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Taiwan Season: Dazed and Confused

 
Mark Harding Review by Mark Harding 4 Published: 7 Aug 2025 Underbelly, Bristo Square Show Dates: 30 Jul 2025-25 Aug 2025

With magic you can do the impossible: that’s the message of this surprisingly personal and reflective show, and I’m ready to believe that in the case of Lin Lu-Chieh, he can do the impossible.

The show is calm, gentle, affecting and amazing

This isn’t a show using gothic histrionics, roaring chainsaws, sheets of flame, or sexy women and double-entendres. Instead, Lin uses sleight of hand and memory feats to relate the story of his childhood – from six years old to university. He’s the only boy in the family, and his two older sisters are overachievers in every field – and are happy to let him know his shortcomings.

Lin is a rather lonely child, looking for an achievement or skill that will mark him out as an individual. Each ambition (being a Go champion, or a top baseball pitcher, or singing like Taylor Swift, to name a few) is skilfully narrated with humour and understated emotion. These stories are effortlessly illustrated by weaving in an array of impossible tricks. Each autobiographical episode, sadly, ends in failure – due to bad luck, the misbehaviour of others, or running into someone with greater innate talent.

The writing is equally skilful, with some parts of the text reaching the level of restrained prose poetry. I must emphasise the Derren Brown level of some of the tricks – especially the impossible memory feats.

The finale is a fantasy sequence in which he is able to achieve all the childhood ambitions that were impossible for him. This section is accompanied by a dazzlingly rapid run-through of a version of all the tricks used in the narration. He ends the dream by asking if he could do those things, would he be a magician? Then, of course, there is the story he has not reprised – leading to one final impossible trick.

The show is calm, gentle, affecting and amazing. Lin’s an actor, a writer, a comedian and a magician – I trust his sisters are proud of him.

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The Blurb:

Magic seamlessly meets theatre in Lin Lu-Chieh's engaging autobiographical solo show. Confident and captivating, this young, self-taught master of prestidigitation offers up a true and touching coming-of-age story that couples delightful 'How did he do that?' sleight-of-hand with warm-hearted observations on the sometimes painful yet often humorous process of growing up. His sincerity and skill shine through. Gently laced with audience participation, this entertaining and universally relatable performance is about finding yourself by doing what you love. See it and understand just how wondrous and transformative magic can be. European premiere.