Review by Tatum Stafford
A fan favourite at Perth Fringe World, Charlie Caper is back and techier than ever with his brand-new show, ‘Robot Magic’, this Fringe season.
On in a slightly later time slot than usual, ‘Robot Magic’ is a celebration of all of the weird, wonderful and wow-inducing aspects of technology, and how they can intertwine with the world of magic and illusion.
The show is jam-packed with illusions, both technology-inspired and more practical in nature. The ‘tech’ tricks included work with a robot dog, which was super entertaining and is often seen walking around the Pleasure Garden with ‘owner’ Charlie a few steps behind.
Other techy tricks included a small robot version of Charlie, who aided in some deceptive ribbon and ring appearings and disappearings, and a mechanical ‘eye’ that managed to fly around the room under a blanket handled by Charlie.
However, the real magic lay in Charlie’s practical magic, which he has clearly been mastering for decades. A trick with a bottle (or many, many bottles) and cups was the show’s finale. Though it’s a trick I saw him perform years ago in a different tent, it was still thrilling and wowed the crowd. He also completed a series of classic card and disappearing item tricks that were crowd pleasers.
Shout-out to his ‘robot’ assistant for the show who completed a super impressive trick involving a Rubix cube, some audience participation, and uncanny tile flipping that revealed an incredible result.
A previous Sweden’s Got Talent winner, Charlie is ever the showman, and exhibits a charming flair with every masterful trick he completes. He is very funny and interactions with the audience are handled with a smile and a lot of admiration from audience members. The intimate tent is the perfect venue for the show, and offer everyone the chance to see his work up close and personal.
I’d highly recommend grabbing a ticket to his show for some wholesome yet super impressive magic to cap off your night at the festival. You won’t be disappointed!
