion of the show – she seemed delighted as card magic was performed and even did well in following the Queen card during the 3 card monte. We were both impressed with this routine, and I enjoyed watching the reactions from my friend as she had the chance to experience the magic first hand. Raymond regularly checked in with the audience to ensure we were all having a good time.

During the second part of Raymond’s show, more assistants were plucked from the audience to assist in a very amusing magical coin routine. Portions of this routine had the entire audience erupting in laughter. Raymond is well known for his juggling, physical comedy and card shuffling / production routines that are all set to music and all those elements made up the second portion of his show.

If you ever have the chance to catch one of Raymond’s performances, I recommend it! I always walk away from his shows with a smile on my face, feeling very entertained.

Having seen many magic shows in my life already, I pay extra attention to the shows billed as ‘Experimental’ in the MMF programme. For this show I gathered a gaggle of lovely ladies and walked into the theatre truly not knowing what to expect. All I knew was that my curiosity was winning me over and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

With an enthralling storyline that draws her adult audience in, show host Lucy Darling (performed by Carisa Hendrix) enchanted everyone with her sassy songs and inimitable style. Charming in one moment, and playfully teasing the audience the next this show had me in stitches the entire time. I could hardly catch a breath before the next joke would just about knock me over! Quick witted, wickedly clever and simply gorgeous, Lucy had the audience in the palm of her hand many times. I’m sure she had plenty of admirers in the audience – Lucy certainly had no shortage of audience members willing to assist her when needed. Part magic show and part cabaret, this show is delightful in every way. I won’t spoil here exactly what the show includes, however there are several pieces of magic, plenty of comedy and circus skills thrown into the mix as well as a fantastic narrative / storyline. Lucy is a supreme storyteller and this show remains one of the highlights of my week. If you’re looking for a fun night out with ladies, friends (or foes!) then this is the show for you. Like a great cocktail, I wish I could experience this show again so I can’t recommend it enough!

‘The Ladies Guide to Deceit and Debauchery’ will draw you in with charm and grace and will then put a wide smile on your face. Plenty of ‘dirty martini’ and general drink analogies are referenced in the show and apply here too – as this is a show with sweet and salty elements, leaving a happy feeling within all attending the show.

Extra note: whilst unusual for children to be attending this show (due to timeslot and description), much of the show featured ‘adult humour’ (whilst not being too rude or explicit) and references to alcohol so attendees may like to keep this in mind.

Info and tickets: http://melbournemagicfestival.com/the-ladies-guide-to-deceit-and-debauchery/

 

Magician Daz Buckley has joined the MMF lineup this year from sunny Brisbane, QLD. Why someone would swap beautiful weather for cold Melbourne for two weeks is beyond me, however I was excited to see a performance from an interstate magician.

Daz warmly welcomed his audience (a mix of families and adults) and commenced magic routines that were set to music. These routines of classic magic were pleasant and elicited much applause from the audience. Whilst not everything seemed flow naturally during the show, Daz always communicated with his audience and ensured we were all having fun. A child was selected to learn some magic, and that routine was very entertaining. Daz’s performance featured gentle mentalism and plenty of classic magic that you’d expect to see during a magic show.

Despite a perhaps shaky start, Daz treated his audience well and ensured we all left the show smiling and feeling entertained. If you’ve never been to a magic show and perhaps want a ‘gentle’ show to start with, then this could be the show for you.

Info and tickets: http://melbournemagicfestival.com/dazbuckleysbedazzled/

The show “This Is Magic” is performed by the magician who came up with the concept of and organised the very first Melbourne Magic Festival – magician Tim Ellis. Tim is well known in Melbourne and around the world for his magic and I was excited to see his show (as I had missed some of his previous solo shows).

Within this show, Tim performed many of his classic and acclaimed magic effects as well as including a few surprises along the way. A personal highlight for me was his performance of ‘Runaround Sue’ – a routine I have seen a handful of times, but I never tire of as it is light-hearted and clever. I also enjoyed that this show is particularly aimed at families. It brings a smile to my face to see families enjoying magic together. Tim ensured that some of his magical assistants from the audience were children, and when he asked for help there were plenty of little hands in the air. Tim is a polished performer and seamlessly transitioned from one piece of magic to the next, whether he used a professional assistant, a helper from the audience or different stage dimensions.

Given that Tim often travels abroad to perform and lecture, I encourage you all to catch one of his shows while you can.

Each year, the MMF includes a number of International magicians. Occasionally I will have heard the name of these magicians before, but usually I choose not to look them up or ‘research them’ prior to attending their shows. That way, each performance is a true surprise. This was definitely the case with Joshua Jay  – an affable American magician with a relaxed style and a lovely smile. What an incredible surprise his show was! This is by far the most difficult review to write as Joshua Jay’s show was so mind blowing that I have struggled to encapsulate what I experienced.

What I can tell you, is that the ‘usual’ magic “rules” and processes were shaken up and became topsy turvy when Joshua Jay is performing. Card effects were performed in reverse (seemingly altering the fabric of time) and ordinary items seemed to vanish faster than my brain could keep up. There were times when I wasn’t sure if what I was witnessing was actually happening in real time (there were plenty of moments where I had to pinch myself just to be sure I wasn’t dreaming). Joshua Jay is an engaging storyteller, and selected members of the audience to help him with various magical moments along the way. I was fortunate enough to witness some special magic up close and help him out, and he always made sure his audience helpers were at ease and thanked for their assistance. For me, Joshua’s show had recurring themes of coincidences and altering aspects of time. Naturally (and especially so when you’re having fun) the show and magic seemed to fly by and in no time the show was over. I left wanting to see more.

Promise me that if Joshua Jay ever returns to town that you see his show. Run, don’t walk to secure tickets – his show is simply unmissable.