Inside the mirror-lined Palais du Variété at Assembly George Square Gardens, magician Ben Hart faces an immediate physical test. Performing on a modest central plinth inside the tent, he operates in a setup where the audience encircles him completely, with reflective glass exposing every angle behind his back.
Ben Hart combines harsh lighting, atmospheric storytelling, and visual shadow play in this mixed bag of tricks. The groundwork starts from the beginning, small card tricks and captivating phrases entangling the audience into what appears as honesty a bit of a mess.
The show starts like the majority of magic shows, with a magician on a stage with a magic box but this time instead of the usual rabbit, a piece of red string. He starts with what appears to be simple magic tricks such as the string untying itself, but it soon becomes the tether for the entire show.
This striking red thread runs through the performance, drawing on classic mythology. The visual representation of the Greek myth of Adrien’s thread anchors Hart’s central question: do the small, casual decisions we make in everyday life actual effect where we end up?
In the end the string straightens itself into a conclusion, that we, the audience, are building the structure of the Labyrinth ourselves through our choices we have made during the performance.
Overall, Ben Hart: The Labyrinth is a beautifully clever hour of magic that still manages to impress despite its challenging environment.
Molly Reay
Ben Hart: Labyrinth, 18:30, Palais du Variete at Assembly George Square Gardens, 5th – 30th (not the 17th)
https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/ben-hart-the-labyrinth
