Review: Magic Goes Wrong is a mastercrafted delight

For those of us of a certain age watching a magic show go wrong instantly brings back memories of Tommy Cooper's act, but he like the late Les Dawson on piano, they had to be good to start with in order for it to go so seamlessly wrong.

And for a new generation of comedy fans, Magic Goes Wrong brings that same wonderful anticipation of when, where and how is it going to all fall to pieces.

But with the assistance of legendary magicians Penn and Teller, you never can be to sure.

Written by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields, aka Mischief Theatre, their trademark disaster performances, which have seen West End runs, national tours, two TV series and several TV specials have proved them to be masters of the art.

In Magic Goes Wrong, the simple premise is that of a fundraiser for the Disasters in Magic charity where host Sophisticato (Sam Hill) recently lost his magician father in an accident involving a collapsing attic full of showbiz props.

Coerced into joining him are knife act The Blade (Keifer Moriarty), mentalist Mind Mangler (Rory Fairbairn) acrobatic act Spitzmaus and Bar (Jocelyn Prah and Chloe Tannenbaum) patron and possibly Sophistico's mother Eugenia (Valerie Cutko). and Derren Brown.

What unfolds is two act spectacular that brings together everything you'd imagined could go wrong done with a flair and panache of real stage magic.

Not to give the secrets away, as no magician would, there audience plants, played by cast member Daniel Anthony in increasingly terrible disguises, a mischievous teleprompt operator feeding rude lines, The Blade ends up increasingly injured and Spitzmaus and Bar's transformation act ends up with unintended consequences.

On top of this add in an increasing fatality count, some wonderful audience interaction from the Mind Mangler who increasingly also seems to be channelling Pointless presenter Alexander Armstrong, Sophisticato's fathers dove act and a genuine classic magic performance to top it all off and there's real magic to enjoy alongside the tomfoolery.

Magic Goes Wrong runs at His Majesty's Theatre. Aberdeen through to Saturday with tickets from Aberdeen Box Office

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