This is Eric Waltons first visit to Edinburgh with his conjuring show featuring card tricks and feats of memory. Although this is billed as theatre it is more a one-man magic show.
Waltons dapper attire, commanding presence and the sinister cavernous venue raised my hopes of an interesting fringe experience however the suspense that would have made this a great show was lacking. He performs the tricks competently but is so confident and in control of his material that he fails to create an atmosphere of risk. The audience always knows that the tricks are going to work but arent always able to see what is happening on the stage. The show relies heavily on volunteers from the audience whom he handles very sensitively so dont be shy about putting yourself forward as it will give you the best view in the venue.
He has devoted a large part of his life to studying the art and science of deception and he uses this knowledge to part educate and part entertain his audience. Unfortunately he doesnt get the balance quite right. Rather than wowing the audience with his tricks, he bamboozles them with his obscure vocabulary, references to classical literature and his ability to recall facts.
Hes a charming performer but his material failed to amaze and youve kind of seen it all before.
