Underbelly
Perhaps we caught James Phelan on a bad day. There were glimpses of
some genuinely impressive mind-reading and magic, and the show has an
appealing premise, but unfortunately a couple of the audience members
brought on stage had quite clearly enjoyed a few drinks before the
show. As a result, a few of the tricks simply didn’t quite work, and
the audience participation that is so central to the show became more
of a hindrance than a source of wonder.
The show relies heavily on volunteers committing to the illusion and
following Phelan’s instructions. When that works, it must be hugely
entertaining, but on this occasion the repeated failures seemed to
test Phelan’s patience. He appeared increasingly frustrated, creating
an atmosphere that became rather uncomfortable at times rather than
entertaining.
There were still moments of real skill, and I suspect this was simply
an unfortunate combination of volunteers and circumstances rather than
a fair reflection of the show at its best. Sadly, though, on 16 August
the magic never quite managed to take hold.
(Written by Elika Aspinall)
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