And More... Reviews
CASPAR THOMAS: THE ART OF CLOSE-UP MAGIC - Caspar Thomas
A delightful hour spent in the company of a talented magician. The usual sleight of hands tricks were interspersed with several ‘mind’ tricks which left the audience baffled. How did he do it?
There was a running narrative of magician’s ‘rules’ – ‘The more skilful the trick, the more hidden it is.’ The rules were then delightfully broken one by one, lastly by using a transparent handkerchief, containing silver dollar coins. Would they or would they not pass through the handkerchief into the palm of the waiting audience member? I’ll leave it up to you to guess.
A whole range of well-known tricks – the disappearing and reappearing ping pong ball, the linking rings, the card tricks – were all performed with aplomb and delighted the kids in the audience. The mentalist tricks involving audience members amazed and confounded. How on earth is this even possible?
Go along and find out. Highly recommended.
Moira Kean
AN EVENING OF CLOSE UP MAGIC & MENTALISM - High Peak Magic Circle
I’m going to lay my cards on the table right away - I love this show. If you’re hoping for a dispassionate appraisal of High Peak Magic Society’s prestidigitation skills and a detailed critique of which magician handled the rope trick best, then this is not the review for you.
High Peak Magic Circle’s Evening of Close Up Magic and Mentalism is quite simply a blow-your-mind event of family entertainment that packs a huge amount into a couple of hours. High Peak Magic Circle is a small society. The fact that seven of their magicians were performing last night with a few more making sure that everything ran smoothly reveals their dedication to this annual showcase which has become a pillar of the Fringe.
In the Octagon, six magicians each performed in turn to six tables of baffled and bamboozled audience members. The seventh, genial compère Andy Hall, added his own contributions on the main stage.
As you might expect with close up magic, the backbone of the performances revolved around cards, ropes, hoops, dice and the other paraphernalia that can be easily used to entrance small groups of people around a table. But we also saw a Rubik’s cube, a wristwatch and a large stone pressed into action!
The ‘mentalism’ part is new since I last saw this show a few years ago. The ‘bit of Derren Brown’, as Andy put it, was the crowning flourish of a really - ahem - magic evening!
Anna Girolami
PRIDE PICNIC - Stone and Water
The High Peak Pride Picnic in Pavilion Gardens has become a fixture in the summer calendar but after an absolute deluge washed out last year it was a joy to see a bright day and no dampening of spirits.
Alistair Macbeth introduced the event with the thought that when he was growing up a young queer man in Buxton he felt so isolated, cut off by the hills all around from his kind of people, and that this Picnic would have seemed impossible.
Alistair introduced Ru Paul's Drag Race star, local Buxton Fringe legend and all round good'un, Kate Butch to declare the Picnic open with her customary flair. Kate echoed the memory of growing up feeling isolated, so it is a tribute to High Peak Pride that they have created this wonderful community of LGBTQIA people and their allies in the town.
Kate spoke about how Pride is also a journey, that we need to carry on campaigning for equality and justice, but it's also about having a good time and enjoying ourselves. So putting aside our letters to our MPs until tomorrow, everyone kicked back and enjoyed the fun.
There was poetry from Helen Darby highlighting the importance of the broader queer family, a highly quality baking competition - my favourite being a wonderful vegan rocky road, face painting and games for kids, and stalls offering advice and support from organisations such as Ashgate Hospice and Citizens Advice Derbyshire.
But most of all there were happy faces of all ages, genders and sexuality, laughing, chatting and simply being a wonderful enriching community. And it's a community that doesn't just get together once a year at Pride Picnic. There are once a month socials on the first Thursday of each month at 7pm in the Cellar Bar. Follow High Peak Pride on Facebook and Instagram for more information.
Stephen Walker
SUMMER BIZARRE - Serpentine Community Garden
The Serpentine Community Garden is a hidden jewel in the heart of Buxton, a green space run by volunteers set up to advance education in horticultural practice. As they say ‘Our aim is to grow people and to grow plants.’
The Community Garden’s Summer Bizarre was a lovely drop-in event designed to allow people to experience the Garden, with lots of activities laid on to entertain all ages. We were encouraged to mooch around the Garden, exploring its flowerbeds and polytunnels and meanwhile there was a host of entertainment on offer.
There was a rolling roster of musical talent – while I was there Janette and Colin Sykes gave renditions of popular standards, followed by the guitar and vocal stylings of Danielle Banks – and games including putting and ‘splat the rat’.
Most appealingly, there was a well-stocked cake stall and also hot food. I enjoyed a very welcome cup of tea and tasty bean burger in the open air, having been ensconced indoors all morning.
This was a friendly, relaxing event that tapped into the goodwill of the garden, full of warmth and convivial conversation.
Robbie Carnegie
