Review: MARK GUEST: BELIEVE, Calder Bookshop
Performed in a tiny venue with only around 35 audience members, Believe is an intimate evening of mentalism with Mark Guest. With a front-row view, there was no way to miss a single movement — yet somehow, despite the closeness, the tricks remain completely baffling.
From the outset, it is clear how excited Guest is to be performing. His opening story of how he came to put on the show adds an emotional note to the evening, giving the performance a heartfelt edge before diving into the impossible.
Unlike shows that mix sleight-of-hand or big visual illusions, Believe stays firmly in the world of mind reading and psychological trickery. Guest wastes no time in showing his ambition — magicians often advise never to start a show by reading someone’s mind, but he takes it further by attempting to read five different minds within his opening routines. From there, the evening continues to escalate with increasingly bold demonstrations.
In such a small room, audience involvement is inevitable, and almost everyone is included at one point or another. This makes it absolutely clear that there is no chance the participants are stooges or plants, which only heightens the sense of astonishment. The lack of an overarching storyline doesn’t detract from the experience; if anything, it allows the tricks themselves to take centre stage and the audience to revel in the surprises as they come.
That said, focusing purely on mentalism means the show occasionally feels a little one-note, and the addition of a few different types of illusions might help to break up the format. But as it stands, Guest’s confidence and skill carries the evening, and the atmosphere is filled with disbelief and laughter in equal measure.
Even 24 hours later, the tricks continue to puzzle — you’ll find yourself replaying them in your mind, searching for explanations, and still coming up empty.
Unforgettable mind reading — impossible to explain, even the next day.
**** Four stars
Reviewed by: Frances Tate
