Drew Magic presents - 10/10 Best Fringe Magic

Magic on the Edge - part Deux/
The Mystery of Magic

Well, our first foray into the Adelaide Fringe went so well that we decided to do it again!

We had a slight change of line-up due to some of our number choosing to spin up their own shows (truthfully, that was part of the objective of the line-up style in the first place) and preserved the same basic concept.

Magic on the Edge - The Impossible becomes Reality"

By now, many of us had decided to do our own shows and we were down to a duet.

The best part was doing the duet with Daniel, as his debut into the Adelaide Fringe at 14 years old, and launch of his performing experiences.

Life

Ok, now I have officially run out of co-performers to partner with because we did such a good job at the intern-concept that they all have their own Adelaide Fringe seasons. As of this year, I started running my own solo shows.

My personal preferred style is to have a story, or a main theme to the show that the tricks follow along.

This show was all about the typical phases of life we pass through - Childhood at school; Teenage first love; Leaving home and adulting; Middle Age; and Retirement as a grey nomad.

The point was, we are all in this togerther and we need to look after each other on the way.

Success

The inspiration for this show came to me as I was recovering from a general anasthaetic for a small operation!

We all go through a process when we get a new idea, start a new project, or even getting up on Monday!

The typical success curve starts with a sense of excitement with a new idea, followed by the discovery that it is potentially much harder than we initially thought - bordering on giving up. However, with suitable support and perseverance, we can succeed and end up celebrating the sense of achievement.

This show also included sharing a small part of my own mental health journey and how my faith, family, and friends were instrumental in getting me back on track. It was performed again as part of Mental Health Month and featured in a youth conference in Tumby Bay.

A Taste of Magic

A close-up magic show combined with a meal. Fantastic for families or groups.

We started at Boomers on the Beach, moved to the Second Bite Cafe, Cafe on the Square, and King William Hotel. This concept has actually been running in parallel to my other shows for a number of years. It serves as an event of its own but also privdes an opportunity for Fringe magicians to showcase their own shows in a relaxed and personal environment.

It has been a very successful show concept despite all the venues we used having been shut down sometime after our season!

Family

The worst of Covid-19 had passed by and it was time to get back to my favourite style of presenting - with a theme.

Family is core to helping us learn and cope with all the challenges we meet in the world.

A montage of effects represented all the quirky characters we all have in some corner of our family - the rich Uncle, annoying older sister, cute younger sibling, pets and Grandmas.

I am very thankful for the continuing support and encouragement from my family as I go through the annual cycle of creative exploration and journey again thorugh the success curve for another new show!

Unpredicatable Magic

Another of my favourite seasons in the Adelaide Fringe. The most special of all because, in this show, I got to perform alongside my youngest son in his Adelaide Fringe debut season at only 16 years old. He's a juggler. Additionally, he also ran his own solo full-length juggling show that year called "Unpredictable".

He's now gone on and achieved his goal of working full-time in a travelling trad Circus. You may have picked up that I'm just a bit proud of him for following his dreams and absolutely crushing it.

Magic Inc

Magic Inc was a single show hosted as part of the season hosted by the Inc Cafe on the grounds of Minda Inc in North Brighton. Their plan was to make an enjoyable day where people could come for lunch, see a show and play on the grounds afterwards.

Funny story - this performance was on the hottest day of summer that year. It was 46DegC and we were scheduled for a midday show. You could feel yourself toasting in the sun it was so hot!
I start the show, and just after I had welcomed everyone, the lights went out. I paused for a second or two and they came back on. Magic!! On with the show. But alas, a minute later, the power went off - for good. Fortunately, I had battery backup for my sound tech and we could continue the show as there were suitably placed windows in the room for light.

We were able to comfortably do the show but the room was warming up. Sadly, due to the power failure, the fridges and cooking services were all off and there was no lunch or playing in the park to be had that day.

However, if you get a chance, please visit. They have a lovely cafe and beautiful grounds open to the public.

Stop and Smell the Roses

OMG! who doesn't need to thear this right now? Coming off the back of a high pressure job, I received the tip for inspiration for this show from a very hardworking friend of mine, Darren at Kytons Bakery.

A fun and relaxed exploration of the beautiful and enjoyable things in life. Effects ranged from the joy of children playing with bubbles through to collecting quirky and amazing souveniers whilst travelling.

A show which serves as a valuable reminder to stop, take a deep breath, and see the beautiful parts of creation that are around us everyday.