I’m guilty of being a magic sceptic. The scale of the trick has to be so awe-inspiring that I’m left stupefied for months before I will give it any kudos. What makes Morgan & West unique is their ability to considerately intertwine humour and magic and it is this, and not the tricks alone, that creates the real magic.
What makes Morgan & West unique is their ability to considerately intertwine humour and magic
The duo have impressively reached their 10th anniversary together and their special relationship is apparent. Finishing each other’s sentences and engaging the audience as we enter the auditorium, their wit and playfulness has both adult and child gripped. The magic begins quickly, everything from card tricks to the classic cups and balls routine, which were entertaining if but a little predictable. Then they pulled out one of the big guns — a coin trick that involved guessing the total value of change poured into a glass. It left me thinking about all the possible ways this could have been done… I’m still thinking about it now. If the show wasn’t already complex enough, Morgan and West even managed a couple of perfectly-timed intellectual jokes about Schrodinger’s Cat and Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle, which were greatly appreciated. The absolute comedy highlight, however, involved West, a balloon dog and interpretive dance. Enough said.
Continuing with some more widely recognised tricks such as the Chinese linking rings and Houdini’s famous East Indian Needle Trick, the duo were clearly waiting to showcase their pièce de résistance — and not only did it involve myself but left me truly astounded. Correctly guessing three audience members’ favourite biscuits with no prior information was the moment, while I was standing on stage, that I remembered the beauty of magic.
Only a few minor details let them down — I wasn’t left astonished by many of their choice of tricks and more joke sequences would have been welcomed. Toward the end of the set, the duo said, “magicians struggle with permanence because that which is done must be undone,” but there is one thing I’m pretty certain of, Morgan & West are here to stay.
