Showing @ Scottish Storytelling Centre, Edinburgh until Fri 05 Jul
If the fable is to be believed, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was for a period, good pals with Harry Houdini. An odd pairing and one which didn’t last long; Conan Doyle was so upset by Houdini’s insistence of the falsity of the supernatural that they suffered a bitter fall out and never spoke again. In the contemporary world of stem cell research and Higg’s boson detectors, such faith in all things magical and mysterious is a rarity. Somewhere close to home however, a man named Luke Jermay is doing his best to invigorate the imaginations of world-weary cynics.
Part of the fourth Edinburgh International Magic Festival, Luke Jermay (official title: mentalist) has advised big-name illusionists such as Derren Brown and Criss Angel in the creation of mind-magic tricks. Much of his act plays upon slivers of doubt that lie deep within the brains of even the most rational thinkers; revealing intimate details of his audience members, from the names of long forgotten childhood friends to embarrassing stories of drunken high-jinks and everything in between.
Jermay’s style is nothing short of theatrical and there’s no doubt his feats are impressive, his astounding accuracy delivered alternately with lightning speed or deliberate suspense. Somehow drawing vivid images, sounds and words from the collective grey matter, Jermay almost creates the feeling of many minds acting as one, sparking old memories and new ideas. Even if the magic doesn’t win you over, good humour and an amusing collection of stories certainly will. And if you happen to be more of a Conan Doyle, you’ll feel happy in that you were right all along.
Showing as part of the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2013