Paul Wilson: Fringe 2012
Live Review
Zoo

Paul Wilson is world-class magician, and one of the presenters of The Real Hustle. This show claims he will show you how con games work, perform impossible feats of skill, and reveal his weapons of mass deception.

He's pitched as a raconteur, and with 'confessions of a real hustler' in the title you'd expect well… confessions of a real hustler. Let's be clear: there are no confessions, and anyone expecting to learn the art of the con or anecdotes from Wilson's illustrious career will leave sorely disappointed.

This is a plain old magic show, and while Wilson is charismatic when describing the tricks and short descriptions of their history and originators, there's nothing personal and definitely nothing that could be called a confession, unless you're fluent in estate agent.

The magic itself is excellent, with baffling card tricks and audience members invited to the stage to be 'marks'. The tricks are limited to close-up magic with cards, coins, and the classic three-shells game. The three shells also gets the Derren Brown treatment, giving a psychological aspect with an audience member attempting to guess which shell the pea is under for real money. It's dressed up like a con, and in a way it is, but it feels too much like attempting to put a new hat on an old trick.

Wilson lives up to his reputation as a sleight of hand expert; however, there's nothing new and Wilson's hands do the majority of the talking. Fans of close-up magic are in for a treat, but given the name attached, it's incredibly low-key and though highly skilled, feels underwhelming.

It's a shame there wasn't more meat or any insight into Paul Wilson the man. The confidence trickster element feels tacked on, and disingenuously riding on The Real Hustle’s reputation, which is never mentioned in the actual show.

The bait-and-switch misrepresentation will mar this  for some, but if treated as just a magic show then it's very entertaining. Wilson is clearly a master card magician, performing incredible feats. If only it was advertised that way…