Review: Impossible at Liverpool Empire

After an unfortunate first night, which was marked by technical issues meaning the show didn’t go on – Crowds still arrived at the Liverpool Empire expecting to be dazzled and impressed by what is advertised as “the UKs biggest magic spectacular.”

What they were greeted with was an old style magic show with a huge twist. You could just picture the set up being in the 1800’s but without the electricity or technology.. Straight from the outset there are the old magic tricks that we are so familiar with, many we have seen and been shocked with many times before, many tricks we are not so familiar with and will be new to us completely.

We see magicians such as Lee Thompson and Magical Bones producing what I would describe as traditional magic. Sleight of hand and quick tricks that are sure to dazzle. Magical Bones mixes the traditional with the contemporary with street dancing and some performance mixed with his magic. Lee Thompson produces a brilliant version of a decapitation while the audience squirms.

*Watch Magical Bones in action with one of the shows finest card tricks

Special mention must be reserved for Jonathan Goodwin who steals the show. His death-defying stunts are spectacular to say the least and he brings the show up a notch when he is on stage. If I had to pick out a couple of highlights it has to be his straight jacket stunt and Ben Hart with his version of a time traveling magic trick, which certainly dazzles at the end of act one.

The show seems to have a lot of children watching. I could imagine many parents were covering their eyes at some points as the stunts got a bit too on the edge! What I could imagine is that many kids will leave this show being enthused by the magic arts, wanting to learn and perform card tricks to dazzle their friends. Many will have be inspired and this is the huge positive of having a show of such talent accessible to children of such age.

If I had to give this review a grand finale it would be that many of the tricks were nothing new to myself. Somebody with a critical mind will have little to keep them up at night wondering what they have seen and nothing to have them questioning that anything other than the logical world exists. While the tricks are professionally and brilliantly executed, many have been seen and explained before to the YouTube and Google generation of the present. But then again, maybe I just expected to have my world turned upside down when in reality I was being entertained by some fine magicians, who know their trade very well.

7/10

Don’t miss The Guide Liverpool tonight 8.30pm as Jay takes part in one of Impossible’s most death-defying stunts. It involves a balloon, a blind fold and…a CROSSBOW!