Performance Run: Tues 16th - Sat 20th February 2016

Performance Reviewed: Tues 16th February 2016 (Press Night)

Impossible swooped into the West End last summer with exactly the kind of Vegas-worthy bravura and machismo that it’s name implies, setting out its stall - and expectations - high from the offset. Dubbed ‘London’s Most Dangerous Show’ and coming off of the back of creative director Anthony Owen’s equally egregious Derren Brown TV specials, it turned out to actually be a surprisingly conventional and, bizarrely given it's name, relatively safe evening bursting from behind the curtain with the old reliable slight-of-hands, mind reading, escapology and of course the ever-reliable 'sawing a buxom beauty in half'.

Fast forward just shy of 12 months and the perhaps overly ambitiously titled cavalcade of magickery is going on tour, and it's surprising how much better of an experience it is as a result. Perhaps it's because whilst it retains the London show's impressive production values and bombastic stage and lighting design, much of the over the top set pieces and grandiose showboating of the West End production have been omitted in favour of more personal and intimate sets. The big moments in London may have looked great (lazers! Water tanks!), but ultimately promised too much, with the visuals and set-ups for the trickery generally proving more impressive than what followed. Here, on tour, not only does the show benefit from the whimsys and character of regional audiences (no jaded West End cynicism here, thank you very much), but it also likewise focuses more on the personalities on stage, with newcomers such as the frankly awesome breakdancing card-master 'Magical Bones' and the expressive, theatrical sleight of hand maestro Lee Thompson proving far more interesting in their craft and charismatic in stage presence than some of the predecessors they have replaced.

And even with some of the bigger set pieces from London understandably absent, there is plenty to recommend and enjoy in Impossible - even at base value there’s an irrepressible, regressive joy in getting the chance to experience an evening of live magic. Few will be able to deny the steely tension as Jonathan Goodwin (prepare to swoon) readies himself to fire a crossbow at a balloon being held in the mouth of his assistant, or wince as he catches ablaze whilst attempting to free himself whilst hanging upside down. Lee Thompson inherits Luis De Matos’ extended spot of audience participation in the second Act with a trick that shan’t be spoilt but needless to say was a firm crowd-pleaser, and Chris Cox, the ‘mind reader who can’t read minds’ brings his comedy-circuit charm and pep to a Derren Brown-lite segment of mind reading and pre-emption. And indeed, littered throughout are plenty of ‘how did they do that moments’, mostly courtesy of switcheroos and physical shenanigans (mostly by the nimble Josephine Lee) that are fast, fluid and polished, and will incite plenty of the obligatory theorising and discussions on the journey home trying to deduce or second guess the trickery on-stage.

Impossible may still not quite step out of it's somewhat comfortable and familiar trappings, but this is certainly a show which has evolved into something more engaging and characterful than it was beforehand, and as an added bonus it makes it an ideal family ticket where the likes of Derren Brown or similar could potentially bore or sail over the heads of younger audiences. Some of the more focused, simplistic moments of Impossible are by some measure it’s most compelling; see the charming Ben Hart in a beautifully stylised silent movie sequence channelling his inner Chaplin, or the simple charms and delights of the circus theatrics of Lee Thompson's Act II opening. Similarly, practically the entirety of 'Bones' final set, which shuns much of the shows flashier production values, rests on the laidback, naturalistic confidence in which the street performer plays both the audience and his tricks - peppering his act with plenty of laughs and lightness, and injecting a welcome dash of modernity to boot.

The only place where this welcome focus and restraint leads to a major hiccup, however, is in the show's finale, or lack thereof. Whilst it can certainly be argued that Impossible leaves its strongest set until last (it does), it nevertheless sort of just... stops. Whereas the London production reached maximum peacocking with a finale which saw it's entire entourage assemble to make an entire car disappear live on stage (which was admittedly highly impressive), here the tour simply just finishes with nary a bang or even a fizzle. For a production which still features the likes of a man setting himself on fire whilst hanging in a straight jacket and an Act I finale which does offer some Vegas-style staging, it's difficult to understand why neither of these were considered better fits to end the show with on a bang. Magic, like comedy, is all about the big finale - the shocking reveal, the punch line, or the 'Wow!' moment, and here Impossible simply just splutters to a close.

In all, Impossible still doesn’t quite step out from the shadow of its forebears, including Anthony Owen’s own recent work with the aforementioned Derren Brown specials. It is not quite the death-defying, awe-inspiring spectacular some may hope for nor professes to be - but rather an evening of very satisfying, very well performed magic. By taking the show on the road, the producers have given the overall message and ethos a bit of an overhaul in the process - taking it down a 'history of magic' route which fits the material and performers a lot better, and certainly goes some way to justifying its roster of old reliables in the trickery department. Model-worthy young women nimbly strutting about on stage in traditional ‘glamorous assistant’ roles and dextrously contorting themselves into boxes may give a few staunch feminists spells of horror, but in truth it is just another welcome embracing of convention.

If one can taper ones expectations then Impossible boasts a troupe of talented, very capable performers pulling off (mostly) familiar tricks very, very well indeed. There are glimmers of promise and plenty of personality to carry the whole evening through, particularly now that the show has gotten it's adolescent showing off out of the way and has settled into a somewhat more mature and restrained discourse, adopting a theme that works far better than the Vegas-esque 'most dangerous show ever' audaciousness of before. And in bringing in some excellent new talent, shedding itself of some of its excesses whilst maintaing a fantastic sense of production aesthetic and style, Impossible has, in taking itself on the road, managed to pull off perhaps it's greatest greatest trick of all; conjuring a surprisingly better show as a result.

 

RATING - ★★★★

 

IMPOSSIBLE is running at the NEW ALEXANDRA THEATRE, Birmingham, from Tuesday 16th through to Saturday 20th February 2016.

CLICK HERE for more information on the show's run at the New Alexandra Theatre and to book your own tickets!

Alternatively, telephone the theatre's booking line direct on 0844 871 3011.

For more news, reviews and exclusive content, be sure to follow Kyle on Twitter!

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Readers who submit articles must agree to our terms of use. The content is the sole responsibility of the contributor and is unmoderated. But we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention. If you wish to complain about this article, contact us here