Reviews

Neil Henry's Impossible (Edinburgh Fringe)

This magic show at the Pleasance Courtyard puts the audience in control of seemingly impossible tricks

Whether on the telly box, at a wedding or in one of the many Edinburgh Fringe venues, magicians are two a penny these days and most ply their trade with the use of little more than a pack of cards and a pair of faster than average hands.

Neil Henry doesn't stray too far from this stereotype, his show Impossible starts with a card trick and includes rabbits in hats, upturned cups and various other magician staples. But you would be wrong to miss this show based on the assumption that all magic acts are the same. Henry takes the usual tricks and turns them on their head, putting audience members in the hot seat as he defies all logic and improbabilities.

From solving a Rubik's Cube by throwing it in the air, 'mentalising' an audience member to read his mind and putting his hands in the hands of an unsuspecting pregnant lady, Henry combines plenty of charisma with wonderful rapport and finely tuned showmanship to produce a magic show that is truly breathtaking at times and very funny at others.

If the mark of a good magician is being left dumbfounded by seemingly impossible tricks, then Neil Henry must be one of the best.

Neil Henry's Impossible runs at the Pleasance Courtyard until 25 August

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