Finally after a long wait, I was able to watch “West End Magic” while on tour. The show stars an ensemble including Wayne Trice as MC, along with Oliver Tabor and Vicky Butterfly. For this performance, we were lucky to see guest artist Chris Wilder also perform.
This show is the longest running West End Magic show and it also continues touring the country. Last year the show celebrated its tenth anniversary and they toured extensively to celebrate the achievement. With the tour continuing into 2024, these shows are a great opportunity for as many venues and audiences as possible to witness this amazing event.
Quite a few years ago I saw a Zoom performance of the show and since then I have seen Wayne and Oliver both perform and lecture to magicians. A bonus this time around was to see Oliver and Vicky performing together as “The Glamourists”.
The venue in Coventry was the Albany theatre. A packed theatre with many families taking children out for live theatre entertainment. And as Wayne comments during the show, he thanks the audience for the important job of helping to keep live entertainment going in our theatres. The team at this theatre were excellent with stewards and a technical team supporting good sound and lighting.
The show offers a variety of acts and comes in at around two hours 15 minutes including an interval. To avoid spoilers, I always attempt to keep actual details of sets minimal as the experience should be witnessed without prior knowledge of sets.
Wayne Trice is the MC of the show and makes many appearances, introducing acts and performing in his own right. A member of the prestigious Magic Circle, and an extremely funny and talented comedy magician, Wayne had the audience in stitches and gained a very enthusiastic response from all, with lots of laughs. Spot on comedy timing, gestures and ability to ad-lib while working the audience. He also has his own big magic act towards the end of the show that is both funny and amazing.
Oliver Tabor is a past President of the IBM* British Ring No.25 and also a member of The Magic Circle. Oliver is known for performing comedy magic to music silently. A FISM* European Champion of magic competition winner who is famed for working solo and with Vicky Butterfly as part of “The Glamourists”. Oliver is known for his classic magical performances with doves and I regular heard gasps of amazement from those nearby while he was on stage. His style is classic and old fashioned which gives you a taste of music hall. An act that is very relevant while unique in the magic space.
The doves, when they make an appearance, do tend to steal the show and are lovingly handled and looked after by Oliver and Vicky. An opportunity also arises when a young audience member is elevated to a star of the show when they also become a magician on stage.
Vicky Butterfly is famed for working not only with Oliver when performing as “The Glamourists” but in her own right as a burlesque performer and dancer. On the night acting not only as part of "The Glamourists" but also performing beautiful dancing as a butterfly with amazing LED illumination. Graceful and stylish, captivating the audience with her fashionable but vintage music hall glamour.
When Oliver and Vicky are performing together as "The Glamourists", they tend to perform big stage illusions to music and dreamlike presentation. Vicky is often seen appearing and disappearing throughout the show which leaves you wondering, "How is that possible?".
Our guest magician for the night was Chris Wilder. Chris is also very well known and hosts his own monthly shows in the Midlands called “The Curious Cabaret”. Chris has performed with just about any magician that you can think of while organising his successful monthly shows.
Chris had a couple of spots throughout the night and was very entertaining to watch. Also a member of The Magic Circle, Chris started his journey as a magician's assistant before becoming a teacher and eventually finding his way back into magic as a full time wizard!
Audience reaction to all tof he show was very positive. A lot of young magic fans in the audience were keen to get involved. Certainly they witnessed some very special magical performances that they will remember for a long time.
During the interval and after the show, merchandise and signed items were available to purchase. The team were also on hand to thank everyone for attending and to have any pictures taken at the end of the show.
If you would like to see the show, please visit the “West End Magic” website here. Five more shows are planned for this year (at time of writing) which also includes an appearance in October at the Leicester Square Theatre in the West End.
A must see experience to see these talented performers.
Wayne Trice here.
Oliver Tabor here.
Vicky Butterfly here.
The Glamourists here.
Chris Wilder here.
Merchandise
*FISM - Federation Internationale des Societes Magiques
*IBM - The International Brotherhood of Magicians
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