Review By Tatum Stafford
World-renowned brother-sister magic duo Adam and Selina promised a blockbuster show for their stint at this year’s Perth Fringeworld – and unfortunately, they didn’t completely deliver one.
The show started strong, with a handful of intriguing tricks and illusions that had the audience enthralled. Unfortunately, when the duo slowed down the pace and walked us through some of these smaller tricks, the show dwindled into more of a ‘show and tell’ session than an engaging, awe-inspiring magic show.
When the energy lulled, the team entered the audience with camera in tow to find a volunteer for a money trick. The audio-visual aspect of the show was one of its saving graces, as it allowed audience members from each corner of the tent to get an up-close view of the magic being performed amongst the crowd. While the trick was being performed, a live video feed was broadcasted onto a big screen at the back of the stage, which was an effective way to get everyone involved and invested in each audience-involved trick.
A clear highlight of the show was Adam’s intricate card routine choreographed to a series of lyrics that called for specific cards to be pulled out of a shuffled deck. This was another example of the camera working to the duo’s advantage, as it allowed us to see his handiwork up close.
Adam and Selina are perhaps best known for their time on Australia’s Got Talent in 2010, in which they performed an impressive routine that saw Selina ‘skewered’ within a box by several swords. The Perth crowd received a version of this illusion, instead with a cardboard box and wooden sticks. Similar to some of the duo’s other tricks, this became really repetitive by the time the 10th stick was stabbed into the box.
The show concluded with a touching slideshow of images of Adam and Selina as kids; practicing magic in their backyard with their Grandma. This would have been better placed at the start of the show to introduce us to the pair, as their siblinghood wasn’t even mentioned until halfway through the show. This was a contributing factor to the disconnect seemingly present during the show – it felt difficult to get to know the pair outside of their professions as magicians.
Adam and Selina’s 2021 Fringeworld season is sold out, but if they return next year, I’d hope this show’s format is revised to speed up its pacing and evoke more of an emotional connection with the audience.
Image Supplied