Review: JAMES PHELAN - THE MAN WHO WAS MAGIC, Adelphi Theatre - Tour

Photo credit: Laura Woodrow

James Phelan grew up surrounded by magic as the nephew of Paul Daniels. On what was his birthday, he entertained a full house at the Adelphi Theatre on the Strand with a one-man show of illusion, hypnotism and mind-reading. The Man Who Was Magic was seen at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this year and is about to go off on tour around the UK - his biggest show yet.

Phelan is an engaging and communicative performer, a natural and quick-witted comedian who has honed his responses to anything that might happen when his act is based on involving members of the audience. The sheer number of audience members he involves means that most people are near someone who features in the show: a great way of combatting those who might suspect stooges were involved.

Rather than multiple small tricks, the show is built around a series of major set-pieces that seem unconnected…at least until the end of the show. It’s impossible – and would be wrong anyway – to describe any of those major sections of the show without spoiling it for others, but this is stage magic of a high order. Where other magicians might be, at least traditionally, austere or remote, Phelan is the opposite. He introduces us to his family sitting in the theatre, and explains why he is avoiding picking volunteers from one section of the audience as it’s full of magicians. He instantly engages with the audience, his manner seemingly hesitant and apologetic and yet always, of course, totally in control and ready to surprise us.

Most of all, his rapid ad-libbing comedy style makes him different to many of the other current crop of magicians. He is also incredibly skilled at his craft, but that alone is not enough. Perhaps inevitably for a show built to play single nights, it’s quite simply staged on a black box stage with only some fairly pointless lanterns as decoration. His pacing of the sections of the show is mostly carefully planned but on occasion, the build-up seems just a little too lengthy, even when we are enjoying the repartee.

More seriously, many of the big reveals don’t seem to get the audience reaction they deserve. The show needs to rethink how those moments are staged; at times, the music fades when it should build, or the onstage video continues when it needs to be cut. If a reveal ends in silence, an audience thinks there may be more to come. Audience members around us were as impressed as we were, but sometimes missed the moment to clap and cheer because it was difficult to know when that exact moment was. The final reveal with the audience volunteer and the envelope would be much more effective with that person onstage rather than barely visible on the video feed.

If these moments can be fixed, the show will receive the applause it deserves – as does James Phelan in the finale, waving goodbye to his delighted if mystified audience through a sudden arbitrary but fun snowstorm. Definitely a young magician to watch, and we look forward to his next show.

**** Four stars

Reviewed by: Chris Abbott

For more info on James Phelan: The Man Who Was Magic, please click here.