Forks will bend, Doritos will levitate and pineapples will materialize out of thin air; no laws of the known universe are left unbroken in Afflicted Magic, the captivating Fringe show by American master magicians Richard Kwesell and Nicholas Tweedy.

In what is touted as their first show together in nearly a decade, Kwesell and Tweedy would rival Penn and Teller for the title of ‘unlikeliest duo in magic’. Kwesell, a 7-foot monolith of a man, could barely stand on stage without hitting his head, while Tweedy, significantly shorter and sporting a braided beard, looked as if he’d sailed all the way from Middle Earth to be there. If nothing else, what they clearly have in common is their immense illusionary ability, deploying some of the best misdirection and sleight of hand you’ll never see. Just try and catch these guys in the act…you’d sooner win the lottery.

One thing these two magicians couldn’t manipulate was time, as their show, fittingly located at Adelaide’s psychedelic Cavern Club, started over 30 minutes late. Once their act began, however, time flew by as the Kwesell and Tweedy charmed the audience with their laid-back, unshowy approach to stage magic. Audience participation is incorporated into almost every trick, so be wary should you choose to sit in the front row. That said, the two tend to laugh with their audience and not at them, which goes a long way in assuring the confidence of those being pulled up on stage. For better or worse, this isn’t the offensive magic show the Fringe blurb suggested. In truth, this is family friendly entertainment.

To nitpick, there were a few occasions where the build-up to a trick felt overly drawn out — the kind of prolonged pattering often employed by street magicians to draw in a bigger crowd — but the payoff was usually worth the wait. Furthermore, magic aficionados like myself will likely have seen a number of these illusions performed before, such as the oldest trick in the book, the cups and balls. But take it from me; you’ve never seen it performed as capably, and spectacularly, as Richard Kwesell does here. Gifted with extremely large hands, Kwesell could sneak an elephant underneath a cup without you raising an eyebrow.

In true American spirit, Kwesell and Tweedy have supersized their show for the Adelaide Fringe, essentially offering two magic acts for the price of one. As long as you’ve got nowhere to be in the morning, be sure to stick around after main show has concluded — which already clocks in at a generous 90 minutes – as the two move freely about the Cavern Club to perform some excellent examples of close-up magic. It’s here where Tweedy displayed his remarkable spoon bending ability, which saw sceptics in the audience double-take as they searched, hopelessly, for a logical answer to the question “how the hell did he do that?”

[review originally written for Buzzcuts]

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Presented by Nicholas Tweedy

The Cavern Club

March 12-14

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