Tay Around Town

On a chilly May afternoon, I treated my mother to an outing to Speakeasy HQ to enjoy an afternoon of jazzy show tunes from and inspired by the musical “Chicago”. The opening song “All That Jazz” was sung with great gusto and flair by all three performers that were entertaining us that day: Matt Allegro, Carly Daley and Alexandria Avery.  This opening number set the tone for the entertainment to follow, and certainly set the bar high for the afternoon.

  
Fans of the musical “Chicago” will be pleased to hear that this show included many of hits and upbeat numbers  – among them “Cell Block Tango” (which I particularly enjoyed) and the fun “When you’re good to mama”. The latter was performed by Matt Allegro, who isn’t afraid to dress up. In fact, during this show Matt performed many different styles of songs. My mum is convinced that he really should be on Broadway or in Vegas!

  

The “Chicago” extravaganza continued with renditions of “All I care about” “Roxie” and “Razzle Dazzle”.  Carly and Alexandria sung their songs with gusto and were playful with the audience, using props on stage or winking and flicking their hair. This made their performance very alluring, and the audience couldn’t help but be taken along for the ride. This show included plenty of song choices to satisfy existing fans (and new “Chicago” fans alike!). An enjoyable aspect of the afternoon was the addition of songs from other musicals that evoked the styles and flair of the 1920’s – songs from “Cabaret” and “Victor/Victoria” were presented with plenty of sizzle and emotion. I was delighted that “All that Jazz” featured one of my favourite songs from the musical “Cabaret” – ‘Maybe This Time’. That particular song always leaves me a little misty eyed.

   

The afternoon’s entertainment concluded with a great set by the fabulously talented Roy Maloy (who not only runs Speakeasy HQ, but is a world record holder AND can sing well!). Roy treated us to a short musical set featuring a jazzy version of the Nirvana classic ‘Smells like teen spirit’ and the Bobby Darin hit ‘Mack the Knife’. Just when the audience thought the show was about to end, Matt Allegro reappeared at the piano to play and sing us some bonus songs! My mum was particularly thrilled. Matt treated the audience to a cheerful medley of songs about singing, the (Melbourne!) weather and Speakeasy HQ. Matt even dedicated a clever song to his smartphone.

This show is a perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon in the city. On the way home, my mother and I were not troubled by the windy and gloomy weather as Speakeasy HQ (and the talented singing team of Matt Allegro, Carly Daley and Alexandria Avery) had placed cheerful songs in our minds and hearts. Weeks later, my mother is still mentioning how much she enjoyed the show. I’m really glad I could take her along to my favourite live performance venue in the city  – Speakeasy HQ – and share an afternoon of splendid music.

VERDICT: A fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon, and the perfect show to bring a parent or friend along to (especially if they enjoy jazz, musicals, and the 1920’s style). All performers were clearly talented at their craft and left the audience wanting more.

Tickets: There is only 1 more chance to catch this show in May! For tickets and information, visit: http://www.speakeasy-hq.com/

Disclaimer: I attended this show as a guest of Speakeasy HQ.

On one of the last mild evenings of the usually cool month of April, a small group of friends and I met up at Speakeasy HQ in city for a smooth evening of jazz tunes. The show we thoroughly enjoyed was a tribute show to the jazz great Ella Fitzgerald, and was performed by the supremely talented Lady Fox. We all felt very fortunate to be allocated some fantastic seats and couldn’t wait for the show to begin. Speakeasy HQ creator (and skilled showman) Roy Maloy opened the evening with some songs to set the mood and to whet our jazz appetites for the evening’s entertainment.

   

Lady Fox glided on stage dressed in a beautiful silky sky blue dress, adorned with pearls and a sparkly headpiece. Lady Fox commenced her first set with the sweet Ella Fitzgerald song “Misty”. I’m a big fan of songs about dreams (dreams is one of my favourite song themes) so I was very pleased when Lady Fox sang another classic “Dream a Little Dream of Me”. In fact, if you’re a jazz fan or an Ella Fitzgerald aficionado then I’m sure you’ll be delighted with all the iconic songs performed by Lady Fox.

