Each year during the MMF, I ensure that I attend a performance from each of the International headliners. I regularly watch magic, however I find that each International performer will have a style or effects that I’ve never seen before. I resist the temptation to ‘research’ each performer prior to the show, instead I just attend the shows without any expectations or ideas of what I may experience.

E.G. Lee opened the show with a thrilling and spectacular set of magic set to music. There were many noises of delight from the audience as fire danced from his fingertips and he seemed to command sparks into the air. E.G Lee’s card manipulation was fluid, and he moved with such speed that my eyes often lost track of what I was supposed to be looking at. Lee’s outfit made him seem like a magical rockstar and the audience was lapping up his magic, roaring with cheers and applause at the conclusion of the very exciting opening act.

E.G. Lee explored other facets of magic during his show – it wasn’t all cards and ‘typical’ magic effects. There was a piece of magic involving simply Lee’s hands that was mesmerising and astonishing. Other pieces were poetic, weaving a path between magic and life which I enjoyed. It was a nice pace to slow down to, with Lee mixing up tempo effects to music with slower more poetic pieces. The finale was just as special, with many a happy sigh heard amongst audience members with glistening eyes. It was a show that truly took the audience to another place for a short period of time.

One of the magic shows for children that I was most keen to attend during the MMF was “Have you ever, ever heard?” performed by The Storyteller (David Chandler). The Storyteller welcomed the audience into his house (presumably in a storybook village) with a song and many smiles. Everyone felt so welcomed and happy to be there. The scenario of this show was that The Storyteller was waiting for a package to arrive via his enchanted mailbox.

This show was everything I expected and more! Songs were sung by The Storyteller, and he encouraged everyone in the audience (especially the adults) to learn the words and sing along too. The audience became the “Pandemonium choral society” for this show and that made me giggle. Throughout the show, The Storyteller would receive items of mail from his storybook relatives, which would prompt another song or magic routine with a storybook twist. Keep an eye out for his imaginary menagerie, and his (often adorable) helpers from the audience.

I was most impressed with the way David handled some insistent audience members who were so enthralled with his character that they frequently tried to get David’s attention to tell him random things. David was quick with a witty one liner or friendly reply in order to address the audience member and to ensure that his show continued on the correct path. A thoroughly pleasant and enjoyable show!

Spending a week off work watching magic shows allowed me to attend some magic shows for children, that I’d otherwise miss out on while I was at work. One such show was “The Amazing Littlest, Greatest Show on Earth” performed and presented by Ringmaster Rob. I found the concept of this show  – a flea circus – whimsical and harking back to classic forms of entertainment and magic so I was curious to see what this show had in store for the audience.

Upon entering the theatre, audience members were given a colouring page / program which included information about the performers and flea facts. I thought this was a nice touch and memento of the show. After much confusion and discussions from audience members and Ringmaster Rob regarding seating arrangements, everyone was happy with their seating and the show could commence. This show was exactly what I’d expect from a flea circus, and Ringmaster Rob even had a few magical effects to show the audience. A special appearance by Mr Fluffy the dog (puppet) delighted everyone. Multiple technical difficulties experienced during the show meant that the flow of the show narrative was interrupted which was a shame. It was hard to follow which part of the fleas’ circus act we were up to each time Ringmaster Rob had to visit the tech desk for assistance and to sort out issues. Ironic, given portions of such an ‘old world’ flea circus show relied so much on modern technology (for intros and musical cues).

Many children seemed to be enjoying themselves and getting into the spirit of the different personalities of each flea, which was encouraging. Overall, the amount of technical difficulties resulted in a disjointed show. I left the show eager to return to my modern world.

Each year during the MMF, two special gala shows are presented: The Stage Magic Gala and The Close Up Magic Gala. A lovely friend and I dressed in our Hogwarts colours (myself in my Slytherin robes and my sweet friend in her Gryffindor outfit) and we shuffled into Studio 2 for the show. The Close Up Magic Gala is split between Studios 1 and 2, whereby the performers switch theatres during interval – quite a clever arrangement I think!

Whilst there are too many performers to mention here (many with shows that have just run or about to run during the festival) I can assure you that most of the magic happened on a table, with an overhead screen positioned for those sitting up the back of the theatre. Various assistants were chosen from the audience (many of them children) which added to the communal atmosphere and excitement levels of the crowd. If you were thinking that a close up magic show would be all about cards / card magic, you’d be wrong – this show featured magic fleas, puppets, shell games, martini shakers (Lucy!!), predictions and even some mentalism. With time running out towards the end of the show, performers were running at a feverish pace to entertain the audience and have their sets finish on time.

Personal highlights for me were a special guest appearance from Lucy Darling and her wonderfully alluring martini shaker routine, made even more challenging / entertaining by having a child from the audience insist on being her volunteer. Given that children are generally unaware of the existence / purpose of martini shakers, bursts of hilarity ensued however Lucy remained patient and graceful throughout. Another highlight was a mentalism game with the audience which featured an inflatable object being batted around the audience. Ordinarily this wouldn’t be noteworthy, however the nature of the object itself coupled with the instance of all the children in the audience to grab the object when it neared them rendered me crying with laughter into the sleeve of my robes. Oh the hilarity indeed! By the end of that routine, the entire audience was laughing and everyone was caught up in a frenzy of magic proportions.

I have it on good authority that the gala shows are memorable each year, so given the events of this evening I’m keen to attend this gala again next year and would not hesitate to recommend attendance to others.

Note: I attended this event as a guest of the MMF.

Most evenings at the MMF, one of the last shows to run is “The Best of the Fest” featuring a lineup of 3 magicians which changes each show. The show is hosted by ‘Australia’s Honest Con Man’ and talented magician Nicholas J Johnson. I love attending this show each festival (usually more than once per season) as Nicholas is so welcoming and excited to present the guests for the evening and some of the most surprising pieces of close up magic are witnessed during this show. The theatre is altered to be fairly intimate so each time I attend I feel as if the audience are unified in each piece of wonder.

I was super excited to discover the lineup on this evening was: David Chandler (otherwise known as ‘The Storyteller’), Lucy Darling (my new favourite!) and all round audience favourite Nick Kesidis (Nick Kay). David Chandler usually performs magic for children during the festival, however I was not surprised that his routine with an adult assistant from the audience drew plenty of “oohs and ahhs” as well. His magic is so charming and whimsical. David proceeded to play a guessing game with the audience (with his assistant often getting the incorrect answer) which added to the hilarity.

On this evening, I was delighted that I had just left “The Ladies’ Guide to Deceit and Debauchery” featuring Lucy Darling, when she reappeared during the Best of the Fest. I could not contain my glee and joy as she is a constant delight to watch. Lucy both teased and enchanted the audience with her clever martini shaker routine, followed by some card magic. I sure hope she doesn’t think I’m following her every move – I had booked out most of my schedule of shows a month out from the festival so experiencing 2 shows in a row featuring Lucy was serendipitous indeed.

Rounding out the evening was crowd favourite Nick Kay, adept at miracles with cards and borrowed objects. Ever the cheeky performer, Nick knows how to ‘work the crowd’ to ramp up applause and to ensure everyone has a great time.

Each festival, I often recommend to friends that they attend the ‘Best of the Fest’ at least once – it’s true that each show is never the same, and it always ends up being one of the consistently fun shows each year.

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.