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“THE LIMITS OF THE POSSIBLE CANONLY BE
DEFINED BY GOING BEYOND THEM INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE” Arthur C Clarke
Impossible
Sunderland Empire
Until Saturday 27th February
2016
The
art of entertaining a crowd through the use of magic is as old as theatre itself.
A collection of six very talented artists combine to produce a mesmerising collection of interactive pieces.
Opening up with a brief history of magic there is a
quick illusion in which appears someone may have had spikes through them. Quickly the tone of the show is set in the
next piece as Ben Hart asks for three volunteers from the audience to come on
stage and lend him a ring each. Now I have seen 3 rings provided by a magician
being joined together in a chain but never 3 pieces of jewellery provided by
the audience. Helping the audience see the action close up are a number of
screens which came in handy.
Jonathan Goodwin’s first routine involved a member
of the audience trying to bend a spanner before he did so in a eye-watering
way. He would later go on to pull of some bigger stunts that will leave a big
impression on both the younger and older members of the audience. His
spectacular work definitely came under the heading of “don’t try this at home”.
Each act involved at least some members of the
audience and was served with a large helping of humour. The show remains firmly
family friendly entertainment.
Lee Thompson had a trick that involved the whole
audience simultaneously involving the envelopes on everyone’s seat at the
start. It was a clever exercise that put a smile on the face whilst making you
scratch your head wondering how he’d pulled it off. All are good signs of a
great illusionist.
Chris Cox calls himself a mind reader and he was
able to involve volunteers from the audience to illicit surprising reactions.
Josephine Lee put her agility from her dancing experience to good use in a
number of quick paced illusions whilst Magical Bones combines hip-hop with the
fascinating world of card tricks.
The first half literally finishes with a bang which
had the audience in deep discussion during the interval coming up with their
theories as to how it was pulled off. This set the stall for a faster paced
second half.
The show has real cliffhangers and pulls off
illusions without the use of camera tricks. The performers have a great sense
of humour and bring the audience along with them without ever making anyone
feel like a fool.
A combination of friendly audience engagement and
high quality illusions make Impossible a stunning show for all ages.
Impossible is produced by Jamie
Hendry Productions and is directed by Lloyd Wood with scenic design
by Andrew D. Edwards, lighting design by Howard Harrison, video
design by 59 Productions, sound design by Gareth Owen and
original music by Ryan Martin.
Suitable for
ages 6+
This
review was written by Stephen Oliver for the North East Theatre Guide from
Jowheretogo PR (www.jowheretogo.com). Follow Jo on twitter @jowheretogo, Stephen
@panic_c_button or like Jowheretogo on Facebook www.facebook.com/Jowheretogo
Read the
original North East Theatre Guide preview: http://nomorepanicbutton.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/preview-impossible-at-sunderland-empire.html
On
The Web:
Website:
www.ImpossibleLive.com
Facebook:
/ImpossibleTheShow
Twitter: @ImpossibleShow
Tickets:
Impossible
comes to Sunderland Empire on Tuesday 23rd – Saturday
27th February 2016. Tickets are £16.90 - £48.90
Box
Office: 0844 871 3022*
Groups
10+: 0844 871 3042
Online:
www.ATGtickets.com/Sunderland
*Booking fee applies
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