★★★★
For the first time ever, Australian audiences had the chance to bear witness to the mind-boggling mastery of Steven Frayne.
Thanks largely to the success of his own show Dynamo: Magician Impossible, the world has become familiar with Dynamo’s ability to shock and amaze.
Whether you’re one of the six million people who have seen the ‘God In Disguise’ video, in which Dynamo walks across the River Thames, or you stared at your TV in disbelief as he floated in front of the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, or you prefer seeing him trick and bewilder his famous friends like Noel Fielding, Travis Barker or Tinie Tempah, it’s easy to see why the Bradford-born magician has mass appeal.
Transforming the stage inside Sydney’s impressive Qudos Bank Arena into a giant IMAX screen gave the street magician extraordinaire the opportunity to showcase his grand-scale illusions such as levitation and mind reading, as well as his gamut of card tricks and sleight-of-hand – or “small, intimate miracles” – to the thousands of spectators who packed the venue.
Through the wonder of animation, we were transported back in time to where it all began for Dynamo, as a small boy being mercilessly bullied by kids on the Delph Hill estate in Yorkshire, where ball games were prohibited. The video chronicled his journey from being teased and pushed in the mud, to inventing his own games to keep himself amused, and to the time his beloved great-grandfather or ‘Gramps’ taught him to hone his skill for illusion to baffle the bullies, reinforcing his message that there’s a little magic inside everyone.
Whether you’re a sceptic or a believer, a Dynamo show is a truly uplifting and awe-inspiring experience. A must-see for every underdog.
Dynamo was reviewed at Qudos Bank Arena on Saturday November 5. His tour continues around Australia throughout November.
