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Fresh from their 25 show run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival Young and Strange entertained a packed house at The Corn Exchange Theatre in Wallingford, supported by Noel Britten who compered the show.

Those at the HCMS Annual Dinner in May will remember Richard Young and Sam Strange entertained the audience that evening with a 20 minute illusion show, but this was their full evening show, and featured many illusions that just would not have fitted into Sand Martins Golf Club.

The show started with a box on a table in the centre of the stage being raised on a rope to the roof of the stage before Richard and Sam entered from the rear of the theatre, to the delight of the enthusiastic crowd.

They opened with their silk to egg trick in which they have choreographed their actions so their movements are in sync with each other and the music.  As well as other smaller effects, there was also mentalism, manipulation, comedy and large scale illusions.

I won’t go into detail what the effects were as that would spoil the show, however it’s fair to say that Young and Strange have an impressive selection of illusions that many magicians would be envious of, and the illusions are of the sort you would expect from a top act working on cruise-ships or regularly working in the corporate sector.

As with many magic acts spectators were called upon to help, whether they just had to participate from the comfort of their seat (and there was a point where the whole audience had to follow Richard’s lead) or to accompany them on stage, they were also treated well and looked comfortable.  No doubt their time spent at Edinburgh gave them confidence to handle spectators with ease.

Richard and Sam used plenty of music in the show, and took full advantage of the theatre’s lighting to great effect.  With respect to some of the larger illusions I felt they were dealt with quite quickly, the stage-time seemed slightly disproportional to the scale of the illusion.  Perhaps Young and Strange deliberately wanted to keep it this way to ensure the pace of the show was kept high.

Through-out the show Noel Britten would also entertain.  To say he compered isn’t strictly accurate, but as a rough guide he came on twice each half, doing one trick for every two shown by Young and Strange.

Having only seen Noel perform when he lectured at HCMS last year it was interesting to see him in action.  It is obvious his routines have been honed over many performances, and also his experience of working in comedy clubs shone through when he worked with the audience, keeping the audience attention fixed firmly on himself.

It would be fair to say the show had a few minor hitches but these were mainly out the control of the performers (like the microphones not being turned up for the first minute of the second half), but this did not impair the show and are unlikely to be remembered by the audience.  There was one item in particular that Sam no doubt was kicking himself over but I doubt the lay-public even noticed.

The show finale was spectacular (it was a twist on the effect they performed on “Penn and Teller: Fool Us”) and brought gasps and applause from the audience.

Overall the show was very well put together and was thoroughly enjoyed by the audience.  It was interesting hearing snippets of conversations on the way out, all of which were positive, with many wondering just how the miracles were achieved, and the professionalism of Young, Strange and Britten.

Young and Strange’s show is breathing new life into the magic illusion show and no doubt they will continue filling the seats at larger and larger theatres.