Rating: ★★★★★
Venue: London Coliseum
The acclaimed stage illusion spectacular has captivated audiences across the globe, bringing magic to life with an explosive mix of high-tech illusions, solo stunts and jaw-dropping spectacles.
For a strictly limited five-week summer season at the iconic London Coliseum, Enzo Weyne, Andrew Basso, Gabriella Lester & Matthew Pomeroy will unite as The Horsemen, transforming the magic of the films into a live stage spectacle with never-before-seen feats of wonder. Joining the cast as special guest acts will be Britain’s Got Talent’s Eden Choi, Fraser Penman & Rafferty Coope.
Inspired by the franchise of the same name which was released back in 2013 and has since had two further installments, Now You See Me Live is a larger-than-life magic show currently playing at the London Coliseum for a strictly limited five-week run.
Having never seen a magic show live before, I was unsure what to expect, but the spectacle the audience were met with leads me to believe it doesn't get much better than this. It's worth mentioning that the show has little-to-no plot and besides a brief mention of a heist taking place at the start of the show, it's barely mentioned again. The four horsemen, like the movies, are our central focus, and are loosely based on the characters from the franchise and their skills; i.e. illusionist, escapologist, sleight of hand and a mentalist.
17-year-old, Rafferty Coope (recent Britain's Got Talent alum), opens the show with a trick that manages to captivate the audience with ease and is able to hold the stage completely on his own, which considering his age and this marking his West End debut, it's incredibly impressive.
Having only ever enjoyed magic live from the comfort of my home, I wondered how believable it would be in person and was curious if the magic (excuse the pun!) would feel slightly lost. However, it somehow becomes even more remarkable with a myriad of moments that felt simply impossible to be witnessing before your eyes.
Showmanship and execution are the most important aspects to making something like this believable, and every single performer is overflowing with charisma, confidence and an aura that is impossible to recreate. None better so than "the manipulator", Eden Choi (Britain's Got Talent alum), whose sleight of hand is utterly hypnotising and leaves your jaw on the floor. This is even more impressive because he says not a single word throughout his performance, he moves with a rhythm that makes it feel as though he's dancing with the cards; that each swish and flick is choreographed to perfection. Despite being a guest star and having considerable less time than the "four horsemen" on stage, Choi is the one I left thinking about.
While Weyne, Lester, Basso and Pomeroy, our four horsemen, are sensational as individuals, the magic truly comes alive when they perform as a quartet. The teleportation trick in particular is the most baffled I've ever felt by a trick I've seen onscreen or onstage. Their chemistry when together is wonderful to witness and this is where the show thrives most. There's a particular card trick that involves the entire audience (be sure to get your 4 unique cards from one of the cloth boxes outside the theatre beforehand) with all four horsemen which proved a particular highlight for many audience members, including myself.
While talking of audience participation: there's a lot. If you're sat in the stalls, particularly near the front, there's a likelihood you'll be picked to aid the magician's at some point. While it's better to be as close as possible to the magic, if audience participation isn't something you'd enjoy...I'd advise sitting in the dress circle or above! Speaking of the dress circle and above, you may be wondering how those seated further back are able to witness what's taking place onstage. Thankfully, there's a huge screen broadcasting the show live. While there are multiple camera-people filming, this doesn't hinder the performances whatsoever, and this is the first time I've felt that when watching a production with live cameras onstage.
There's an underwater escape inspired by Harry Houdini, an illusion that is then repeated to give us an insightful look into the the behind-the-scenes of the magic, there's escaping from handcuffs and padlocks, mind-reading, card tricks, teleportation; whatever kind of magic you're into, this show covers the entire spectrum.
Technically, the production is spectacular and for everything to go as it should with zero issues is no small feat. Everything felt seamless, from one trick to the next, and there wasn't a single moment of the two-hour performance that felt as though it dragged.
Now You See Me Live is jaw-dropping, nail-biting, and will leave you utterly baffled, in the very best way. A show that doesn't feel as though it's catered for adults or children; just people looking to be entertained and those that want to believe. A truly outstanding afternoon of magic that'll be in my mind for years to come.
You can book tickets to Now You See Me Live, here.
**photo credit: Johan Persson**
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