Mind Mangler: Member of the Tragic Circle review

One of three shows the prolific Mischief Theatre is presenting at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Mind Mangler sees Henry Lewis’ inept mentalist character from Magic Goes Wrong given his own show. Lewis’ character was arguably the best bit of the disappointingly patchy Penn and Teller co-written comedy and the most deserving of a solo outing in what’s fast starting to resemble the Mischief Theatre Extended Universe.

Lewis’ character is a down-on-his-luck magician (the divorce was messy) who pinned his hopes on a cruise ship gig. His set consists of a series of mind-reading routines familiar to anyone who’s ever seen a Derren Brown show – up to and including the broken-bottle-and-paper-bag act (at times, it walks a line between homage and just borrowing Brown’s shtick). Magic consultant Ben Hart, who has his solo show at the fringe, ensures the tricks look slick.

What plot there is, is essentially a retread of Lewis’ Magic Goes Wrong sequence, with Jonathan Sayer playing the audience plant, which keeps accidentally letting on that he and the magician know each other.

While it lacks the chaotic energy or level of invention of Nick Mohammed’s Mr Swallow shows, Lewis is an immensely capable stage performer, able to build tension even when being heckled by a tiny child, and the show is clearly fuelled by a love of magic. Could it be more ambitious? Certainly, but it’s still a very entertaining, well-executed hour.