Pete Firman returns from a stint on BBC 1’s The Magicians with a performance that has everything you need and expect from a magic show. Starting with a celebrity packed and cleverly fun intro video, there is a sense that this will be a special show before Firman has even entered the stage.
When he does enter, he does so in a suit and with pyrotechnics sparking from his fingers. He’s still not done. He launches into a quick-witted stand up routine in his already jumpy Geordie accent. Firman is the coffee of magicians, able to pick up any audience with his enthusiasm and energy.
The magic is also impressive as Firman makes use of everyday objects for a simple but effective set. Every trick is clever enough for us to not work out and Firman is a master of distraction. Before it begins you wonder if close up magic can possibly work in a grand hall like the Pleasance, but Firman does well to include the audience through both his charismatic comedy routines and simply climbing in amongst them. His choice of a fun rock soundtrack even solves the necessary lag in energy that is involved in order to pull people from their seats and onto the stage.
Firman creates a magic show that is filled with nostalgia, making us feel like little kids again looking up at a modern day Cooper or Daniels - filling us with the same sense of awe at the magic of it all and the purposefully bad jokes.
