Sian Alexander is an accomplished magician, illusionist and a compelling storyteller. He calls himself the ‘confusionist’.
His latest show 1 Moment in Time explores that particular moment that we remember, whether it be where we were during the world events such as the moon landing or when the Twin Towers were attacked in 9/11.
He asks us to also think of the more personal moments that have affected us: perhaps the birth of a baby? He poses the question: are these moments coincidence or fate?
To illustrate this, Alexander tells the story of 10-year-old Laura Buxton, who released a balloon with her contact details and asking the finder to return it. Landing 140 miles away in a field, a young girl found it—her name was also Laura Buxton. The girls met and discovered they were the same height, were fair-haired and the same coloured eyes, and both had worn jeans and pink tops to their meeting. How bizarre; as he says, “things happen for a reason.”
The magic is spellbinding. An audience member selects a famous person’s name from a book whilst Alexander is deftly cutting and a paper finally revealing a drawing of the person chosen.
There are so many impressive illusions, each one garnering gasps and applause from the audience who were eager to volunteer to assist him. You really had to marvel at Alexander’s dexterity and talent.
Of course, there are card tricks, but these are completely astonishing. “Believe in your instinct,” he tells a volunteer with surprising results.
A padlocked memory box reveals its contents when important numbers such as the time you were born, the date and month are suggested, and miraculously they are the padlock’s combination.
Borrowing a ring brings another incredible routine where it disappears and is eventually found in an egg timer. It’s truly mind-boggling.
The music that accompanies the show is both dramatic and moving, and, as we learn a little of his personal life and family, a video plays whose content is truly miraculous. We are left with the reminder that "magic is all around us; you just need to look for it."
This is an intriguing hour that leaves you questioning how on earth did he do that? This should certainly be on your ‘must see list’.