Skip to main content

Metaverse of Magic //JONES Theatrical Group & QPAC

 Review: METAVERSE OF MAGIC at Queensland Performing Arts Centre

Are you ready for a night of wonder, bewilderment and magic? Then look no further than the Metaverse of Magic playing at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre's Concert Hall until January 14, 2024!

This fantastic immersive production takes the audience on a journey through the Metaverse to face the four masters of illusion to unlock the magical relics. Led by Lenoxx (Ash Hodgkinson - Ash Magic) the audience must help Lenoxx escape the Metaverse by completing interactive challenges via a device. This one-of-a-kind production combines some of the most renowned illusionists and cutting-edge technology to create a fantastic theatre experience. 

Review: METAVERSE OF MAGIC at Queensland Performing Arts CentreHodgkinson is not only a great actor but is also a magician showing off their fantastic sleight of hand card tricks. Then enters the Legacy master, Charli Ashby, providing us a steampunk-inspired performance of old school (or legacy!) magic such as sawing people in half! Then came Horret Wu from Taiwan showcasing some incredible Wisdom in a display of sleight of hand changing their cards left right and centre! Then came the Creative master, providing a beautiful display of appearing magic with birds, umbrellas, and scarfs appearing from thin air. Rounding out the master of magic was Sabine Van Diemen as the master of Courage, van Diemen held the audience on the edge of their seats throughout their entire performance. Whether it was whipping a flower from Lennox's mouth or shooting a crossbow at someone's head by aiming through a mirror, van Diemen was a standout performer in this production and is a great asset to the magical world. 

Review: METAVERSE OF MAGIC at Queensland Performing Arts CentreHowever, the true power in this production came from Jarred Fell, a multi-talented magician providing the audience with the Late Night Metaverse Show Buffet which was just a cover for some hysterical comedy along with mind-boggling magic! They are an absolute master of distraction and you never know when the magic will begin!

This collective group of magicians inspired the audience many of whom were young theatergoers, initiating a love of magic and the theatre! In addition to the masters of illusions, we cannot forget the fantastic dancers and assistants providing a crucial service to this production. This ensemble included Bronte Carrington, Damon Wilson, Max Simmons & Mei Yamada. Rounding out this cast as a digital presence was Erin Bruce as DIGI, the AI assistant. Bruce played an integral role as the narrator and was impeccable in moving the story along.

However, the shining star of the production was the interactive portion designed by Simone Barker & George Kacevski. The audience was directed to help Lenoxx on their adventure by solving puzzles in real time to earn points and win some real-life prizes! The only downside to this production is that technology sometimes doesn't go to plan, especially with hundreds of people playing. Some people were unable to play or it was glitchy for them, however for those that it did work for it was an added delight for the production

Review: METAVERSE OF MAGIC at Queensland Performing Arts CentreDirected by Siobhan Ginty, each actor, assistant, and illusionist had worked hard to ensure the character that they were portraying was multifaceted and intriguing. The blocking of each magical act and script interlude was natural and simple helping to tell this story. Lighting and Video Design by Paul Collison was perfectly complementary to the production, particular attention has been paid to the incredible videography of the production which did not stop the entire way through. The lighting was as just as impressive utilsing colour at every turn, it felt like an 80s dance party if it was in 2024, just fantastic.

This production spectacularly outlines every aspect of magic and showcases all types of people from all walks of life proving everyone can believe in the power of magic. Whilst this production could be suited to younger viewers, it is just as spectacular for the adults in the audience. The Metaverse of Magic is a wonderful night out leaving you believing in the power of magic! 

Photography: Jeff Busby

Original Article

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Article: The Empire Young Artist showcase original production

The Empire’s youngest artists have kicked off rehearsals for their original production, Our Egg Named Larry to be performed from July 12-13. Now in its 14th year, the audition-based elite performance program IMPACT sees a Junior Ensemble cast of eight aged 13-14, dive into the funny, heartwarming and at times ridiculous story of a group of students who are assigned to a project to keep a fragile egg named Larry in one piece. An original theatre piece, Our Egg named Larry was written by The Empire Youth Arts Lead Grace Sankey and co-writer Sheldon Mcloughlin, with ensemble members to contribute to the script writing process, drawing on discoveries they make about their own characters as rehearsals continue. “This year’s Junior Ensemble has a mixture of experience levels with some members who have done this program before and some who will be going on stage for the very first time,” Miss Sankey said. “I am so grateful to be in the rehearsal room with these amazing young people, creating ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: Hair - Gold Coast Little Theatre

 Written by Mark Rickell   “Back in the late 1960s, the artists of off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway had been complaining that the professional theatre was dead, and even worse, that it was boring. Hair was the revolution they had been waiting for. With very little plot, a unit set, plenty of four-letter words, explicit sexual content, rituals, drugs, lyrics that didn’t rhyme, music that didn’t follow the rules, and the sound of genuine rock and roll on the Broadway stage for the first time, this musical knocked Broadway on its collective ass.” - Scott Miller, Rebels with Applause: Broadway's Ground-Breaking Musicals   Gold Coast Little Theatre has faithfully continued the tradition of knocking theatre on its ass. With themes and topics that remain just as relevant today as they did in 1967 at the show’s original release, GCLT has absolutely smashed this Broadway classic. At a time when theatres across South East Queensland seem to be falling back o...
2 comments
Read more

Review: Scenes From a Yellow Perril - The Reaction Theory & Queensland Theatre Door 3

Written by Grace Wilson The best kind of theatre is theatre that makes people question, reflect and consider how uncomfortable questions encourage people to act and change. There are not many theatre pieces out there that can make an audience consider whether to laugh or cringe, smile or grimace. However, The Reaction Theory’s ‘Scenes From a Yellow Peril’, as a part of Queensland Theatre’s Door 3 program, masterfully manipulates the uncomfortable with the comedic, the angry with the heartfelt, and asks the audience if uncomfortable questions are worth the discoveries that come with them. ‘Scenes From A Yellow Peril’ by Chinese-New Zealand writer and poet, Nathan Joe, can truly be described as poetry on stage, a turbulent experience of communication and heightened emotions. The audience is exposed to complexities and challenges of BIPOC communities across the world in a way that does not fit the traditional theatre mould. There is no way to predict what Joe writes next; each scene chops...
Post a Comment
Read more