Soldier of Illusion Wizard lets the magic do the talking
Richard Jones: Soldier of Illusion at the Albany Theatre, one night only, 1 February 2025. See more tour dates on link below.
Review by Annette Kinsella.
Magic and the military may seem unlikely bedfellows. When I think of a military man, I think of a gruff stiff-upper-lip type, probably based on Paul McCartney in his Pipes of Peace video. And a magician conjures up – arf! See what I did there?! – Paul Daniels. One figure rooted in practicality, one in showmanship, and never the twain shall meet. Until now, in the Richard Jones: Soldier of Illusion show at the Albany Theatre on February 1.
And what a show it was. The former British Army lance corporal, who won Britain’s Got Talent in 2016, makes no secret of his military background. During the show, he describes how he first took up magic to ingratiate himself into a new regiment, pulling off a card trick by sheer fluke. But his impromptu performance left his colleagues wanting more, so he learned new tricks to expand his repertoire – and his career was born.
Jones’ military leanings are reflected in his stagecraft, which eschews showy glitz and glamour in favour of a traditional, minimalist approach, leaving his magic to make all the impact. Rightly so, as the quality of the tricks needed no enhancement. On one occasion a wedding ring belonging to an audience member mysteriously travelled from a shoelace to a box, on another a balloon tossed from person to person contained a lottery ticket with numbers shouted at random. The only nod to modernity was a large screen to ensure that all viewers had a clear sight of his hands as he performed close-up magic.
One particularly astonishing stunt saw audience members contributing digits to make up a phone number, which Jones duly dialled. The recipient was asked to name a celebrity at random – incredibly matching an answer given by another audience member earlier. Open mouths all round.
Overall, this show was slick and polished but retained the same air of intimacy which fuelled Jones’ original interest in magic. A world away from some modern entertainers who hide their personas behind masks and dry ice, this was a refreshing hark back to a world where performers let their magic do the talking.
See Soldier of Illusion on tour: https://www.richardjonesmagic.co.uk/tour-dates