An aspect of this show I particularly enjoyed was Lady Fox explaining Ella’s background and how she became a performer. As a child, jazz music wasn’t played in my household so while I knew some of Ella Fitzgerald’s popular hits I was completely unaware of her personal story. In between singing some of Ella’s songs, Lady Fox mentioned key aspects of Ella Fitzgerald’s life story – family aspects and how her contacts helped her to succeed in her performance career. There always seems to be some sadness behind every story of greatness, and Ella’s story is no exception to this (especially considering the era she grew up in).

   

Throughout the show, Lady Fox proved that she could take the audience to different places with her song performances. One moment, she had the audience swaying to “Everyday is Valentine’s Day” and the next she would turn up the tempo and the heat with sultry renditions of “Fever” and “Whatever Lola Wants”. I enjoyed the variety of the music, as Lady Fox mentioned that Ella Fitzgerald had collaborated with other artists during her life, songs by Hoagy Carmichael and Frank Sinatra were included in the show – all sung in Ella’s iconic style.

It’s hard not to get drawn into the story of Ella Fitzgerald and her music, especially when performed by Lady Fox – who is clearly a fan and admirer of Ella. Lady Fox highlighted that Ella Fitzgerald was such a hardworking artist, and overcame many struggles in her life so it is hard not to admire someone who accomplishes all of those things in life.

 

Lady Fox left us with some gutsy and entertaining songs to finish the evening :”Black Coffee” – which I thought was very apt for a Melbourne, coffee loving crowd-  and “The Lady is a Tramp”. Lady Fox sings with passion in her voice and eyes, and I particularly noticed this during these last songs. We were lucky to have Lady Fox offer us an Encore – if you’re an Ella Fitzgerald fan, you’ll have to see this for yourself as I’m sure you’ll appreciate (and enjoy) it!

As it happened, on the day I saw this show I was very stressed – many things had to be managed and attended to and I felt like I was losing time. I attended “With Love, from Ella” at Speakeasy HQ and the beautiful songs of the evening just melted all my troubles away. Such is the power of Ella’s music performed by Lady Fox (and even better when shared with friends!) This is also part of the beauty and charm of Speakeasy HQ.

*Disclaimer: I attended this show as a guest of Speakeasy HQ

I believe that the current run of “With Love, From Ella” has come to a close, however this show may return, and Speakeasy HQ often run jazz shows / shows featuring music from a certain era.
For more information, visit: http://www.speakeasy-hq.com/

 On a dark Sunday night, I ventured out to The 86 bar in trendy Smith Street Fitzroy to watch a sketch comedy / magic show as part of the Melbourne Comedy Festival. The show is called ‘Dom and Dumber’ and stars a pair of magicians – Dom Chambers and Bayden Hammond. As we took our seats and waited for the show to begin, upbeat music started pumping to get the (young) crowd in the mood for a fun show.

The show is a compilation of comedy sketches, with some classic magic routines weaved in. Except that the classic magic routines are all given a modern twist to match the whacky scenarios they have been placed in. Plenty of stunts were performed with magical flair, and audience participation just added to the hilarity of the evening. Nothing is taboo or sacred in this show – relationships, dating, religion and politics are all featured at one point or another. In fact, magic and comedy took us to so many places over the course of an hour! The comedy sketches also contained plenty of modern / contemporary references, which perfectly suited the audience. Dom and Bayden performed flawless magic teemed with some hilarious facial expressions-demonstrating they are skilled entertainers (and magicians!). The audience often burst into rounds of applause and laughter so ‘Dom and Dumber’ were doing a great job.

From the sublime to the ridiculous – you’ll find it all within the magical sketch comedy of Dom and Dumber.

Verdict: a great way to blend magic and sketch comedy. If you’re a fan of either genre, you’ll certainly enjoy this show.

Tickets: the show runs Fri to Sun only – April 8-10, and April 15-17

Check out some links:
Tickets: https://www.rollerdigital.com/p/dom-dumber-70316/#/product/2167/70316
Website: http://www.domanddumber.com/

*Extra notes: I attended this show as a guest of ‘Dom and Dumber’
A ‘no photography’ request was in place, hence no photos for this blog. A photo of the flyer will have to do!

    

On Friday night I made another journey into the Butterfly Club to watch ‘Happy Campers’ performed by Jonestown, as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Jonestown are a duo, made up of Nicholas J Johnson and Sarah Jones – who are each comedians and entertainers in their own right, however when their powers combine they become Jonestown! I have thoroughly enjoyed Jonestown’s past shows (‘Pyjama Party’ and ‘Guinea Pigs’) and am a fan of their witty style of prop comedy so I was keen to see them in ‘Happy Campers’.

Upon entering the theatre, we were greeted by Sarah in a full scouts uniform with a large camping pack strapped to her back. On stage, Nicholas was also in a full scouts uniform and was busily arranging the ‘children’ (us) into our groups. I relished the chance to name my scouting group the ‘Unicorns’! A bugle sounded and it was time to start the show, and for all the scouts to learn the rules of scouting. Jonestown led the audience on a hike leading to a campground. Many clever riddles, puns, jokes and witty moments were shared by the group on our fantastic hike. Exotic wildlife was spotted and plenty of stories were shared over the course of the evening. On the evening I attended the show there were even REAL scouts (Rovers) in the audience, which added an extra dash of realism to the show.

 Jonestown are expert storytellers, so best to settle around the campfire with marshmallow in hand and get ready to have some fun! Like with past Jonestown shows, however, there are dark shadows looming in the background – will all the campers make it out safely? To find out, you’ll just have to see the show.

VERDICT: Be Prepared (the scouts’ motto) is relevant here. Be Prepared to have a fantastic romp in a campground with this show. Be Prepared to have plenty of laughs and share in some quirky stories and adventures.

The run of this show is almost over, however keep a look out for the next adventures of Jonestown who will no doubt be appearing at a festival near you.

 

During the Month of March I have been blessed to see a variety of shows in Melbourne (comedy, magic and music). On Thursday night, I was invited to the new Speakeasy HQ (located in a charming old building in historic Flinders street) to enjoy Roy Maloy’s performance of ‘Mack the Knife – the Bobby Darin story’. Upon being welcomed into the theatre, the evening commenced with Lady Fox singing some sweet jazz tunes to get the audience in the mood for the music adventure to come.

 Roy Maloy appeared on stage to a loud round of applause from the audience. It was clear that  Roy Maloy had many fans in the audience (myself included!) and we were all keen to hear him sing some Bobby Darin classics. There was a spread of age groups in the audience and, knowing this, Roy ensured that throughout the night he mentioned aspects of Bobby Darin’s life and the influences on his music. Not only did the audience have a fantastic music show this evening, but a fascinating story as well. If you’ve ever seen Roy Maloy perform before, you will know what a master of storytelling he is!

 For those of you who haven’t heard of Bobby Darin, he was a singer / songwriter of the 50’s and 60’s from the USA (New York). He preceded the rush for The Beatles and Elvis and many will have heard some of his number 1 hits (even if you can’t recall that it was Bobby Darin who penned / originally sang them!). Roy Maloy opened the evening with an upbeat rendition of the Bobby Darin number 1 hit ‘Splish Splash I was taking a bath’ and even did a little dancing on stage to accompany this fun song. Roy looked the part, wearing some shades and a cool jacket.

 Throughout the evening, Roy sang a selection of songs – some of Bobby Darin’s classics, and other tunes that were sang in the style or Bobby Darin – some of which were contemporary songs, which I found impressive. Roy even took a classic Bobby Darin tune (‘Clementine’) and sang it with some lyrics about the city of Melbourne, which was well received by the audience. I was pleased when Roy sang one of my personal favourite Bobby Darin songs -‘Dream Lover’. This section of the evening certainly conjured up visions of America in the 50’s and 60’s and I regretted that I did not wear my 1950’s dress to the show.

