There’s always a faint risk with festive spin-offs that the tinsel overwhelms the craft. Happily, Insane Christmas Magic avoids that trap entirely. This is not novelty magic with baubles glued on, it’s proper, high-grade conjuring, lightly dusted with Christmas spirit and delivered by three performers who know exactly what they’re doing.
The trio, Cameron Gibson, Elliot Bibby and Luke Osey, are no strangers to Edinburgh audiences. Gibson and Bibby in particular have been round these parts many times before, and it shows. There’s an ease to their stage presence that can’t be faked, relaxed, confident, and quietly assured in a way that instantly settles an audience. No visible nerves, no frantic patter, just a sense that you’re in safe hands. Magically speaking, that’s always a good sign.
Without giving too much away, and this is very much a show that deserves to be experienced rather than dissected, a couple of moments stood out as genuinely exceptional. One involves a borrowed credit card, securely encased in ice, produced from a locked safe resting improbably on someone’s lap at the back of the room, and returned, intact, to its owner. It is bold, clean, and executed with a confidence that suggests absolute faith in the method. Pretty impressive stuff by any standard.
But the real show-stopper is a rings routine, elegant, baffling and beautifully paced, which, frankly, was the highlight of all the magic I’ve seen over the past few days at MagicFest. That’s not faint praise. It managed the rare trick of being both technically dazzling and theatrically satisfying, and it landed with the kind of collective intake of breath that every magician secretly hopes for.
The three-hander format is, inevitably, a double-edged sword. On the plus side, it keeps the energy moving and offers variety, different styles, different rhythms, different relationships with the audience. From a punter’s perspective, there’s a definite sense of getting “three for the price of one”. That’s no bad thing.
On the other hand, it does sacrifice a little of the cohesion you get from a one-person show. There are moments where the structure feels slightly episodic rather than cumulative, and one suspects that, commercially, keeping a three-person touring show on the road is a tougher proposition than a one-man operation with a suitcase and a sharp suit. That’s not a criticism so much as an observation, ensemble shows are always harder to shape, and harder to sustain.
Still, taken on its own terms, Insane Christmas Magic delivers exactly what it promises. Top tricks, top performers, and a crowd that leaves smiling and slightly baffled, the best possible outcome for a magic show. Festive without being flimsy, slick without being soulless, and confident enough to let the magic do the talking.
In short, three very capable magicians, doing very good work, and occasionally, genuinely great work, on an Edinburgh stage that knows how to appreciate it!
Reviewer: Greg Holstead
Reviewed: 28th December 2025
North West End UK Rating:
Running time – 1hr