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	C aquila (venue website) Theatre 15-30 Aug, 6:15pm (7:10pm)

Here’s a last-minute preview for a show opening tonight, up at C Aquila in the shadow of the Castle.  Stage magician Lewis Barlow won us over in 2009, putting on a low-key, charming, and hugely impressive show to a close-up audience; we could see his every move, but still couldn’t work out how on Earth the tricks were done.  This year, he’s back with a new act in a new venue, but his indisputable command of his craft will surely stay the same.

Barlow’s style may be understated, but its very simplicity is its strength.  The stripped-down presentation makes the most familiar tricks astonishing once again.  “There were no stunts or gimmicks to cover a quick dip into his pocket”, our reviewer wrote last year; “there was nothing up his sleeves, since he had them rolled up to his elbows.  I just have no idea how he did it all.”  But many of the tricks had intriguing twists, lifting them above the obvious and moving them into the realms of utter bamboozlement.

This year’s show is themed on the seven fundamental tricks which, according to Barlow, form the basis of all magic.  It’s an ambitious premise, and we’ll have to see how that goes; but in any case, we confidently predict this up-close show will be pleasingly befuddling once again.