★★★★★
This year marks 10 years at the Fringe for magician Pete Firman. He's performed every single year since 2007 and TriX is a mixture of previous tricks from the last decade as well as some new ones.
Most magicians try to be funny, where as Pete Firman is a genuinely funny. This year's show is littered full of one-liners and innuendos but never at the expense of the magic, which is just as mind-blowing as ever.
His show involves a lot of audience interaction, so his ability to make an audience laugh really helps when he asks the audience to lending him their wedding ring or hand over one of their shoes for him to then cook a cake in!
Not to mention a specatular finale which is a brand new joke, totally dependent on what the audience offer him.
I still don't understand magic. I enjoy it. I love watching it, but it freaks me out and frustrates me - How does he do that? Where did that go? That's impossible! - Just some of the things I was asking during and after the show.
Pete is an incredible magician, I have no idea how he does what he does, and neither do I want to know. He is one of the most exciting, captivating performers at the Fringe and certainly at the top of his game when it comes to magic.
When I interviewed Pete ahead of this year's Fringe, he told me that he hasn't decided yet whether he's going to return to the Fringe next year.
He told me "I’m half thinking that I might take a break from it. I’ve done ten years, maybe I should recharge, take stock and maybe come back in a couple of years time or something" - Having entertained audiences at the Fringe for ten years, and me for two, I can't imagine a Fringe without Pete Firman.
But I can't be selfish. Coming up with a new show ever year that is bigger and better than the last can't be easy so Pete deserves a bit of a rest... as long as he returns!