 During the interval, clips from Bobby Darin’s past performances were projected onto one of the walls and I think that was a nice touch. It continued to set the scene for the evening, and at one point I forgot that I was in my hometown of Melbourne. When I enjoy a music performance, I’m often taken away to another place and time and this show certainly achieved that for me. Physically I was in Melbourne but with the lounge setting and the smoky atmosphere and tunes from another era, I could just as easily have been in a jazz bar in New York or a lounge in the glittering entertainment hub of Las Vegas.

At the conclusion of interval, Roy wandered through the audience and back to stage while singing ‘Beyond the sea’. It was clear that Roy enjoys that song as it was sung with enthusiasm. Roy went on to perform some classic American songs from the era, including some famous tunes about New York city. Rounding off the evening, Roy sang the Bobby Darin song featured in the show title and Lady Fox returned to sing some more smooth tunes (at times with Roy Maloy). It’s a treat to watch Roy Maloy and Lady Fox sing together as they sound great but also appear to be sharing plenty of laughs and fun moments on stage. Lady Fox sang some classic jazz for the audience but also surprised us with a jazz rendition of the popular song ‘All about that bass’.

 Verdict: Despite myself not knowing much at all about Bobby Darin, I enjoy his music style so I had a fun night. The Speakeasy HQ venue set a great scene for a night of smooth tunes and the fantastic singing talents of Roy Maloy and Lady Fox certainly took me away to another place.

Ticketing link: http://www.speakeasy-hq.com/

*Note: I attended this event as a guest of Speakeasy HQ

 At the moment, in my hometown of Melbourne it is Comedy Festival season. It makes the city a fun place to be, with the Melbourne Town Hall lit up and with a festival vibe existing in the city. One of the best things about the Comedy Festival is that it takes over the whole city  – there are so many venues hosting Comedy shows, so that Comedy can be found around many corners and in laneways too. In fact Clara Cupcakes’ show “Hot Patootie” can be be found at The Butterfly Club (which is down a lane in the city).

This show is billed as a ‘choose your own adventure story’ and the show lives up to that statement. In fact, the audience members are given many choices throughout the show which adds to the hilarity and excitement of the show. I have not been to a live show quite like this one before so I was excited to be a part of it! Upon entering the theatre (after being sweetly greeted by Clara herself), I noticed the stage littered with an assortment of props. Clara welcomed us with song – accompanied by a whirl of colour and dance- and the audience was given the task of choosing the theme for the evening. I was delighted that theme for the evening was to be Circus!

 You’ll have to come along to the show to see exactly what the circus adventure entails but some traditional circus characters / animal references feature in the show. After the introduction (and quite regularly throughout the show), Clara moved into the audience choosing unsuspecting audience members to interact with / assist her on stage with a variety of tasks. Indeed, there were plenty of random and unexpected adventures for audience members and I found that to be quite thrilling at times. The audience was lapping up the attention and the chances to participate, and I found Clara’s enthusiasm to be infectious. It is hard not to have fun at Clara’s show! Clever Clara knows how to keep the audience in the palm of her hand, all the while the chiming sound dictated when the audience had to make their next choice (and thus kept the show rolling along). “Hot Patootie” is an exuberant and playful show, and towards the end of the evening my voice was getting hoarse from all the cheering and whooping. It is clear that Clara is a crowd favourite.

 My Verdict: Clara Cupcakes entertains with a chaotic, colourful and charming show. Highly recommended!

BONUS TIP: Try and spot Clara in her ‘flyering outfit’ outside the Melbourne Town Hall before her show. Even her flyers are fantastic, so be sure to find and keep one.

Ticketing link:
https://thebutterflyclub.com/show/hot-patootie

It has been a few weeks since I went out to see some live entertainment. I manage events for my day job, and during February there were 13 events to manage so I was kept busy (and sadly, away from regular night time entertainment). All that changed on the first of March when I headed down to eclectic Smith Street in Fitzroy for another installment of Top Hat Tuesdays!

