Fresh from teaching Tom Cruise sleight of hand on the set of Mission Impossible, magician Ben Hart brings his latest show to Edinburgh.
Wonder allows the English magician to showcase his mastery of deception.
In 2007, when he was just 17, Hart was named Young Magician of the Year by the Magic Circle. He went on to star in his own BBC Three show, Ben Hart’s Life Hacks.
He appeared regularly on BBC One’s Now You See It and teleported a person to the top of Broadcasting House on The One Show. In 2019 he reached the final of Britain’s Got Talent.
When not performing, Hart invents tricks and illusions for film and television.
His ideas have been performed by some of the top magicians in the world. He has designed illusions for the Royal Shakespeare Company, The Old Vic, and The Globe. He was also the mind behind the acclaimed special effects in the west end productions of The Exorcist and Magic Goes Wrong.
Wonder
Wonder sees him use decks of cards, a Rubik’s Cube, mirrors, fans and all manner of other props to perform tricks.
One critic memorably described Hart’s style as “somewhere between Hannibal Lecter and Tim Burton.” There’s a certain dark intensity about his show that’s nicely offset by a self-deprecating whimsy.
He’s also just a superb magician. Three rings taken from audience members end up linked together on the handle of a spoon. A chosen card is speared in midair after the pack goes flying. An a piece of confetti is bounced on a fan, slowly turning into an egg which Hart then cracks into a glass. Extraordinary stuff.
If there’s anything to criticise it’s that this sort of magic works best close up. From my seat halfway back in the capacious Pleasance Grand I couldn’t see clearly enough to look out for any, well, trickery. The action is shown on a screen but it was blurred by transparent drapes.
Ben Hart puts on an exciting hour of magic. Just make sure you get a seat near the front.
Rating 4/5
Ben Hart: Wonder is at the Pleasance Grand at 7.50pm until August 28 (except August 16).
