Before he took to the stage, the audience were first asked to select cards (were they Believers or Non-Believers?) and then tasked with writing an obscure yet personal word on a card that was placed in a box which was soon hoisted into the air. Kevin then appeared to explain that the purpose of this performance was to convert the Non-Believers, which he attempted by a succession of stunts that required unreliable playing cards, levitating fake cash, and much more.
After choosing a punter to assist with explaining (and then amusingly reversing and re-reversing) the old ‘Three Card Monte’ scam, Kevin mentioned what the business with the mysterious words was all about, and how he was going to somehow list them all. And he did. And he said it was magic but, whether it was managed by some sneakiness involving hidden cameras, or whatever, this was still an extraordinarily cool trick indeed.
Eventually, the show is capped off with a quite moving finale that satisfyingly combines further card trickery with autobiographical detail and a touch of existentialism, and you’re left feeling very glad that KQ was wooed away from physics and academia.
And maybe – MAYBE – his show doesn’t, in fact, feature magic… but almost, aye!
Kevin Quantum: Unbelievable Magic For Non-Believers is at The Roundhouse at The Garden of Unearthly Delights until 23 March. Get tickets here.
