Review: IMPOSSIBLE, Noël Coward Theatre, 13 July 2016

Th ere's something rather nostalgic about watching a magic show in the heart of London, where the prestigious Magic Circle was first established in 1905. Playing at the Noël Coward Theatre until 27 August, IMPOSSIBLE, presented by Jamie Hendry and Gavin Kalin Productions, celebrates an old-fashioned, over-exaggerated sense of wizardry through a series of special stunts, illusions and tricks that successfully evoke feelings of childlike wonder.

Performed by seven young talents, from mind readers to escapologists, Impossible is a variety show hoping to portray the world's rich history of magic in 150 minutes. Name-checking Houdini on a number of occasions, whose spirit looms large throughout, the storyline fails to hold up as well as its tricks, losing focus on the narrative and journey through time mapped out at the beginning.

In an age where viewers have been spoilt by street magic and death-defying acts on TV, Impossible, which premiered in a five-week run at the Noël Coward Theatre last summer, still manages to achieve a smattering of jaw-dropping moments that win over even the most cynical of 'non-believers', and is, above all, highly entertaining. The pace is on the erratic side; heavy audience participation, particularly in the first act, slows down momentum in parts, though there is a sound balance of tricks and stunts that manages to maintain the viewer's attention.

There is plenty of classic magic with a twist thrown in, from an unsuspecting gentleman sawn in half by the glamorous Sabine Van Diemen, to the great Houdini straightjacket act, with the danger turned up a notch as escape artist Jonathan Goodwin is suspended engulfed in flames. Chris Cox provides the comic relief for the evening, changing the pace of the otherwise intense show with his effortlessly funny act, inviting members of the audience to have their mind read.

The production, directed by Lloyd Wood, is simply staged and effectively done so with minimal props and clever projections that don't distract from the performances, though the inflated soundtrack is a little cheesy. It's clear the contents of a magic show have hardly changed over the years, but it is the vintage tricks that have the biggest impact, particularly Ben Hart's beautifully put together sleight of hand, staged as a black-and-white silent movie, and some patriotic magic from this year's Britain's Got Talent winner, Lance Corporal Richard Jones.

The show's weakness lies with the sidelining of its two female illusionists, Josephine Lee and Van Diemen - both highly anticipated acts in a male-dominated world of magic, who unfortunately only appear on stage twice. But, despite lacking the element of surprise, Impossible achieves exactly what it sets out to do, keeping viewers on the very edge of their seats throughout.

Photo credit: Helen Maybanks

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