The March show was hosted by crowd favourite Nick Kesidis, who looked dapper in his new red suit. In fact, there were times during the show when I thought I was watching a fashion show – everyone looked so neat and smart. Nick had plenty of fun stories to tell and moments of witty banter with the audience. Involving the entire audience in his routine, Nick wowed us all by magically transporting cards (with some special helpers of course!). I enjoy how at ease Nick is with his audience and helpers, it just draws the audience into his world of magic and trickery.

Dom Chambers appeared next, and was a last minute entry in the show (as another performer on the bill was ill). It was impressive that Dom was able to show the audience some amazing magic, with an impromptu routine created from magical items found in his car. Classic magical effects were performed with balls and cards, and Dom even had a special guest that helped find a card chosen by a member of the audience. Dom remained witty and relaxed with the audience, despite what I’m sure could have been a stressful moment considering he was thrust onto the stage with no time to spare!

The last performer prior to interval was Nicholas J Johnson who is known as ‘Australia’s Honest Con Man’, however he is also a fantastic magician and a science educator! To top all that off, he’s friendly and does not look like one of those typical shady con artists that people read about. Nicholas presented a game of liars, where audience members had to fool him. I think this game would be intimidating to play against someone so skilled, however Nicholas ensured that plenty of laughs were had. I enjoyed that his performance seemed like a fusion of psychology and magic. Nicholas was lucky to enlist an audience member who ended up being a bonus ‘go go’ dancer of sorts, which added to the comedy of the evening.

After interval, the show continued with some European flair. Italian magician David Key appeared and looked the part – with his shimmery jacket and playing card belt buckle.  David is so exciteable and has a personality that just draws you into his act. He warmly engaged the crowd and shared plenty of jokes with his magical assistants from the audience. David’s performance was spellbinding and fascinating, especially when invisible cards became real and silk magic was performed by a volunteer. By the end of his performance, the audience was certainly taken to another world.

               

The headliner for the evening was one of the stars of the show ‘Paris Underground’ – Richard Vegas! Richard was dapper, suave and even gave some saucy winks to the audience which was met with some swooning from female audience members. Richard performed classic magical effects with silks, a newspaper and the famous linking rings. In fact, his performance of the linking rings was mesmerising – it was almost like a beautiful dance at times. The magic was set to European music, and towards the end of Richard’s performance I could have sworn that I was transported to a European cabaret. He is skilled at taking the audience with him into his realm of magic and intrigue. Richard definitely left the best til last, and I definitely wanted to see more.

I left Top Hat Tuesdays feeling uplifted – I had seen some incredible magic, caught up with some lovely friends and even made some new friends over the course of the evening. I can’t wait to see what my next experience at Top Hat Tuesdays will hold.

For more information, please visit the Top Hat Tuesdays website (link is below). At $15 a ticket, the show is reasonably priced and a fun night out.
Website: https://tophattuesdays.com/

*Disclaimer: I do voluntarily help out the Top Hat Tuesday team with marketing and audience management activities, however I still pay for my ticket so I feel comfortable to review the show.

  

On a Friday night, I was keen for a night of entertainment after a busy week. The show choice was ‘Rouge – A Sexy Circus Cabaret’ at my favourite CBD vaudeville venue, Speakeasy HQ. ‘Rouge’ is commonly on monthly at Speakeasy HQ, so it has been some time before I was able to see the show. My expectations were high as show producer El Bella is known for hand picking fantastic performers, and for putting on a great show. El MC’d this show of Rouge and made sure the audience was treating all the performers to an entrance fit for a rock star. It helps that El is very skilled at warming up the audience and keeping us all excited.

Hannah Cryle opened the evening’s performances with a very energetic and amusing hoops routine to the rock classic ‘Paradise City’. Dressed in a rocking outfit, Hannah showed off some amazing hoop styles with ease and engaged in some witty banter with the audience. Hannah hand selected some ‘backup dancers’ from the audience for her routine, which added to enjoyment, and fun nature of the act.

