As Mandy Muden inexplicably emerges from a tiny suitcase on stage, clad in a leopard print ensemble, she is anything but invisible. The premise of Muden’s theme is that there’s been a spell cast on women, meaning that when they get to a certain age, they become invisible. And so begins an hour of mind reading, sleight of hand, spell casting, card tricks and comedic aplomb that enthrals an audience of all ages.
An hour of mind reading, sleight of hand, spell casting, card tricks and comedic aplomb.
Muden’s performance kicks off with a silent card trick, performed via placards. This innovative concept rewards her with audible gasps of amazement, sharp intakes of breath and burst of applause. Muden’s tricks aren’t breaking any barriers, however they’re also not run of the mill. There’s small moments of wonder, as she burns a rope which then becomes whole again, and a game of heads or tails which seemed to go on too long then was pulled back with an amazing end result. And the moments all interplay together, culminating in a collision of glory at the end as Muden pulls them all together into a crescendo of comedic cunning.
As well as offering mind reading, tricks with wine glasses, card quips and many more, Muden is also tremendously funny which offers another layer to this show. She excels with audience interaction, and intersperses the narrative of the show with comedic stories of the benefits of being invisible, like fare dodging and shop lifting. There is also some subtle political satire as she jests about Boris Johnson. Despite a few saucy comments, this performance is uber family friendly.
Muden is warm, inviting and understated. I wonder what it would be like to see her perform for a less family friendly audience, because the steamy sassy moments came so naturally to her and land so well with the audience. We were treated to plenty of them in this performance, and crafting a whole show around this would certainly elevate what is already an excellently worthwhile offering onto another plane.
