Two of the Victorian era’s greatest minds, Harry Houdini and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, joust over spiritualists, mediums and illusions in this tricky-heavy show.
It is a tense and fraught meeting between the two men, with their relationship, built upon mutual respect and admiration, tested as Doyle (Robert Matney) wishes for Houdini (Patrick Terry) to agree with his ideas that connections with the supernatural can be made, and conversations with the dead can happen, with the famous conjurer lamenting the growth of scheming mediums.
The piece is based upon real-life events, referencing true accounts of the pair’s visits to infamous spiritualists seemingly able to speak to the dead, an idea that brings comfort to grieving father Doyle, and abject horror to Houdini.
As Houdini, Terry is a charismatic showman without arrogance. Terry’s ability to perform magic live is solid, with the show bravely relying heavily upon audience participation for almost all of the illusions. It is interesting that Houdini, despite what he is famous for, is rooted in science and logic, something that he desperately tries to instil within writer Doyle to little avail.
Meanwhile, Matney’s grieving Doyle is desperate to reconnect with his son, killed during the 1918 influenza epidemic, with this grief evidently tearing the crime writer apart, conveyed with terrific sensitivity here. But with Doyle’s desperation also comes a refusal to budge on his views, which essentially sees both men at a stagnating impasse that unfortunately holds the piece up.
There are a couple of tricks in here, including a live telepathy, which are entertaining, while the use of one of Doyle’s novels in Houdini’s routine is a nice touch. Houdini’s trademark of escaping handcuffs is put to the test, while a levitating table is a fun moment too. The magic here is mature rather than gimmicky, keeping in character with Houdini’s renowned abilities. While the pair’s inevitable stubborn nature means the piece struggles to go anywhere, or for either character to develop, the show’s magic and sleight of hand are worth a watch, and the reliance on small yet impressive illusions is a sensible creative decision for the intimate space.
Nevertheless, staging the meeting between Doyle and Houdini is a neat idea, and one made more interesting by the well-crafted illusions and the hard work of the two leads. A solid, magic-centric piece of Fringe theatre.