Following Hannah was a delightful set of varied acts – it’s a challenge to try and fit them into one specific genre, so luckily there’s Rouge (a show where the audience can see them all!). Mitchell Pitch parodied a strongman routine (dressed in a classic strongman’s outfit); and then Jess McKerlie (from Gender Spanner) performed an energetic straightjacket escape…except the straightjacket was a dress! After the straightjacket dress was removed, layers of different dresses appeared. It was a fascinating act, and so different to other escape acts that I have previously seen. Prior to interval, Kiki Carson (known for her work in the Barbaroi) collected some props from the audience (and bins from the venue) for a clever balancing routine. Kiki demonstrated such strength and poise in her performance, and skillfully held the gaze of the audience.

Interval time at Speakeasy HQ is also a fun time, as it means the audience can visit the fun rooftop (with CBD views) partake in bar drinks, or even wait for the Candy Girls to come and visit them with alcoholic or candy treats.

Like many show at Speakeasy HQ, as the evening progresses the acts and entertainment just keep the audience excited (and ensure the reactions from the audience get louder and louder). Tonight was no different. After Interval, MC Hannah (and a glittery pants, cape wearing friend) announced an audience singalong! To those who get nervous reading that – the audience were lucky as the song chosen was the classic ‘don’t stop me now’ by Queen. It was then announced that what we were experiencing was a sample from the event ‘Karaoke Dance Party GO’ which is also held at Speakeasy HQ from time to time. The fun didn’t end there, with the audience singing and dancing to Taylor Swift’s ‘Shake It Off’. At this point, the entire audience was singing and laughing and were having a great time. It’s not often you get to stand up, sing and dance in the middle of a cabaret show! There is even a special Karaoke Dance Party GO’ dance, however to learn it you’ll just have to come along and experience their show.

After all the singing and dancing had subsided, the audience settled down to be enthralled by Sarah Louis-Jean’s ‘boleadoras’ performance. This is one of those acts that really needs to be seen rather than described, however it was like a dance mixed with the use of some swinging hunting implements. It was a show of strength and control and there were certainly some tense moments with items flying around. I have honestly never seen anything like this before in my entire life, it was quite an incredible and beautiful performance. Keeping the element of danger, Cate Great performed a fantastic balancing act (rola bola) and incorporated some juggling. Balancing on a board supported by cylinders and then juggling?! I do not know how she managed to do it! As Cate made the set up more elaborate and dangerous, a hush fell across the audience as we all anticipated what was to come. Cate ended her set to a loud round of applause and much cheered, for she had wowed us all with her balancing skills.

The show’s finale was performed by Idris Stanton, who was (apparently) the last act due to a complex setup. Well the setup was part of the entertainment, and featured a bizarre contraption eggs and glasses, and a series of plate balancing poles. Idris appeared to be some kind of circus/ vaudeville champion as he sang to the audience while ensuring all the plates on poles were spinning (not falling), all with his comedic wit and charm. If you have ever seen Idris perform before (as part of the Circus Firemen duo act, or as part of a festival) you’ll know all about his comedy, wit and circus talents. If not, I encourage you to seek him out and be thoroughly entertained! Idris amped up the finale and the anticipation of the crowd was palpable. It was an impressive act to round out a fantastic evening.

Rouge promised ‘a sexy circus cabaret’ and successfully delivered on all three, while being highly entertaining and impressive. Rouge is indeed a show you will talk about – my companion and I left the theatre, animatedly discussing the hooping, the dancing (with the swinging hunting tools!), along with the balancing and finale. With the performer lineup changing during every show, ‘Rouge’ is a fantastic and recommended event when it returns to Speakeasy HQ.

Links:
Speakeasy HQ: http://www.speakeasy-hq.com

Rouge Facebook  event (which also lists future events):
https://www.facebook.com/events/1513748148927104/

*Note: I attended this show as a guest of Speakeasy HQ.

                            

On a hot summer’s night, I travelled to eclectic Smith Street in Fitzroy to a bar called The 86 to watch a magic called “Top Hat Tuesday”. Occurring on the first Tuesday of every month, this show has been running for a few years. It is one of the last remaining monthly magic shows in Melbourne, so I was excited to discover what the night’s magical adventures would hold.

