Fringe children's show review: Magic Gareth - Live in Your Living Room

Gareth White – aka Magic Gareth – has successfully reinvented himself as an online act, writes Kelly Apter

Magic Gareth: A Natural Showman

Children’s Show: Magic Gareth – Live in Your Living Room ****

Whole articles have been written about how tiring Zoom can be – so hats off to Gareth White (aka Magic Gareth) for flooding our living rooms with energy via the computer screen. Ordinarily, White would deliver his show in person, wowing families with his close-up magic. But, having recognised that online will be the preferred platform for some time, he’s reinvented himself.

Since April, Magic Gareth has performed over 300 virtual shows, bringing much-needed joy to locked-down parties. Some of that joy is generated by children enjoying a shared experience in one "room” – and much the same can be said for this show.We’re asked to consider keeping our cameras on, and while there’s no pressure to do so, a definite spark comes from seeing other families react and interact. White is a natural showman, boisterousness and fun yet warm and friendly when eliciting help with a trick.

The tricks themselves, like all the best magic, fall largely into the “how on earth did he do that?” category. Items appear, disappear or change colour and some clever mind-reading takes place. Magic that goes “wrong” leads to great call-backs later, and the whole thing is neatly wrapped up before anyone can fall foul of Zoom fatigue. Kelly Apter

Until 9 August, see www.magicgareth.co.uk/live2020

A message from the Editor

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to scotsman.com and enjoy unlimited access to Scottish news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.scotsman.com/subscriptions now to sign up.

Joy Yates

Editorial Director