Review: MAJIKA: AFRICA’S GREATEST ILLUSIONISTS Is a Spellbinding and Breathtaking Show of Wonder

I didn’t know what to expect when I went to watch Majika, having not observed much magic since birthday parties circa the early 2000s. However, from start to finish I was mesmerised, with my mouth often hanging open, in awe of the impossibilities of what I had just witnessed.

The production, presented by the College of Magic in honour of its 45th anniversary, features an array of sensational acts, including illusionist Olwethu Dyantyi, trickster Mawonga Gayiya, escape artist Li Lau, illusionist Kgomotso Marite, manipulator Sinalo Mtwana, mentalist Brendon Peel, deceptionist Marcel Pretorius and dancers Stephanie Adams, Keesha Kleinsmith, Lee Miller and Jayden Ockhuis. This varied show has every kind of magic act you can imagine – from making things (and people) disappear and reappear, to being cut in two, to escaping straitjackets while being suspended upside down, to tricks that would require paragraphs to describe. Every single one was excellent. Each time the uber talented Dyantyi made someone disappear (this happened a lot), THE PRESTIGE came to mind and I was always relieved when the performer reappeared, seemingly unscathed.

This production brings together the best of the best and there is not a single performer who doesn’t deliver. Besides for the excellent illusionists, the show is enhanced by the atmospheric stage lights, the thrilling background music and action-packed performances of the dancers, donned in gorgeous steampunk-esque outfits.

While each act is truly superb, my favourite was that performed by Li Lau and Brendon Peel. Both have great stage presence and bring the banter alongside their magical prowess. In their combined act, Lau is chained to what resembles the ominous chair in the James Bond movie, THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH. Lau is chained across the neck and waist and is also handcuffed and thumb-cuffed. A crossbow is positioned a few metres away from him, set to be thrust into his face if he does not escape before the weight-based timer runs out. In order to buy a few more seconds, Peele must solve as many Rubik’s cubes as possible, adding each completed one to the contraption holding the crossbow, as the weight of each Rubix cube gifts Lau a few more seconds. This act is nail-biting and tension in the theatre was pulpable –  I couldn’t tear my eyes away (although I did leave nail marks in my poor boyfriend’s arm as an outlet for the suspense.

While the theatre was filled with children, the adults in the room were equally flabbergasted and delighted by the illusions taking place on stage. Don’t miss this spellbinding magic-filled production for all ages.

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