After a warm welcome into the theatre, the host of the evening appeared – magician Bayden Hammond. Bayden engaged the audience’s attention and shared some jokes to set the mood. Bayden is friendly and clearly at ease with his audience, as his lively comedy and ‘social experiment’ with chosen audience members and numerals was well received.

A magician by the name of Josh Staley then took to the stage. Josh is a young magician, but has plenty of confidence and rapport with the audience. Starting his set with a humorous account of his day, Josh then presented a comedic ‘ psychic experiment’ involving lots of audience participation. This made the performance more fun and engaging as the number of helpers grew. It’s not really a magic show without a card trick, and we were in luck as Josh presented a card trick that incorporated some modern CSI references! I was fascinated and enthralled as cards appeared from unlikely places. Josh’s set ended with a large round of applause, the audience clearly enjoying his magic.

The card theme continued with Bayden, who reappeared with a very interactive segment of ‘mind reading’. Bayden even descended into the depths of the audience for his effect, which added to the excitement in the audience as anyone could be chosen to help out.

                     

Magician Ben Sheldon appeared next on stage with a bag of candy! You could feel all the eyes of the audience members focused on that bag of candy. Ben certainly understands how to grab the attention of the audience! Personal candy flavour choices aside, I encourage you to experience how Ben can make a bag of candy very magical indeed! Along with some witty comments and interactions with (some reluctant) audience members, Ben also demonstrated his prowess with cards. All of a sudden it was interval time – a chance to grab a drink, socialise and watch some close up magic. The evening’s close up magic was performed by the very clever Nicholas J Johnson.

The second half of the show featured pop culture and TV personality Lawrence Leung. It was a treat to watch Lawrence on stage as I’ve rarely had the chance to see him perform. Despite some minor technical issues, Lawrence challenged the audience to use their imagination during his performance- which I relished , however reactions seemed to be mixed. Lawrence pressed on with his volunteer being a good helper, and a surprising card prediction and reveal was achieved. Lawrence then incorporated some technology into a beautiful and mystifying routine with the assistance of a couple from the audience. It was truly a wonderful demonstration of the connection between the couple and I was filled with a sense of sweet joy at the end of the performance.

Melbourne magic icon Tim Ellis was the headliner of the show. I have seen Tim perform before, and he is so skilled in magic that I never know what he’s going to do next! Tim’s performance included ‘classic magic’ – surprise predictions, multiplying balls and magic with money – all involving plenty of audience participation. Magic takes on an extra dimension and element when members of the audience are able to assist in and share the magic with the rest of the audience. There was a chance for an audience member to become a magician for a portion of Tim’s act, which resulted in unexpected hilarity!

Time is an illusion at Top Hat Tuesday as the night seemed to pass by so quickly. They say ‘leave the audience wanting more” and this show certainly did. The night also held some special highlights for me: Ben Sheldon kindly shared some lollies with me after the show, and I was given the job of ‘guardian of the predictions’ for some portions of the evening.

Verdict: With the line up of magicians changing each month, Top Hat Tuesdays is an exciting and entertaining night out. Do come along and experience it for yourself – this show is reasonably priced ($15 per ticket) and not too far from the city.

Website: https://tophattuesdays.com/

*Disclaimer: I do voluntarily help out the Top Hat Tuesday team with marketing and audience management activities, however I still pay for my ticket so I feel a review of this show is warranted.

Hello and thank you for visiting my blog. The purpose of this blog is to review the live entertainment shows (magic, vaudeville, circus, comedy etc) that I see around my hometown and to write about any other live entertainment adventures that I may have (as an audience member rather than performer!). I am not a performer, however I have been a fan of magic (stage magic and close up magic etc) for close to 10 years now. I am also not an ‘official reviewer’ – I’m not paid for reviews (unless specified otherwise) and I have a day job. I just thought it would be a shame not to write about all the fantastic shows that I experience over the course of a year.

I haven’t seen any live entertainment or magic in January, so I saw this month as a good chance to get this blog up and running, and to generally ‘get things sorted’ for the year ahead. I hope you enjoy reading the reviews and stories on this blog and that it encourages you to get out and experience some live entertainment more often.