There are more than a couple of magic-themed performances at Edinburgh Fringe, but there’s something—let’s just say special—about Lady Magic, a Spiegelworld production written and directed by Natalie Palamides.
The Fringe version of the show was apparently a work in progress—its tag line, in fact, said it was “in development with lamentable magic tricks we purchased at the mall”—but given it’s put together by the company behind Vegas experiences like Absinthe and Atomic Saloon, it’s clear that a version of Lady Magic will make its way to Sin City.
The official description of the production describes it better than I ever could: “Most magic tricks involve a huge dick—the magician. This magician’s assistants asked Natalie Palamides to write and direct an exposé on the crap they deal with. Being actually almost sawn in half. Removing an arrow from your eye socket. Revenge is a dish. So are these vengeful assistants…. Now, imagine if Siegfried & Roy were in the movie 9 to 5. It’s a show for anyone who has a shitty boss.”
That magician, by the way, is named Chris Volcano. When Best of Las Vegas asked Spiegelworld founder Ross Mollison if the character was modeled after Criss Angel, he said, “No, I feel like we’ve given him way too much attention. I feel like it’s more directed at Penn Jillette. I’m just joking.”
In Edinburgh, Palamides told The Scotsman that she’s delighted by magic: “I try to incorporate magical elements into my shows with surprising gags. I do reveals that some people say feel like magic tricks. Basically there are only five different magic tricks that people spice up in different ways and put their own spin on so that was demystifying for me and made magic a lot less intimidating. After getting to peek behind the curtain, it just comes down to skill.”
In addition to Palamides, who sits in the audience and may or may not get out of her seat at certain points, Lady Magic features clown assistants, who have all learned a couple of magic tricks in preparation for the show, and two actual magicians. Comedian Geoff Sobelle and magician Steve Cuiffo served as consultants on the production.
Edinburgh Fringe is now over, and at the time this column goes to print, there was no news on if/when Lady Magic would premiere in Vegas.
Images courtesy of Lady Magic