Imaginings in the Dark

I am a big fan of magic, and I don't mean the Disney kind or the Wiccan kind or anything along those lines. I mean sleights of hand, illusion, mentalism and tricks. I find them both fun and fascinating. and I find them to be even more so when the person performing them throws his heart and soul into them so that they are not only good, but reflect the personality of the person performing them. That is probably why I love Stuart Lightbody's shows so much.


Last year I went to see Stuperstition, which ended up winning a Standard Bank Silver Ovation Award, and absolutely loved it! So when Stuart returned to town with another show in his box of tricks, we knew that we were going to have to see it! With all of his shows booking up fast, we decided to book our tickets nice and early, and I'm glad that we did. This show was no exception and there were crowds lining up half an hour before the show even started. There could be no personal greeting upon entrance this time around as the door was stampeded with people trying to get good seats. If Stuart had tried to greet each person with a handshake as he did at the show last year, he would have been crushed by the crowds.


The show itself is a little darker in nature than Stuperstition as the name might imply. It's not that the magic itself is dark or that the humour is dark or that there is less of it, but it is a more thoughtful show and more serious in nature I found. Which, I might add, I see as a good thing. Before the show even starts, each audience member is handed an inkblot picture, and it sets the mood for the show as people discussed what it was they were seeing while waiting for the masses to settle. Throughout the show, the audience is invited and encouraged to consider what is happening before them, to question and, most of all to think.

While the theme of Stuperstition revolves around superstitions and mentalism and Stuart educating the audience on how these things can be done, Dark Imaginings makes more use of the mentalism and slights of hand and becomes less educational and more demonstrative in its nature. It makes for a great show! Stuart is hilarious as always, entertaining as always and brilliant as ever. He works his charms on the audience and enraptures them. Gasps of amazement and wonder were heard more than once and even skeptics found themselves challenging their views.

I would highly recommend seeing at least one of Stuart's shows at this year's festival, but if possible I would recommend seeing them both. There is little similarity between them and I know that I would see them both again in a heartbeat.

Stu-pendous

The promotional poster for Stuart Lightbody's show, Stuperstition.

Stuart Lightbody is no stranger to Grahamstown. He has been doing shows at the National Arts Festival for years, and Grant has been at every one. Ever since Stuart dazzled Grant with his street magic at the Rat on one of his nights out, Grant has been hooked, and it is the only show that he pre=booked for this year's festival.

When Grant found out that Natasha not only knows Stuart, but that he has lived with two of her brothers, the first thought that popped into his mind was of one of Natasha's brothers waking up, making himself some breakfast, looking down at his plate as he sat down to eat and then looking at Stuart with a knowing glare.
"What's in your pocket?" Stuart asks with a grin on his face.
Natasha's brother looks down at his shirt pocket to find his fluffy, soggy scrambled eggs squashed in there.
Needless to say, I found this scenario both entirely humorous and entirely unlikely. But nevertheless, Stuart's show was one that we had to go to, even more so because Natasha knew him personally.

As we entered the small room that housed Stuperstitious, Stuart welcomed us one at a time, shaking our hands, greeting us with a smile. It was a personal touch, and the first I had seen at Fest. Once everyone was seated, the show began with Stuart's own death-defying stunt. I won't explain what it involved, not wanting to ruin the fun for anyone who would see the show, but let's just say that it was on par with other death-defying stunts like the bullet catch.

From card tricks to slights of hand, Stuart entertained the crowd while explaining his stance on superstitions. Unlike many of the magicians that perform magic shows, Stuart does not pretend to have supernatural powers, and everyone in the audience knows that there is something going on behind the scenes. There is no denying it. Instead of trying to deny it, Stuart tries to explain some of it - how magicians (and psychics and mentalists) manage to fool people into believing that what they do is real magic. However, this does not make his tricks any less interesting, fun or exciting and his showmanship is what makes the show.

The tricks are impressive, the magician hilarious and overall, Stuperstitious is a show that everyone should see. Fun, funny and family friendly, I can't think of a single person who might dislike the show. Except John Edwards perhaps. But who cares about him!