Review Centre: Children's Entertainers

"The first time I saw Mimirichi, last year at the Edinburgh Fringe, I knew I would have to put them at the core of my fiendish and cunning plan for world domination. Mimirichi would leave everyone weak with laughter and begging me for more of the fun, and, of course, I would be a benign autocrat, sending Mimirichi out on a world-wide mission to sponsor their own brand of warm fuzziness and community spirit. In this cold, competitive world Mimirichi liberates hearts and minds and promotes participation and collaboration. The awful thing is that they are only at the Riverside Studios for TWO nights (until 1st July)! Please, please, rush down to Hammersmith and secure tickets for yourself, all your family (especially menopausal aunts and grumpy old men), your evil-minded neighbours, your traffic wardens and rouge traders, your bank manager and your boss. The four-man creative team at the heart of the mad, mad world of Mimirichi are superb physical performers who start off with some simple slapstick and build to a breathtaking break-dancing finale. But their secret lies in their generosity and the way they engage us with their world. This is a place where the imagination can transform paper into anything we want it to be and half of the fun is the delight in collaborating with them to make these transformations happen. It is a clown theatre for young and old alike, because it's full of the familiar and everyday. Mimirichi's Paper World is peopled with recognizable characters. There's the little guy with the broom overwhelmed by litter bugs on the rampage. And perhaps it's the same voracious paper-munching clown evolving into a despot who gets himself crowned with pomp and circumstance, and, to push the point home, also devours handbags and jackets from among the audience. I guarantee that by the end of the 85-minute show you will be shouting, screaming, pelting each other with paper, passing great swathes of the stuff back and forth and even eager to step onto the stage and be transformed into a goal-keeper for a paper football penalty or a beauty queen. At the core of this age-old humour there is an odd but recognizable logic at work, an absurd logic, or even illogical logic, perhaps, but once we accept the rules it all makes perfect sense (something like when Charlie Chaplin's starving tramp cooks his boots and eats them with perfect table manners and social etiquette). Mimirichi's gags are reminiscent of these extended comic scenarios from the Commedia lazzi and the silent movies. For example, a man desperate to find a public urinal is given increasingly complicated directions by a street cleaner in which each round of mimed instructions seems to take the longed for relief further away on a journey that includes swimming and punting across a river. Mimirichi put us in touch with a part of ourselves we don't pay much attention to these days. They belong to a long tradition of European clowning that includes the great zannis of Commedia dell'Arte, Chaplin and Keaton, Max Wall, Mayall and Edmondson and so on. This is an eternal and universal form of clowning, the carnivalesque, the Lords of Misrule, rather than the sanitized comic turns fed to children in 20th century circuses. In days gone by, this type of carnival event was considered dangerous by princes and municipalities, so that the travelling performers where often borderline outlaws. Happily, Mimirichi are completely legit, but they still can show us a few things that authoritarian rulers feared: that what usually passes for logic is suspect, and that a creative and imaginative response can present alternative solutions to traditions we take for granted. Perhaps, we should send them to the G8 Summit. If you cannot make it down to the Riverside Studios tonight go instead to a tattooist and have MIMIRICHI inscribed on your forehead, so that you will recognize their name should they come to a venue close to you at a future date."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Funny, original, and inovated. Very skilled use of props. Magic acts is superb! Totalky tricks the eye! double the fun when you add your funny and beautiful assistant to your routines! Joey kept our 50th Anniversary moving and ran out of time before guest ran out of interest!! Highly recommend Joey fir any event as Emcee or Stand Up entertainment!! "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"As I posted on GoogleMyBusiness: "Kevin entertained the kids at my son's birthday party and had they had the most amazing time. He was so funny and easy to work with. The kids were cracking up at the talking dog. So much fun!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"If you're looking for a magician, I'll save you the trouble of searching, go with Jay. What at an absolute legend! I've never hired a magician before and thought about doing it on a whim as a gift for my friend's birthday. Talked to a bunch of magicians and honestly their work and price point didn't appeal to me much until I reached Jay. And I was right! From the moment we started talking up until the end of the act Jay was so easy to work with and his magic was super entertaining, engaging and unbelievable. I would've loved to take some photos and videos but honestly out of the 20 or so people at our event, everyone was so captivated that we just forgot. If I need a magician again, I'll be sure to come back. Thanks so much Jay for your amazing work!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Happiest magician - Steve Gore, was a big hit with all our guests at our recent family 90th Birthday Party. Steve fascinated the children and amazed the adults with his close up interactive tricks. I can not recommend him highly enough as he was very professional. His communication with us right from our first contact was first rate as was his willingness to adapt to our needs and work around the timings of the lunch we were having. Many thanks Steve. Simon & Jean"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Saw him recently at a 5 year old's birthday party. A natural entertainer who kept a room full of kids, and their parents, in stitches for the best part of an hour. A well as being a decent close-up magician, and a great ventriloquist he is also a genuinely funny chap. Great fun."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"We are so excited to have Roberto return to our school for our end of the year graduation party. I highly recommend Roberto’s magic show. He will amaze your children, wow the adults and leave them breathless and wanting more. Don’t hesitate, book the Magic of Roberto for your school, daycare, or business/home event."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Craig performed at my 40th birthday!!!! What can I say....totally amazing would highly recommend Craig to anyone."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Ivo was our caricature for our wedding reception. He turned up on time and all guests enjoyed the pictures that he did. It’s a great memorabilia for them. We have our picture and will definitely be framed and will be something else to remember from our special day."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"An evening at the JezO car crash magic show was amazing, the whole audience was entertained to an evening of magic, laughter and endless laughter . The show captured my attention from the very start with such a fast pace of a wonderful mix of magic jokes and endless props that combined led to the best night my family and I have experienced in such a long time truly amazing not to be missed. Wow, what a night my head is still spinning trying to work out the tricks. Thank you JezO"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Maisie is one of the best Magicians I have seen. Her skill is incredible but also her presence is one of a kind. At just 13 years old she is already wowing her audiences and holding so much potential to do amazing things in years to come! You amaze me!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"I have known Craig for a few years now and I have booked him for several events including my 50th birthday this year. He is a fantastic close up magician who constantly learns new tricks to amaze people. I would recommend you in booking him also for any occasion, he did our clubs Halloween party for children and went down a storm. He is a smart and very likeable guy who won't let you down. Thanks Craig."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Craig blew us away! Was so impressed and would definitely use him again 🪄"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Magic Dante performed at the Highlands Recreation District on Friday, October 25th, 2019. The performance was excellent, as our crowd of over 200 laughed and truly enjoyed the performance. Magic Dante arrived early, setup on time, and was overall a pleasure to work with through booking to performing. We will use Magic Dante again in the future for events in our community."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Dante was a fantastic magician for our corporate children's event. Everything went very smoothly and as expected. His show is super engaging for the children and there was a ton of laughter!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review: