It was only a few weeks ago since a very giggly and laugh-out-loud audience enjoyed the shenanigans of Mischief’s The Play That Goes Wrong at the New Vic, whetting their appetites for this week’s offering of Magic Goes Wrong, which, according to the press releases, promises to be Mischief’s biggest and most daring comedy catastrophe to date. The show was created with the help of Penn and Teller – true magic royalty – who are renowned not only for their illusions and long-standing Vegas residency, but for their dark humour and more notoriously for their revelations of how their tricks are done. The perfect match for Mischief, then.

It was a great turnout on opening night in Woking; the theatre was buzzing with pre-pandemic vibes, as there was distinctly less nervousness in the air than I have recently felt. This is a show that really does make you forget your current concerns or worries of the day, even before the curtains rise. We went to our seats with 10 minutes to spare, but there was already quite a bit of chaotic action in the auditorium as one of the magicians clambered over seats rounding up his errant doves, and various stage crew readied the stage for the imminent performance, immediately breaking the fourth wall. 

Magic Goes Wrong follows a troupe of second-rate magicians as they stage an evening of ‘grand illusion’ to raise cash for charity, in memory of those who lost their lives to magic gone wrong. The audience is the audience and there is indeed a great deal of audience participation and involvement. The show is hosted by Sophisticato (Sam Hill), who is performing on behalf of his late father, along with The Blade (Keifer Moriarty), The Mind Mangler (Rory Fairbairn), and Spitzmaus and Bar (Jocelyn Prah and Chloe Tannebaum), a German duo, supported by a tech crew whose talent and creativity is not limited by restrictions such as the teleprompter script or glitterbomb budgets.

There are times in the first half when you’re not quite sure if you’re watching a comedy about magic or whether you’re in a comedy magic show, but whichever, the audience is game and quickly pick up on the cues and willingly play into the hands of the performers. Magically, they are transformed into cast members, and contribute magnificently to the fun of the show. I was pleasantly surprised by the storyline, which had slightly more to it than anticipated, and which certainly picked up pace and energy in the second act and finale. Hats off performance to Rory Fairbairn as the Mind Mangler, who despite being the victim of the teleprompter’s humour, had the audience in the palm of his hand.

The show premiered in the West End in December 2019 to excellent reviews, and after an extended pandemic pause is now taking up residence back there, this time at the Apollo. Such is their success they are currently doing a national tour as well, stopping in Woking’s New Victoria theatre from November 2 to November 6.

[Amanda Briggs, November 2021]