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A family visit to the funniest magic show in town!

It’s not often that you can have such a great time watching people being sawn in half in front of you – just one of the failures in a show full of rubbish magic, malfunctioning props and serial incompetence. But Magic Goes Wrong, which is running at the Theatre Royal until 21 November, is just a great evening of magic-fuelled comedy mayhem that will have Debbie McGee running for cover and the spirit of Tommy Cooper looking on with a broad smile.

Magic Goes Wrong follows a hapless gang of magicians as they stage an evening of grand illusion to raise cash for charity. As the magic turns to mayhem, accidents spiral out of control and so does their fundraising target! OK, the comedy on display is about as sophisticated as a seaside Punch and Judy show, but it is also very, very funny.

Jocelyn Prah at Spitzmaus

Created by magic legends Penn & Teller, the show see magician Sophisticato (Sam Hill) raising funds for victims of magic disasters, accompanied by a cast of third-rate acts in the process, including danger man The Blade, the mystic mentalist arts of Mind Mangler (Rory Fairbairn) “I can taste names…” and the gymnastic talents of as Spitzmaus (Jocelyn Prah) and Bar (Chloe Tannenbaum), who is turns out are the step siblings of Sophisticato from his father’s preferred other family in Germany.

As each act enters, the true level of their magical incompetences becomes apparent, with The Blade receiving ever more grievous injuries, Mind Mangler (our favourite!) proving impressively talentless and even Sophisticato, while desperately trying to hold things together, being forced to carry on with his dove act even though the poor birds have died.

Throughout the incompetence, however, you’ll see really excellent magic, the sort of tricks that I love and just don’t want my 11 year old son sitting next to me explaining how they’re done (apparently most of them were something to do with mirrors…).

Chloe Tannenbaum as Bar

Yes, this show is perfect for children aged 11+. OK, there is some a little bit of naughty language, comedy nudity and several quite impressive blood splatters, but nothing that appeared to upset either my son or the many other children in the audience. In fact, when it comes to the audience participation segments, it was the children who came up with many of the best shout-outs, leading Mind Mangler to cry out, “It’s like being heckled by a creche!”

Magic Goes Wrong is presented by the same team which presents a series of similar productions including The Play That Goes Wrong, Peter Pan Goes Wrong, The Comedy About A Bank Robbery, Groan Ups and Mischief Movie Night, as well as the popular TV series The Goes Wrong Show. Magic Goes Wrong also marks the tenth time that production company Mischief has presented a show at the Theatre Royal Bath. 

Magic Goes Wrong appears at the Theatre Royal Bath from Tuesday 9th November to Sunday 21st November. Tickets are on sale at the Theatre Royal Bath Box Office on 01225 448844 and online at www.theatreroyal.org.uk