Mages Thru the Ages

 

What grabbed me about Mages Thru The Ages was the attempt to lend a narrative to the acts. Can we expect much storytelling and history in the show?

The theme of past, present and future runs throughout the show, but the story is told in several different ways. Sometimes we use dialogue, to build atmosphere and to talk about past magical greats, such as Houdini and his death-defying feats. At other times we use music, costumes and mime to carry the narrative. We wanted to take the audience on a journey, rather than give them a magic lecture, and so there's a lot of audience interaction that brings comedy and energy. There is also a lot of very visual magic, which often speaks far louder than words.

With the cabaret revival either going strong or disappearing into a slew of bad burlesque, is magic part of the Variety scene, or is it striking out in its own direction?

Magic is one of the most versatile arts. It's affecting enough to stand in its own right, but it also works well when fused with comedy and music, or with less obvious things, like psychology, as Derren Brown has shown. In Mages Thru the Ages, we chose to combine magic with other types of performance, such as music and mime, to build a more striking picture of how magic and the environment in which it is performed has changed over the years.

Within performance magic, there seems to be a split between the big spectacular stuff and more charming routines. Where does Mages fit within this, as the three acts all seem to have different approaches?

We cover the spectrum, from visual illusions and dangerous stunts, to mind reading and more intimate effects. The three of us perform wildly different acts, but then come together in other parts of the show, such as when we perform what we believe is the world's first synchronised three-man card trick. There's a lot of variety in the show, but everything is tied to the time-traveling theme, which gives it cohesion.

Is magic a good fit for the Fringe, which is usually full of comedy?

The Fringe is a celebration of all performance arts, and we incorporate several of them in the show. But Mages is a magic show first and foremost, and we'll be showing people some amazing things that they may not see anywhere else, like appearing doves, needle swallowing and a homemade time machine. Fringe audiences want to see something unusual and entertaining, and our show delivers both those things in spades.