Magicians, illusionists and the like have really had to up their game in recent years. Audiences still enjoy seeing a woman sawn in half and will always marvel at the street magician who can pick their one card out of a deck of 52, but it's much harder for the masters of the trade to maintain interest for longer than five minutes with audiences than it perhaps would have been a decade or two ago.
So for the six acts taking to the stage as part of new variety show Impossible, to entertain over almost two and a half hours should have been an 'impossible' feat, if you'll excuse the pun. Luckily, with their vibrant personalities and awe-inspiring tricks of the mind, body and spirit, they ensured everybody in attendance was left open-mouthed throughout the night.
Now saying too much about the specifics of what goes on in Impossible would ruin the element of surprise a bit, but if you are heading to a show you shouldn't be afraid of audience participation. There's a chance you'll be taking part in one of the tricks on stage and so you really just have to go along with whatever comes your way.
Various objects are flung around the audience to ensure that those who do go on stage aren't stooges or actors and this is perhaps most impressive during Ben Hart's trick involving electricity just before the show's interval. I'll give one word: teleportation.
Hart is a wonderful showman, able to embody a variety of different characters, making them all believable and showing off some creative and unique stunts. His interaction with the audience goes through the motions and he even takes time out to come into the stalls and bring the magic up close and personal for some lucky spectators.
Lee Thompson, the sleight of hand master brings comedy to the stage and in his first act shows just how easy it is to pick the pockets of somebody you've only just met. He's not afraid to poke fun at the audience and loves leaving people feeling on edge before hitting his big finales.
Similarly, Sue Perkins' twin, the mind-reading Chris Cox would not only delve deeply into the heads of those chosen from the audience via random selection, but reveal that he must have been working on their mind for some time in preparation for his big moments. Genuinely hilarious at times and in touch with exactly what it takes to tap into an audience and get them engaged. The charismatic youngster has a huge future ahead of him.
Josephine Lee, the show's grand illusionist is great at what she does. It would have been nice to see a little more from her in the show as she only appeared a couple of times, but when she did she was very impressive.
Bringing some dance to the stage as well as impressive street magic is Magical Bones AKA Richard Essien. Now working in the trade for over a decade he's a man who's honed his craft and fused his love for magic with hip-hop culture, culiminating in some fantastic results.
Finally, fan favourite Jonathan Goodwin calls himself The Daredevil, and it's easy to see why. Bending wrenches with his teeth and holding himself above a series of sharp spikes with just his jaw are some of the tamer stunts he attempts during the show. He puts his life (and sometimes the life of others!) on the line to entertain the audience and they were quite rightly extremely thankful for it.
It must also be said that the various people on hand to help out the performers, whether that be sitting in front of a board with a balloon on their head or chasing various people around the stalls with a camera, were utter professionals. The show couldn't have gone ahead without them.
If you're looking for something completely different to the stuff that's usually taken to theatre, Impossible has to be high on your list of things to go and see. There are only a few dates left in the UK, so make sure to act now if you're interested.
Impossible runs at the Palace Theatre, Manchester until March 26.