Champions of Magic

One doesn’t get many chances to see large-scale magic shows in the UK very often, and although Champions of Magic delivered plenty of ‘how did they do that’ moments, the night could have done with more razzmatazz and energy to fill the huge venue. Mind Reader Alex McAleer was the most confident entertainer of the evening, delivering strong crowd interaction segments with charisma and creativity.

Duo Young & Strange went in for some pleasant pratfalling which almost enlivened middling illusions, although the enthusiastic antics of close up magician Kayla Drescher lifted the mood. Fernando Velasco main escapology set piece was possibly the most underwhelming trick of the night, with no real sense of danger or drama to contextualise the inevitable escape. The evening was undoubtedly enjoyable, but would certainly benefit more fleshing out to arena-worthy production values and a better constructed sense of momentum.

Brighton Centre, 28 April 2018
Rating:
Joe Fuller