At this point, introducing Colin Cloud seems redundant. The Scottish self-proclaimed 'real-life Sherlock Holmes' has become a household name in recent years and is now a headline act in Las Vegas. It’s only fitting then that the rockstar of mentalism has the 1,000-seat Underbelly McEwan Hall as his residency for the Fringe.
With the typical patter you'd expect from a 7:20 pm show, Cloud combines showmanship theatricalities with personal stories of his childhood and his interest in magic. It turns out that small actions, events and decisions from his childhood have all culminated in him standing on this stage performing in the near-packed-out theatre.
Over the course of an hour, Colin amazed audiences with suggestion and manipulation. We saw him correctly guess iPhone lock screens, deduce favourite films and first kisses, and even perform the magician's staple: the pre-show prediction in a suspended envelope. All very smoothly delivered, with only one trick not working as intended.
Despite the seriously impressive nature of his acts, I do wonder whether Colin has tried to be too ambitious with the wraparound. The build-up to some of the feats felt convoluted, and bringing people up on stage to send them back to their seats to then later read their minds seemed a strange creative choice. The juxtaposition between magical feats and personal stories was good, but the transition between them didn't work for me. I suppose my quibbles are more around the dressing of the performance, the connective tissue between each act – but in the moment you almost certainly won't think about it.
At the end of the day, Colin Cloud is a household name for a reason – because he puts on a fantastic show. I can confirm that that's still the case with "Consequences", and you'll definitely have a great time.
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