For those unaware, world famous Las Vegas magicians Penn & Teller host a TV show called ‘Penn & Teller: Fool Us’ where magicians from all over the world perform a routine to try and fool Penn & Teller themselves. The routines on this show are very entertaining, however rarely are Penn & Teller fooled. Back at the Melbourne Magic Festival, three magicians who’ve appeared on that program (with one of them fooling Penn & Teller on the TV show) combined forces to create an incredibly entertaining spectacle of magical delights. Those magicians are: Simon Coronel; Dom Chambers and Reuben Moreland.

Having seen much of the work by Simon Coronel and Dom Chambers previously (and indeed each of their individual shows at the 2019 Melbourne Magic Festival), I had expectations of what the show would include. I had zero expectations for Reuben Moreland’s performance and I was utterly delighted and thrilled with what I experienced. Reuben’s routine involved his favourite toys from his childhood toy box and it was such a joy to watch. So many surprising moments and comedy woven into a magical masterpiece. Simon Coronel and Dom Chambers of course showcased their own magical acts they each performed on the program which were equally awesome and wonderful to behold in ‘real time’ as opposed to on a screen.

The entire show was enhanced by video screens playing hilarious clips from ‘Penn & Teller: Fool Us’ as well as an old viral video of Reuben Moreland which brought the audience many laughs and helped to break up the magical acts into neat segments. The separate showcase by each performer was mixed in with magical pieces involving all performers which I thought greatly enhanced the show to be greater than the sum of its parts. The entire show was incredibly entertaining, whether you’re a fan / familiar with the TV show or not. My partner attending this show with me was not at all familiar with the TV program but thoroughly enjoyed the magic, the laughs and the spectacle of the show itself which is testament to the wide appeal of this show.

VERDICT: don’t be fooled – you’re in for a fantastic evening of magic, comedy and surprises with this show. Highly enjoyable and highly recommended.