You don’t need me to tell you how hard the last year and a half has been – on individuals, on theatres, on London and on the world. For my first time back in a busy central London theatre, what more could I ask for than magic and big laughs? Magic Goes Wrong is just the latest in the run of Mischief Theatre’s comedies, which include The Play That Goes Wrong, Peter Pan Goes Wrong and Comedy About a Bank Robbery. This time around, Mischief Theatre collaborated with Penn and Teller to bring us just the right amount of comedy to genuine magical entertainment. Expect glitter, jokes, and magical mishaps a-plenty.
Tom Wainwright (Wedge) and Kazeem Tosin Amore (The Blade) in Magic Goes Wrong at The Apollo Theatre. Credit Helen Maybanks.This is a show that will please the whole family. Besides being part of the writing team behind the show, Henry Lewis is incredibly funny and charismatic as the Mind Mangler (and performs some of the most exciting legitimate tricks of the show – though always in the ‘wrong’ way, of course), and Scott Hunter really shines in their West End debut as the lovable Mel.
While some of the physical slapstick sometimes lands with more of a cringe than a laugh, there’s not much to fault in Magic Goes Wrong. A few jokes felt a little tired, there were one or two points where the energy seemed to drop for just a moment, but these don’t stick with you for long, given just how much is packed into this two and a half-hour show. Audience members are cleverly integrated in a way that doesn’t feel like it’s at anyone’s expense, which keeps the atmosphere light and positive. There’s even a cameo from Derren Brown to look forward to, and you come away feeling that all the promises of mischief, magic, silliness, and comedy have been delivered.
Everyone’s having fun here, and it shows. It’s impossible to leave the performance any way other than smiling. And who doesn’t need a bit more laughter and joy, after the last few years that we’ve had? Take the family, rediscover the beauty of central London, and bask in pure entertainment brilliance from Mischief Theatre.
Review by Christina Carè Calgaro
Created with Magic legends Penn & Teller, Mischief Theatre conjure up an evening of grand illusion.
In the next ‘Goes Wrong’ comedy to hit the West End, the original Mischief company play a hapless gang of magicians presenting a charity event.
As the accidents spiral out of control, so does their fundraising target!
Magic Goes Wrong
Apollo Theatre
31 Shaftesbury Avenue London W1D 7ES
