The Recs: Review of Blink ★★★★
Joz Norris’s Wikipedia page lists him as a comedian, screenwriter, comic actor and now it seems he can add magician to his page, as he brings Blink to Vault festival. So what show can we expect from an award-winning-comedian-turned-magician? Will we have deft sleight of hand, daring escapology or illusions to blow your mind? Or will he present some classic Derren Brown style mind-bending to leave the audience in awe? Joz informs us that his younger self, the comedian, is dead and before us is the new older Joz who now a great magician. After dazzling us with some classic magic tricks involving handkerchiefs, hats (naturally complete with rabbit, although this is another story) and canes, the premise of the show is revealed. With the power of an expensive thought-machine that can read the minds of the audience (and think off Joz’s trousers!), by the end of the show Joz will be able to pull off the greatest magic trick of all, the legendary Think Blink! Yes Joz will be able to make the audience blink and have the same thought at the same time! The journey towards the grand reveal enables Joz to showcase that the comedian actually still lives within, as we learn about life through the analogy of a sausage baguette, his love of highland walks with his girlfriend and the power of lucid dreaming, with hilarious results. Ably assisted by Ben Target on the sound desk, we are witness to two other monumental feats of magic, called The Flying Aces and the reanimation of a rabbit (which is a highlight of the show, be prepared to be amazed). Joz is engaging and energetic, and spends much of the show in his pants and at times resembles the Basil Fawlty of the Magic Circle, with his manic physicality and treating the audience with contempt! Blink is a subversive, clever and ultimately funny show, which uses a host of various techniques, that on paper could be too much, but are crafted in such a way that it’s throughly entertaining throughout. You are left wondering to very the end if Joz will manage to get everyone to blink at the same time and at the point we reach that moment, the odds aren’t looking good. Does he magic up the titular illusion? You’ll have to see the show for yourself to answer that!