⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and a half.
Charlie Caper is no amateur. He is an award winning magician who also happens to be a Sweden’s Got Talent winner. So we know we’re in for a good time.
However, Caper ALSO happens to be a robotics expert. He’s Chief Creative Officer at Furhat Robotics, which is focused on creating humanoid robots with human level conversational and social skills. So why not blend his two lives to create a unique magic show?
Robot Magic incorporates technology and old school magic to create a quirky hour of entertainment.
I was expecting the show to be a bit more robotics heavy, based on the name. However, interspersing technology with the classics worked well. After all, we are becoming increasingly reliant on AI. It is easy to tell ourselves that scientific advancement is not magic.
By injecting sleight of hand into his routine, Caper keeps his audience in a state of wide-eyed wonder. My plus one and I were amazed by his various tricks. I am tempted to go back to watch Robot Magic just to try and catch him out!
This is Robot Magic’s world premiere. I attended the fourth show in the Fringe run so it is, understandably, a little rough around the edges. The show felt disjointed in the beginning, with what felt like slightly awkward pauses between tricks. Caper does find his groove before the halfway mark, so perhaps it’s a case of first run jitters. I had a sneaky peek at his previous routines on YouTube and based on the smooth delivery of those, it is likely that Robot Magic will be polished over the remainder of its run.
It is a shame that this show is on at 9.20pm. I reckon that this would be a hit with the Transformers/Gundam/robots obsessed kids! Every time a droid came out to play, I found myself wishing that my six year old was with me instead of curled up in bed at home. While my son may not be able to last till that late, I would encourage parents to take advantage of the school holidays to treat their older kids to an after dinner, kid-friendly show.
Robot Magic is on every day (except Mondays and Tuesdays) throughout Fringe…. catch it while you can!