Monday, October 14

Tag: Rory Fairbairn

Magic Goes Wrong – Edinburgh Festival Theatre
Scotland

Magic Goes Wrong – Edinburgh Festival Theatre

Magic Goes Wrong is exactly what it says on the tin, it’s a magic show that simply goes wrong in every way imaginable. Created by Mischief Theatre famous for their West end hit ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’, Magic Goes Wrong follows its predecessors in its slapstick and childish humour which is enough to make most people belly laugh their way through the show however it comes into question if that humour gets old a little too soon. The show centres around Sophisticato (Sam Hill), a rather terrible magician attempting to put together a charity night in memory of his father and other magicians who have lost their lives in magic related accidents. He honours this by pulling together a strange and equally terrible band of magicians that his father had met in the past. The Mind Mangler (Rory Fa...
Magic Goes Wrong – Storyhouse, Chester
North West

Magic Goes Wrong – Storyhouse, Chester

Living up to the company name, Mischief Theatre are back with Magic Goes Wrong - taking their brand of mayhem and madness into the world of illusion. Amazingly, this show was co-written with Penn and Teller and follows the catastrophic attempts of wannabe magician Sophisticato, played by Sam Hill, has he tries to raise money for those injured by magic (which, after tonight’s show, is likely to be many more people.) Hill is cheesy and a little awkward, exactly as expected in a show like this, and there’s something about his slicked-back hair and pained grimace that makes him all-too familiar somehow, as he tries (and fails) to keep control of the doomed show. He’s joined on stage by the Mind Mangler, played by Rory Fairbairn who has some really fantastic comedy moments. Less slapstick, m...
Magic Goes Wrong – Hull New Theatre
Yorkshire & Humber

Magic Goes Wrong – Hull New Theatre

Within a few minutes of me watching Magic Goes Wrong, at the Hull New Theatre on Tuesday evening, I could feel myself wanting to throw up. Was the show that bad? No, just the opposite. I had laughed so hard that I’d almost made myself vomit. With over two more hours to go - how would I fare? Well, dear reader, I lived to write this review, after staggering out of the theatre with aching sides and my eye make-up decimated through crying with laughter. If you’ve ever seen this crazy gang before, you will know that the shenanigans begin way before curtain up, and Tuesday evening was no exception. Cast members frantically searched the theatre, wielding huge butterfly nets, looking for a lost white rabbit, while a roving cameraman captured images of theatregoers to be used for the s...
Magic Goes Wrong – Empire Theatre
North West

Magic Goes Wrong – Empire Theatre

Firstly, I must say how nice it was to be back in a theatre and the Empire is one of my personal favourites. The staff are always so helpful and friendly.  Having watched the first two plays by this creative team, and being happy with a bit of magic, I was very much looking forward to this play. However, unfortunately I felt this fell quite flat in comparison to The Play That Goes Wrong and The Bank Robbery That Goes Wrong. The set was simple but effective with some fabulous lighting which ‘went wrong’ a few times throughout the evening and this was accompanied with excellent sound effects. There were no actual hiccups with sound and lighting throughout the show which is testament to a cracking technical crew. Well done to all involved with this. There was only one song in the e...
Magic Goes Wrong – The Lowry
North West

Magic Goes Wrong – The Lowry

Forget your David Blaines and Copperfields. As the late Tommy Cooper knew in his variety shows of old, there’s big laughs to be had in watching a stage magician flounder and fluster when a much-practiced trick goes spectacularly wrong. It’s a ripe opportunity for the kings and queens of all things Wrong, Mischief Theatre, the team behind the massive smash hit of The Play that Goes Wrong. Almost like the adult movie industry, just name any play or subject and there’s a strong likelihood there’ll be a ‘Goes Wrong’ version of it from this prolific gang. And so, to tonight’s fare, co-written with anarchic magic duo Penn and Teller. In terms of a synopsis, it’s right there in the title. There’s magic, and it goes wrong. Very, very wrong. Under the guise of a fundraiser for ‘Disasters i...