Edinburgh Fringe 2024
Pure Imagination – A Willy Wonka Parody and Comedy Magic Show
Magic By Andy LLC
Genre: Magic
Venue: Just the Tonic at the Caves
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
Mining the film is a slick idea which keeps us in familiar territory but with pace needing taken up and the direction needing to take advantage of the obvious chutzpah which comes across, this is a standard fare for a magician who has good control of the basics which suggest the more complex is but a mis direction away.
Review
The conceit here is that our magician – who looks exactly like the fictional character, Willie Wonka – is Wonka’s son, Andy. Here to continue his legacy, he has imagined a show filled with love and laughter heavily based upon the original film, which is more adored than any other version, which stars Gene Wilder. The title of the show, and the look are not the only dependency we have on that film as many of the songs are mined for use as distractions in the performance.
We begin with a voice over which aims high: multiple holder of Guiness World Records and an appearance on Americas got Talent, amongst other things, which heightens both our expectations and the bar raised over which Andy has to perform. The voice over is slick, schmaltzy and dripping in promise. And when you look at his website, his CV is exceptionally impressive.
What unfolds is a standard magic show with some of the tricks you might expect at a children’s party. With the build-up we have had it doesn’t quite match.
Andy is personable and a lovely presence. His chats with the crowd manage to control his audience, to an extent, whilst his script tries to keep people engaged – especially the little people. And they are engaged. There is enough of a crowd that Andy does not have to work too hard to keep them onboard, however he seems overly nervous. Whether an affectation of the character or simply that he feels a little edgy today, I don’t know but the hesitation whilst it never spoils a trick limits the smoothness of the delivery. Adults, as long as their kids are entertained shall forgive almost everything. Andy manages to get away with it.
The basics are there – the misdirection, the rope tricks, books which turn from blank, through black and white to colour, interaction with some of the kids – there was a point when one was left standing onstage without a role whilst Andy performed a trick with the crowd which was a tad awkward – but they kept up and kept along for the ride.
The stage is busy, very busy, with multiple props which suggests more tricks could be on the agenda if needed. I think I would have liked to have seen a busier show with the pace picked up to keep the rest of us up and along for the ride. There is certainly enough chutzpah in the opening and throughout to suggest there is more in there that could become the focus of sections. I particularly loved the bubbles section with the kids which suggests the relationship onstage is one of strength and depth. Andy also works the adults well with a dad and a mum volunteered by the kids. The section with the dad builds on that as he tricks the dad, getting him to read from a book on a chosen page which he then joins in on to show he knows the entire book and can recite from memory , showing his audience he is reading from a second book – the same version as the dad, and then shows us the blank book as proof it was no trick at all.
By the end the kids left buzzing and whilst I have no idea how many stayed on to get their parents to buy the merchandise, the kids were the arbiters of the show and according to them, they liked it; as for me, as someone of a certain age I liked it too but I liked Paul Daniels too.
