Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Tickets and more information: https://www.londonboxoffice.co.uk/illusionists-tickets
Booking until: 1st September 2019
Run time: 2hr 15 mins.

The Illusionists are a group of 7 incredible illusionists who have come together to deliver a mind-blowing, spectacular showcase of their magical talents. Having toured the world conquering Broadway, Australia, they have now returned to London for a third season, just in time for the summer holidays.

What I really enjoyed about The Illusionists is that, this is truly a show for all ages. The show kicked off with Paul Dabek bringing two kids up on stage and getting them involved in a trick or two. Despite all performers having equal billing, I felt Paul did a really great job as the opener of the show and as overall ringmaster that set the tone for the rest of the show. Chris Cox used his ‘mind reading’ (although to be fair it’s more like guessing through connection) abilities to be able to discover one audience member’s back story and her families names. But there are some really great tricks performed from Enzo Wayne and Adam Trent that were blink and you’ll miss it spectacles, no matter how hard I tried to stop myself from blinking so I could see how it was done. There’s also two appearances in the show from Jonathan Goodwin, who appeared on Britain’s Got Talent this year. He did an insane trick that involved handcuffs, some gaffer tape and being slapped in the face every 5 seconds that I couldn’t look away from. He also performed his infamous Buried Alive trick from his appearance in the BGT final which, having watched it, I wasn’t that blown away by because I knew how it was going to end. Couldn’t say the same most of my fellow audience members though as those around me were sat in shock. And then there’s James More and Yu Ho-Jin who didn’t say a word in their performances and let the magic do all the talking.

Honestly, it’s really refreshing to see something different in the West End for a change. The Illusionists is a proper fun night out and I found it to be thoroughly entertaining and engaging. A highly recommended show for the incredible spectacles that are taking place nightly in the Shaftesbury Theatre. I do wish the line up was more diverse and a bit more reflective of the audiences they are trying to bring in.

Until next time,