I didn’t know what to expect walking into Magic and Sex — a one-woman stand-up, magic, and improv show by Australian comedian Kathryn Haywood — but I was more than pleasantly surprised. Even on a very, very hot and stuffy night in the upstairs room of the King’s Arms, Haywood’s boundless energy and zany charm kept us all laughing, chuckling… and then laughing some more. From her entrance in sparkly tail coat, top hat and deck of card leggings and tap shoes she bounded round that space and sucked us in, immediately. She is a very engaging performer.
Part stand-up, part magic show, with a cheeky (but not over-the-top) nod to the title’s promise of “sex,” Haywood’s performance is a joyful, chaotic romp. She has a knack for creating an easy rapport with the audience, she read them well (excuse the pun) and you’d have to be a dullard not to join in with the clapping and whooping at many of the basic and silly magic tricks that we’ve all tried to perform after receiving a magic set for Christmas as a child… she had wit and warmth, and excellent dead pan delivery. My favourite was the card turning story where the wrong cards came out incorrectly and she accused the front row member of shuffling them up. Was there enough substance to fill an hour? Probably not.
The magic may be simple, but that’s part of the fun. It wasn’t at all about technical wizardry — it’s all about entertainment, and Haywood delivers that in spades. Her ability to weave in personal stories, uncles that pull your nose off as a magic trick for one plus lots of spontaneous silliness makes Magic and Sex a refreshingly original (almost) hour of fringe theatre. The last trick flopped but it didn’t, a very clever ending to an evening which left us smiling, heartily.
A sweaty but thoroughly satisfying night out — and a reminder that sometimes the best magic lies in laughter.
Magic and Sex is being performed in various venues across the UK this summer as part of Fringe festivals.
Reviewer: Kathryn Gorton
Reviewed: 13th July 2025
North West End Uk Rating: