Wet Paint is made up of two magicians, Ben Hart and Neil Kelso, with 'ideas so fresh they're still wet'. An unlikely duo, Hart is the tall, mysterious David Copperfield-esque 'traditional' magician, with his dour complexion, air of seriousness impressive sleight of hand. Kelso is 'the funny one'; short, giddy and excitable but with no less magical talent than his counterpart.Almost entirely unscripted, the pair admit to making up the playlist of the shows over breakfast. This gives a brilliant spontaneity to the proceedings. Their ramshackle performance is far more enjoyable than any professional magic I have seen. Although Wet Paint undeniably have the talent to employ the pretentious mysticism of many professional magicians, they choose not to. Hart feigns at doing so but his persona quickly falls apart with his confessed inability to 'do the jokes': the chink in his magical armour. Both create a magnificent rapport with the audience. What makes Wet Paint so successful is the ability of the two magicians to create a comfortable stage presence and a good relationship with the audience. Perhaps it was all part of the performance, but it's nice to feel appreciated. These two magicians are doing what they love and their passion is evident throughout this brilliantly entertaining show.Understandably, some tricks have been seen time and time again and sometimes the audience may guess the outcome of the trick before its conclusion, only lengthening the rigmarole towards inevitability. Having said this though, there are some tricks which are genuinely mystifying.Wet Paint is fun, friendly and, at the heart of it, supported by some truly incredible magic which will leave you wondering for hours after its conclusion. As it's part of the Free Fringe, you have absolutely no excuse to miss this gem.
