Moments in Time - Melbourne Magic Festival 2018

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Thu 12 Jul 2018 - Sat 14 Jul 2018

Josh Stalely magically colours in an hour of time.

Magicians need a lot more than a few magic tricks up their sleeve to be successful. Charisma gets an audience's attention whilst comedic timing keeps even the highly sceptical hanging on every breath. Foremost, it is the talent to weave compelling stories that send all away with their own highly individual memory of the experience.

The slight of hand really comes in convincing people they are there to actually see anything at all. In actual fact, the entertainment hinges much more intrinsically in a narrative that builds expectation.

Moments In time self admittedly takes inspiration from Hitchcock. It successfully employs this director's powers of suspense and dramatic flair to effectively disorient and impress.

It is not the art of the impossible that lasts in mind. Back outside in the cold, the hour's events are a muddle of highlighted moments. It is just as your host has suggested they might be. Yellow bananas and lemons, hypnotising dizzying visions of shuffling playing cards and bizarre concepts of a balanced tower of everyday items. These form a muzzy dream. The sort you have at 4am, before waking up too hot.

As in a dream the only impressions that don't fade into an illogical jumble, are those that feature a personality. Josh Staley is a dynamic force, he stays in mind. You don't know what it was he did, just that you enjoyed having him tell you about it. It comes as no surprise to learn he has won an award in 2017 for 'Artistic Excellence' for he is indeed an artist of Illusion. It is all through the tell, not the show.



There is a very particular kind of crowd drawn to a magic show. Generally, they are there with thorough commitment to being amazed. Behind this rapt focus is the ulterior motive that perhaps if they keep their eye's glued, they will figure out the trick. Josh Staley has an honest face and straightforward style but he gives absolutely nothing away. You leave concluding he's either a genius of figuring out odds or the cards are all fixed. How that could be possible when everyone was given a great opportunity to see they were not for themselves. I will never know.



The mystery of the evening is set up by being led through a disorienting maze of a dimly lit corridor to The Melba Spiegle Tent 's 'Secret Room'. Josh makes an engaging entrance. He finds easy rapport with the audience and he weaves a good measure of wonder. Kids 10-12 may well catapult into a magic phase. Alternatively, their interest will be nurtured into a vocation.

It is the philosophical insight in Josh Staley's reasoning that means you take away more than a few magical moments. You tingle from sharing in moments Lady Chance has been excluded from. Josh Staley holds all the cards. There are more than enough to go round but he is the one confidently shuffling them.

This is a unique experience not to be missed. Check your illusions in at the door and just let the magic happen.

#collingwood
#family
#magic
#theatre
#july
!date 12/07/2018 -- 14/07/2018
%wnmelbourne