Review by Hunter King

Fringe alumni David Alnwick has returned to Edinburgh this holiday season to mix his signature spooky vibes with a story that was originally written by one of the most iconic holiday storytellers of all time: Charles Dickens. Admittedly, I was excited to once again venture deep into the bowels of The Banshee Labyrinth after having not been in quite some time. The room was pumped with haze and had the mysterious atmosphere nailed down prior to the actual production.

As the performance started, I was reminded quickly of the welcoming informality of the Fringe. I’m not sure how much time was spent preparing the technical elements of the show, but it was admittedly a bit of a rough start when Alnwick fiddled with his microphone without muting it, shocking the crowd with a noise that could wake the dead. Alnwick started the night with a bit of context about himself and his show before turning to some magic to really draw the audience in. While Alnwick is a very strong presenter and has a natural charisma, unfortunately, several of the magic tricks were easy to see from the front of the audience.

At this point, I do feel it important to mention the conundrum that I have run into writing this section of the review; being that not spoil the tricks for those who may not have seen and want to maintain a sense of wonder, but if I were to not mention any sort of justification, I would sound like a phony who thinks he knows how the tricks are done. Therefore, my goal is to be a bit cryptic as I describe these illusions.

Alnwick starts with what is perhaps his weakest trick, making a lit match disappear. Unfortunately, this illusion has made its way into common knowledge and doesn’t quite hold the sense of mysticism that it once did. The next trick was a classic card trick, asking the audience to pick cards and then Alnwick would find them in the deck using a seemingly empty glass as a way to showcase that he was not using sleight of hand. While Alnwick showed the audience the faces of all of the cards, I fear he should’ve taken his own advice for the following trick, holding his cards close to his chest, as the faces of the cards were fine to see, but other elements were more revealing. 

Not every trick was obvious, though; I was genuinely impressed with some elements, such as the trick where he was able to figure out questions that were seemingly randomised and given to audience members. Alnwick’s magic works the same as any other magic show; when the illusion works, it does feel mystical. 

From here, Alnwick begins to tell the story that we’ve been waiting for. The lights adjust for dramatic effect, and he sets up his notebook with the story in front of him. While the more Dickensian language added an authentic flair to the story, it also made it so it was possible to get lost in it. Luckily, Alnwick is able to use his natural storytelling capabilities to maintain the audience’s attention through pure charisma. 

I am surprised that the magic act and the story were so separate from each other. The two elements of the show feel disconnected, despite having a throughline regarding Dickens as an illusionist and storyteller. The performance would have felt much stronger if the elements were more blended, as it is quite easy to find a magic show or a storytelling event in Edinburgh, but difficult to find one that combines these elements seamlessly. Alnwick has been doing this for quite some time, but I think this specific performance could use a bit more fine-tuning to make it feel more in sync and polished: fine-tuning is all it would take, as Alnwick clearly has the showmanship to successfully make this show very impressive in the future.

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