FESTIVAL FEATURES | Magic Ben Hart
Colin Cloud
<< COLIN CLOUD: DARE
Seriously impressive mind reading from a magician at home on the big stage ●●●●●
Colin Cloud knows your embarrassing secret. He knows the surname of the friend you haven’t seen in three months. He even knows what you had for lunch, and he’s happy to announce it in front of a live audience in Dare.
As the audience enters the Pleasance Grand, we’re each given a mask of Cloud’s face and he appears on video asking us to post a seli e on social media so our friends can comment with a random word. Cynics might argue this is just free advertising (and it works, check out the #edfringe hashtag just after 8pm). But with magic often met with claims that participants are set up, this method allows people outside the show to also be involved, and for there to be a record of what words were chosen. Cloud’s speciality is mind reading and prediction, and during the show he successfully guesses professions, serial numbers on banknotes and pets’ names, all the while keeping the audience engaged with his easy charm and coni dent stage presence. Guessing embarrassing secrets is particularly impressive, due to the level of detail he brings to the revelations. He moves quickly between routines and the fast pace means sometimes the cue to applaud is missed. In a neat role reversal, Cloud teaches a member of the audience to be a mind reader, implanting in her mind the six digit code to his iPhone. In true showman style, he ends with a wickedly good i nale, a homage to Sherlock Holmes, who would always hide in plain sight. ■ Pleasance Courtyard, until 26 Aug, 8pm, £12.50–£15 (£11–£13.50).
BEN HART: BELIEF? Master of sleight of hand and a captivating host ●●●●●
‘How many magicians does it take to change a lightbulb?’ asks Ben Hart. ‘Stop trying to work it out and just enjoy it.’ Belief? has a very simple set-up, with nothing on stage except a small table i tted with a camera so we can watch his hands closely. Hart is a master of sleight of hand, manipulating playing cards, ‘wishes’ in a glass and even removing his watch, ring and money from his wallet before making them reappear where they all were.
His opening gambit about time is a bit wordy but Hart quickly proves himself to be a captivating host, with cheeky jokes, quick thinking and great comic timing. When an audience member who was meant to join him again for the i nal trick leaves, leaving a note saying she had another show to go to, he handles it like a pro and has the whole room laughing along with his misfortune. It’s a varied show with card tricks, prediction, tapping people using only shadows and even the classic circus trick of linking rings together – except this isn’t done with stage props but rings gathered from members of the audience. Hart is a thoroughly versatile magician and his well- crafted show explores questions about the power of mystery over knowledge. ■ Gilded Balloon Teviot, until 27 Aug, 5.45pm, £10–£12 (£9–£11).
20 THE LIST FESTIVAL 17–28 Aug 2017