It’s a kind of magic show but is it wonderful? ‘Planet Hollywood’ restaurant closed its West End doors forever, during the covid shutdown. This week the venue re-opened as a permanent home for a show that was one of the newcomers to the theatre scene over the past couple of years, writes Katie Kelly.
Wonderville had a run at the Palace Theatre as a showcase for ‘magic and illusion’ and now offers ‘magic and cabaret’. I should confess that I am no connoisseur of magic shows – The last time I knowingly attended one was at a children’s party about 20 years ago. Now, feeling like a newcomer, I was enjoyably entertained by many of the performances.
Wonderville has a rotating cast of 50 acts, about 6 of which we saw. The idea being that this could be a regular night out for those who love it, without risking too much repetition.
It was genuinely astonishing when Marc Oberon pulled the exact card that I, and several other audience members judging by the gasps, had been thinking about out of a deck. He also wowed us by producing multiple bottles of wine out of an empty newspaper, an almost biblical feat.
Abigail Collins engaged us brilliantly as a saucy ‘old soak’ with spectacular hula-hooping skills and killer one liners. Too many endoscopies mean that I can’t watch sword swallowing without feeling simply discomfort, but if that’s your thing, it was impressive.
What really stood out was the knockout performance of MC Chastity Belt, who brought wit, warmth and some belting songs to the party. The set-up is cabaret bar, so table seating and service and a relaxed vibe. If you don’t fancy a starring role the front seats are best avoided. Hats off to the chap from Ascot who was certainly game for a laugh. The audience participation was mostly voluntary and never designed to humiliate. The show does have a slight feel of putting a playlist on shuffle and the gaps between performances added to a slightly disjointed feel. This was an opening night and it may need a little time to settle.
In a world gone mad, escapist entertainment, not that there was an escapologist, has a place and that place is Wonderville, 57-60 Haymarket until 30th October. Tuesday – Sunday at 8.00pm and from 3pm at the weekend.
Admission: £46.75 – £49.50. Booking: https://wondervilleuk.com
