The premise of this show was simple: host and very well know Melbourne magic identity / icon Tim Ellis would perform magic (which was often lighthearted), and each night the show would feature a different special guest magician. The shows were executed well and I enjoyed the format of this show so much, that I ended up seeing two evenings of the show – each time with a different assortment of friends attending with me.

In terms of the magic, Tim Ellis did a fantastic job of mixing up some of his classic magic routines (like a rope routine, his ‘6 card rap’ routine and his famed linking rings routine) with some great pieces of comedy. Often, segments of the show would play out like a game show (with various hilarious themes). Needless to say, members of the audience were regularly called upon to help out on stage (with very comical results!)

In terms of the ‘special guests’, Tim pulled out all the stops to feature magicians with varied strengths / special routines. During one evening, superstar Dom Chambers performed the ‘appearing beers’ routine that he’d previously performed for Penn & Teller on their “Fool Us” tv show. It was truly a fantastic routine, and I was so pleased to see it in real life before my very eyes! During another evening (that took a very ‘adults only’ turn) the audience was thrilled by some comedy magic by none other than the enchanting Lucy Darling. I won’t spoil exactly what happened here, however at one point Lucy instigated a sword duel between two audience members which literally had members of the audience cackling with laughter. After this year’s shows I honestly don’t think there is anything that the enchanting Lucy Darling can’t do.  She’s just incredible.

This is one show I especially enjoyed sharing with my friends, and we all animatedly referenced / recounted our favourite parts of the show to each other long after the shows had passed. It’s a great show to watch to introduce someone to magic, or if you’re keen on comedy as much as you are magic as I felt there was an equal mix of both in each show that I saw. I enjoyed the format of this show, so I hope it returns for another season in the future.

VERDICT: A fun, entertaining and surprising show each time. Great for people newer to magic shows right through to the diehard fans. Definitely worth including in your future show schedule. The show is best suited to adults.