Direct from New York and following sell out tours internationally, Scottish magician Scott Silven brings his show ‘Wonders’ to the beautiful Theatre Royal Brighton, as part of the packed programme of the now prestigious Brighton Festival.

As we enter the busy auditorium, the space is dimly lit and the stage adorned with various magic props and writing boards in a sort of Sherlock Holmes’ study setting with wooden units, desks and writing lamps. The eagle-eyed amongst the expectant audience spot a red bag above the Stalls, suspended in the air by a rope. A nice, well-worked gimmick to set the mood of what’s to come.

Silven enters through the crowd and takes to the stage to invite his spectators on a journey through his childhood memories. It’s a highly interactive show and Silven constantly connects with his audience, choosing random members to join him on stage on several occasions.

It’s difficult to review a magic show as the secrets should be kept and the tricks seen to be believed but the illusions come thick and fast and they’re generally performed exquisitely, with an air of confidence and ease. There’s a lovely sense of storytelling throughout the piece and Silven does well to intergrate themes of human connection, behaviour and imagination to keep a gentle through line throughout. He has a light charm and commands the stage effortlessly, clearly a master of his art.

Unfortunately, the technical side of the production somewhat lets him down. A large screen, which one would imagine will be used to enhance close-up magic, is actually used just to show Silven – but its slightly pixelated & lighting states and shadows make it rather unclear. Not needed in a venue such as this when the tricks aren’t exactly minuscule. The lighting is also too dark and, quite frankly, too fancy. The audience want to see Silven dazzle us with his talent, instead sadly we are left distracted by excessive lighting effects and ever-changing conditions. Less is more, especially when Silven is trying to command his audience so intimately.

Highlights of the show include a wonderful finale using the name of the town, a blindfolded audience member drawing exactly what Silven guesses and the aforementioned hanging bag being lowered to reveal a chosen secret word. Seasoned magic show goers may have seen similar tricks before, some aren’t exactly original, but Silven puts his own spin on them and performs them in his unique style.

‘Wonders’ is a clean and interactive 75 minutes of entertainment for all ages and I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot more of Scott Silven in the future.

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