Strangers by Max Davidson (who we were lucky enough to chat to on our YouTube channel, which you can watch at https://youtu.be/QfynUquE-OY) is an incredible and mind-blowing mentalism show that leaves the audience wondering if Max himself might actually be a wizard. With a collection of insane magic, including guessing someone’s phone password, solving a Rubik’s Cube while blindfolded (while also reciting the winners of every Super Bowl), and even predicting the serial number of an audience member’s cash, this show truly is a magical spectacle that needs to be seen to be believed, so do not miss out!
Those who have been following our blog for a little while will be aware that over a year ago, we were lucky enough to be invited to attend the fantastic Derren Brown at the Wales Millennium Centre, where we were first introduced to how truly mind-blowing mentalism is. This was a large-scale theatrical production, complete with graphics, set changes and an atmospheric soundtrack alongside his array of fantastic tricks. What is particularly clever about Max Davidson’s show, Strangers, at the Edinburgh Fringe is that he has clearly made a conscious decision to strip back all the theatrics and instead place the focus firmly on the magic being shared and the formation of a connection between Max and the entire audience. In a weird stroke of coincidence (or was it a coincidence?), at the Derren Brown show, I ended up being the subject of a hypnotised bear hunt after taking a ten-pound note from the pre-show bar. At Max Davidson, I was also brought into the show and had to look after a sealed envelope that contained a key aspect of some of the most impressive tricks in the closing moments of the show. There was physically no way Max could have altered the envelope at any point during the show, as I securely kept it in my hand throughout the entire production. An audience member ripped a random page from a book and then flushed that page down the toilet, only for it to reappear in the envelope I was protecting, which was simply mind-blowing.
One of the more grotesque parts of the show saw an audience member take to the stage to forcibly allow Max to swallow a hand-sewing needle, only for him to fish it out moments later. Having this more physical bit of magic towards the middle of the show was a nice change from the mental manipulation of the rest of the production. I genuinely have no idea how he was able to firstly swallow the needle and then fish it out with a wire live on stage. It tread the line between not wanting to watch due to the danger of having a needle inside his body and equally not wanting to look away. It was a very powerful feeling to elicit from the audience, but was a testament to the tension Max had created! The closing sequence of the show saw Max take out a Rubik’s Cube (which, in my twenty-seven years of living, I have never been able to solve), but Max not only had the audience randomly mix the iconic puzzle as many times as they wanted before he began solving it totally blindfolded, but also showcased his own memory skills. He had distributed a complete record of every Super Bowl winner and their score, with the audience encouraged to shout out years as he relayed who had won in each selected year. Having all these elements running simultaneously must have been incredibly stressful, but Max was not only totally at ease, he also had each of the responses verified and checked to ensure both the cube and Super Bowl knowledge were, in fact, correct.
In conclusion, Strangers by Max Davidson is a unique hour of mind-blowingly magical spectacle that left the audience absolutely speechless through the collection of incredible tricks shared throughout. This show takes place at Just the Tonic at The Subway, which actually adds to the show, as the almost-abandoned warehouse setting adds to the stripped-back nature of the production (unlike the aforementioned Derren Brown show). The audience are therefore essentially forced to focus purely on Max and his wizardry skills. Due to the nature of mentalism, the audience are also a key feature of the show, as they are the holders of the information Max wants to discover. They are invited multiple times onto the stage to support the performer with the more outlandish tricks, helping to build a truly immersive show where no secret or phone password is safe! This is an absolute highlight of our Fringe experience, and I would rate it 5 out of 5 stars!
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