In 1856, the French government was faced with an uprising in occupied Algeria. The mutiny's leaders were rumoured to perform miracles, so they hit upon the idea of countering magic with magic. The famous magician Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin was dispatched to Algeria where in a variation on the famous bullet trick he offered to be shot at close range by a local marksman. Robert-Houdin survived, and magic won the war.
The latest piece from Marisa Carnesky is an intriguing look at war and violence, and the illusions to which we all fall prey. It takes in the war on terror and the sleight of hand and trickery invoked by those who want to keep the war machine running.
This is a show still in need of development and density, but the potential is evident in a piece that combines magic, commentary and audience participation. One hapless audience member is cast as a terrorist and the audience asked to determine her fate based on a series of questions. There are serious points here about ethics and retribution, made all the more horrific when she is sent to the guillotine. Carnesky conducts proceedings with just the right degree of po-faced knowingness, like a naughty child let loose with the kitchen knives, with bloody consequences. At just an hour in a late-night slot, the piece veers a towards the jokey, and the Masonic-style conspiracy theory undercuts the more serious political points. But it is fun, and Carnesky's final levitation clearly makes the point that you should not believe everything you see.
· Until November 10. Box office: 0870 429 6883.
