Fringe review: Dom Chambers – Magic Hunt
The magician delivers a slick, high-energy show packed with cheeky charm, rapid-fire tricks and baffling sleight of hand. ★★★★★
Some magicians rely on charm. Some rely on tricks. Dom Chambers rocks up with both, sleeves rolled up and a cheeky grin that says things are about to get a little bit loose. From the jump, Chambers grabs the room with razor-sharp wit and that unmistakable Australian charm. He’s a magician through and through, but with the energy of the mischievous uncle you were warned about at Christmas lunch, one who smuggled in a deck of cards, a questionable idea and a few tricks up his sleeve. Leaning gleefully into the naughty side of things, he keeps the audience laughing while quietly pulling the wool over everyone’s eyes. Blink and you’ll miss it. Look twice and you’ll still have no flaming idea how he did it.
Compared with his previous show, this feels properly levelled-up. The ideas are bigger, the set-ups wilder, and the confidence dialled all the way to full magician swagger. Tricks roll out one after another with seamless precision, no awkward gaps, no dead air, just bam, bam, bam. Before you know it you’re completely gobsmacked and wondering when he managed to pull that rabbit out of the Akubra.
Chambers’ stage presence is the real secret weapon. Relaxed, quick-witted, and perfectly in control of the room, he works the crowd like a seasoned pro while still letting the chaos dance around the edges. Just when you think you’ve clocked what’s going on, he flips the script faster than a deck of cards in a casino shuffle. There’s also a clear shape to the show. Story threads weave their way through the mayhem, tying the magic together while punchy music keeps the energy humming along like a well-oiled trick. By the final moments, you’re delighted, baffled, fairly certain you’ve just been spectacularly hoodwinked and loving every second of it. Five stars for a show full of misdirection, mischief, and magician’s mayhem.
Dom Chambers: Magic Hunt is playing at the Virago at Gluttony from February 19 – March 22
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