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Many artists are now performing Zoom Magic shows. This latest show is with Richard Parsons, Kerry Scorah and Mark Shortland. Hosted by Jon Bonner and in conjunction with The Palace Theatre in Paignton.
Ticket prices were really reasonable and you could of course have as many viewers as you liked around a screen. £5 of each ticket going towards the theatre.
The technical setup of the show was good. No issues with the presentation at all. While waiting for the show, music played and slides appeared about the artists. Once started, all events were hosted by Jon Bonner.
Jon spoke about the difficult time for artists and how events like this Zoom show in conjunction with theatres like the Palace was essential. Technical support was also offered if required which was a nice touch and all audience members were asked to go on mute unless interacting with an artist. It was good that they did this as I have attended some shows with no audience control, speakers have been on and I have heard all kinds of additional conversations which is just distracting.
These guys had obviously run public Zoom magic shows before. The show demonstrated how a Zoom Magic show should be structured and performed. All artists were also very aware of the camera, making sure good angles were available and encouraging controlled audience participation. Only feedback on the audience interaction would be that some screens were interacted with several times before others were interacted with for the first and only time. I found myself waiting until the close of the show before being asked to assist.
Not wishing to give too much away about the acts, so as not to spoil the actual show, Richard Parsons was up first, followed by Kerry Scorah and then Mark Shortland. All acts were well rehearsed and entertaining.
While of course you will always see some tricks that you have seen before (if you go to Zoom Magic shows regularly), it is always interesting to see different artists perform variations of a trick. Richard carried out an example of an established trick with his own take on it using “Yours” and “Mine” envelopes. Kerry was able to do some amazing mentalism and a trick using pot noodle tubs. Lastly, Mark as the headline act worked though a lot of magic and his handling of the elastic bands and his silk hankie trick were really good. His closing act with use of numbers was also pretty amazing.
At the close of the show, we were advised that they intend to work with other regional theatres to bring further Zoom magic shows to audiences. If you haven't seen a Zoom Magic before, a show such as this is a good place to start. The show was about 2 hours and included a short 10 minute interval.
They intend to bring the show to other regional theatres and they have set up an "Evening of Deception" FaceBook page. Here. Follow the page to find out more and any future dates as announced.
Recommended show. As and when I am aware of further dates, I will add details to the site.
The Performers
Richard is an award-winning Gloucestershire based close-up magician. A member of the prestigious Magic Circle, Richard travels and performs throughout the South West as well as internationally having performed in both Italy and Spain.
Kerry is one of the country’s most highly regarded and one of the very few female professional magicians. A recipient of the Magic Circle’s presitigous Gold Star Award, Kerry was the only British woman to perform at the Magic Circle Centenary celebration.
Mark engages his audiences with a mixture of magic and audience participation. His winning personality and unique brand of comedy are blended with an individual style creating an act that the edge of your seat was made for. He has 12 national awards and was recently invited to perform for the second time on ‘Penn and Teller: Fool Us’ providing the international flare for their tv special.
