The Courtyard Theatre – until 18 November. Reviewed by Claire Roderick
4****
JN Maskelyne’s conviction that the spiritualists and mediums that were so popular in the Victorian era were fakes and fraudsters led to his becoming one of the most famous stage magicians of all time (and inventor of the pay toilet).
Writer Jarek Adams takes us from the very beginning of his career through to his death in a magical and entertaining production. We first see JN (Andrew Thorn) railing against the tricks of the Davenport brothers in their spiritualist demonstrations. JN convinces his friend George Cooke (Dave Short) to join him in demonstrating that everything the Davenports create can be done without any help from the spirits, using only stage magic. Their act is a success and soon Maskelyne is answering challenges and fighting court cases to debunk the spiritualist’s methods. Throughout all this, the shadow of family legend and rumours hovers over JN, with tales of a mysterious gentleman in black and a deal to obtain supernatural powers for the family complicating his claims of the non-existence of the supernatural. Adams personifies this myth with the mysterious gentleman constantly on stage watching JN. After Cook’s death, JN’s convictions seem to waver, with him constantly talking to George as his son Nevil (Josh Harper) proves to be sadly lacking in stage craft and JN becomes reliant on fellow magician David Devant for the success of his company.
The relationship between JN and George is beautifully written, with Short excelling in the frustrated but compliant friend struggling to keep JN’s ego in check. In the second act, Harper’s quiet and intense Nevil makes JN seem much more of a caricature without George’s influence, and Thorn’s reactions to Nevil reading the insults thrown at him are a joy to watch. As JN ages and events come to a head, his true feelings about the spirit world become more and more confused, and Adams makes no attempt to clear this up, which feels right as approaching death can make the strongest person search for any way out.
It is the relationships that make this play enchanting, showing the flawed Maskelyne at his best and worst with those he loved. The numerous magic tricks thrown in between scenes or carried out during long monologues are simple and pure – the lack of pyrotechnics making some of them even more mind-boggling than modern tricks. This is a magical gem of a show.