What is manipulation? “Lying, cheating, stealing, swindling,” claims Simon Coronel, one half of illusionist duo The Manipulators. On the other hand, his counterpart Vyom Sharma says that manipulation can be beautiful; a singer manipulates sound and a painter ink. The Manipulators take this concept and, using a mixture of anecdotes and explanation, examine which version is true. The staging is excellent – very slick and mysterious. Impressively, the whole act is carried out with sleeves rolled up to give it an added dimension of difficulty. Unfortunately, aside from the Derren Brown-esque concluding illusion, the rest feels like we’ve seen it before: coins disappearing into handkerchiefs. The showmanship is definitely there, but the act itself needs a little work.
The Spaces at Surgeon’s Hall, 12 – 27 Aug (not 15, 16, 22, 23), 8.35pm (9.25pm), £5.00 – £12.00, fpp278.
tw rating 3/5
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Sections: by Anna McDonald - ED2011 Theatre Reviews - tw rating 3/5 | Tags: Space Venues
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