On a weekend when most of the world’s magicians flocked north to Blackpool’s famous Magic Convention, Lance Corporal Richard Jones – winner of Britain’s Got Talent in 2016 – headed south to Maidstone’s Hazlitt Theatre as part of his UK tour ‘Soldier of Illusion’.

We were kindly invited to a pre-show VIP close up magic and Meet & Greet with Richard and straight away he makes everyone feel at ease. His charm, quick wit and confident persona brings a smile to everyone’s faces as he shakes hands with his fans and seems to genuinely care as he chats and asks our names (his memory for names is also magic!).

After the 30 minutes of glorious close up magic, including a barmy and unbelievable trick with our mobile phone calculator which was a personal favourite of mine, it was time for the main event.

The stage is set with festoon lighting and uses a screen as the backdrop which works well throughout to highlight the close up magic for those at the rear of the auditorium. Various magic props and writing boards fill the rest of the stage and when Richard eventually arrives, after a somewhat strange karaoke-style singalong of Sweet Caroline in which the audience are encouraged to join in with the words on the screen to an empty stage, he is met with rapturous applause.

It’s hard to review a magic show as the secrets should be kept and the tricks seen to be believed but the show really is brilliant. Unbelievable moments of magic before your very eyes and audible gasps of amazement from the audience throughout. As with most magic shows, the crowd are of course part of the action all the way through and Richard breaks the fourth wall with ease, regularly entering into the auditorium with a handheld microphone, selecting volunteers and asking to borrow personal belongings.

Highlights include seemingly impossible card tricks, a wedding ring jumping from boxes to shoes, a genius coloured ball routine which I’m still bamboozled about now and was trying to work out the whole way home! Plus a wonderful finale to do with random numbers, a balloon thrown around the theatre and a lottery ticket. Some seasoned magic show goers will have seen similar tricks before but Jones put his own spin on them all and performs them in a unique style which makes the magic even more magical.

He also shows his musical side with interludes of him playing the piano and trombone at the end of either half and more magic is uncovered when he reveals he runs the technical side of the show himself from his own pocket! Another incredible feat which makes the show seamless and slick, together with a beautiful lighting design to highlight the more subtle and poignant moments. A nice routine about how he first started magic and his time in the army is wonderfully played and portrayed. It shows you don’t need a huge budget or large crew in an arena style production, this is much more intimate and personal as magic should be.

‘Soldier of Illusion’ is a great night at the theatre full of variety for all ages – it’s clean, comical, interactive and jaw-droppingly fabulous. Two hours flies by and the tricks come thick and fast. With no support act, it’s an impressive marathon from Jones and it’s no wonder he gets the crowd to warm themselves up with the karaoke style singing as we get to see more of the main man himself. I’ll definitely be hoping to see more of him in the future.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️