Mischief Theatre returns with their brand of chaos and humour with this new touring production of Magic Goes Wrong.
Chloe Tannenbaum as Bär, Kiefer Moriarty as The Blade, Sam Hill as Sophisticato and Jocelyn Prah as Spitzmaus in Magic Goes Wrong | Photo © Pamela Raith Photography
The show has been created alongside Penn and Teller and the premise that it is a charitable fundraiser for those injured or killed in the line of magic.
The fundraiser is unsurprisingly a magic show where all acts are as hapless as each other.
Aside from the body parts, blood, dead doves and general chaos; the excellent Sam Hill (Sophisicato) has to work hard to make the most of the script and as MC to essentially keep the show on the road.
There are various subplots that bind the various magicians together; mainly due to family feuding but this dynamic does not always carry through.
Rory Fairbairn as The Mind Mangler steals the show with his ability to guess names and professions in the most inept fashion possible. His sections are the most successful.
Chloe Tannenbaum as Bär and Jocelyn Prah as Spitzmaus | Photo © Pamela Raith Photography
But there are moments of odd adult humour which feel out of place and some jokes that simply fall flat and break the energy.
Jocelyn Prah and Chole Tannenbaum as Spitzmaus and Bar alongside Keifer Moriarty as The Blade, Valerie Cutko (Eugenia) and Daniel Anthony (Mickey) make up this hard working team.
There are moments where the real magic and illusion is very clever, yet somehow in the chaos of the other scenes it is hard to see what is being achieved.
The tacky and perfectly considered set design from Will Bowen ensures a suitably tacky evening whilst the onstage live stream was a great touch.
Not a stereotype of the magic world was left unscathed and the obituary wall was updated on a regular basis throughout the evening.
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Reviewer: Petra Schofield
Looking Good Dead is showing at the Theatre Royal in Bath until Sunday 21st November 2021.
