One of the things you can say with confidence about The Unbelievables is that it definitely does what it says on the box. Over the course of the show, the audience are privileged to watch a group of performers at the top of their game.
For the most part, it’s less a question of mystery (of how they do it) and more one of marvelling (at how they do it). Of course, that all flies out the window whenever Shin Lim is on-stage. Any fan of Penn & Teller: Fool Us will be familiar with Shin Lim’s extraordinary sleight-of-hand talents and here we get a double-dose of his remarkable magical chicanery.
Comedian Harrison Greenbaum was charming and kept the show moving along in good pace and humour. Backed by a big-band sound, Emi Secrest’s beautiful vocals, and a sextet of incendiary dancers, the show moved from comedy to thrills to feats of strength to feats of “I can’t look!”
Often these sort of variety shows can unfortunately feel thin, where two minute tricks are wrapped up poorly among twenty minutes of choreographed padding. Here, however, is a strong ensemble delivering an abundance of entertaining wizardry.
The Unbelievables
Hamer Hall – Arts Centre Melbourne, 100 St. Kilda Road, Melbourne
Performance: Thursday 4 January 2018 – 7.00pm
Season continues to 13 January 2018
Information and Bookings: www.artscentremelbourne.com.au
Image: Artem Lyubanevych is The Titan – photo by Jacquie Manning
Review: David Collins