All magic shows have an element of audience participation, even if limited to the basic invitation to pick and card, any card. Writer and performer Andrew Stannard’s The Death of Dr Black goes well beyond the basic approach by incorporating also aspects of immersive theatre and making the audience very much part of the show.
In character as a magician detective, Andrew Stannard asks the audience to help solve the case of Dr Black, murdered during his birthday party. A complication is, however, some patrons are actual suspects in the case and one is the murderer.
The show divides neatly into halves. In the first half, three suspects (a jealous professor, a burglar and a gambler) are identified and their possible motives outlined, and in the second half, the murderer identified. Naturally, the methods of interrogation all revolve around illusions performed in full view of the audience, such as ‘The Professor’ invited to demonstrate just how he solved a Rubik’s Cube with his hands behind his back.
Immersive theatre techniques are hit and miss, often overstaying their welcome. Stannard’s rapid approach ensures, however, there is no risk of the audience losing interest.
The illusions are very much old school. A trick apparently fails until a match is made with an object left, apparently innocently, with an audience member at the start of the show. In a variation on the ‘pick a card’ trick, a participant is asked to divide a pack of playing cards into red or black cards without looking at the pack and by picking them at random. The revelation as to why Stannard insists on crushing cups from which he has drunk is a real surprise.
Stannard’s stagecraft is meticulous, greeting the customers upon arrival and gathering brief autobiographical details to feed into the act. It is always fun to see illusions staged in an intimate setting as there is greater potential, being close to the action, to spot how the trick is performed.
The greatest success of The Death of Dr Black is, however, subtlety. It takes some time to notice, but Stannard does not actually perform many of the illusions. He stands onstage chatting to the audience while giving instructions to volunteers who then, somehow, manage to perform magic without his direct involvement. Not much point trying to see if Stannard has anything concealed up his sleeve if someone else is doing all the work. The only point at which the subtle method works against the show is the conclusion. The final trick is clever but low-key; perhaps a touch more showbiz razzle-dazzle might have been more appropriate for an ending.
The imaginative approach of The Death of Dr Black brings a fresh and engaging outlook to the genres of magic and immersive theatre.