Tonight, I attended my first live performance in person since March. I’m sure you’ll remember, March was when lockdown began because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Since then, performances have taken place online and on TV. The majority of theatres and arts venues are closed down with an uncertain future. But, it’s the performers and creatives, such as those behind the scenes at The Greater Manchester Fringe, with their abundance of passion who remind us that no matter what happens the industry will return in full eventually.
Antwerp Mansion was the perfect choice for the location of this performance. After a dark and cold walk to the venue through the dimly lit streets of Manchester, I walked through the eerie front doors to be welcomed by a woman with a lantern who showed me to my seat. The layout of the makeshift auditorium factored in social distancing and we all wore masks except for those who were exempt. Dusty Rose, indeed, rose to the challenge of performing magic which was adapted to minimise any potential spread of Covid-19. The measures didn’t significantly interfere with the show in a way that distracted you. If anything, the smaller audience generated an intimate environment like the one experienced in a parlour magic show.
The clue’s in the title. Rose told us a historical ghost story about the origins of Spiritualism. From this period came Mentalism and Mind Magic which uses the five known senses to create the illusion of a sixth. Over the course of an hour, we learnt about the mischievous Fox Sisters called Maggie and Kate who convinced townsfolk they were mediums, when in fact they just performed elaborate conjuring tricks. The audience discovered the Davenport Brothers and their Spirit Cabinet trick as well as heard about sceptical magician, Eric Weisz – you might know him better as Harry Houdini. The pace and length of each chapter in the story was just right. It met your expectations.
At the very beginning, Rose described what he does as an “obsession”. You instantly could tell Rose possessed years of experience performing magic and storytelling. He looked each audience member right in the eye. His performance style was well judged: not too over the top but not underdone either. You could hear his passion and genuine interest in the subject area of bizarre magic. Reading the room, there was not much audience reaction which either meant there was an attentive silence or the theatregoers might have been getting used to watching theatre in the context of a “new normal”. Maybe a bit of both? Nevertheless, Rose’s Victorian style and showmanship was consistently there. He kept your attention.
I perform magic tricks myself and I thought the illusions performed tonight complimented the narrative and visual elements of the production. The “Antique Haunted Key”, “Spirit Slates”, and “Nail in the Nose” were just some of the tricks and stunts nicely performed in the show. One minor point would be the lack of tension in some scenes. I tend to compare any kind of ghost shows to the theatre production of “The Woman In Black” because I always feel on the edge of my seat when I watch it. The deathly silent and dimly lit opening in tonight’s show was strong because I felt the tension, nervous excitement, and anticipation for what would happen next. The unnerving atmosphere was present for most of the show but now and then I felt comfortable by Rose’s stage presence and to be honest I wanted to feel on the edge of my seat all the way through.
The spirit cabinet and the table of curious objects looked like something from the Vaudeville era and went hand in hand with this unearthly and peculiar performance location. The music from the record player and the intermittent unusual noises were rather terrifying. As you would expect, the minimal lighting design worked very well, all they used were a few white flood lights. Lighting the set and performer from the side and from below which was more than appropriate for a ghost story. During one trick, I wasn’t sure whether the piece of personal information conveyed to the audience volunteer was meant to make sense to her or not. Due to the build-up, it felt like the information meant to resonate with her, but because it did not this might have been a mistake.
All things considered: Dusty Rose’s “Ghost Show” delivered what it promised. A confident and mildly eccentric central performance combined with petrifying production elements and a spine-chilling location, resulting in a great ghost show.
Antwerp Mansion was the perfect choice for the location of this performance. After a dark and cold walk to the venue through the dimly lit streets of Manchester, I walked through the eerie front doors to be welcomed by a woman with a lantern who showed me to my seat. The layout of the makeshift auditorium factored in social distancing and we all wore masks except for those who were exempt. Dusty Rose, indeed, rose to the challenge of performing magic which was adapted to minimise any potential spread of Covid-19. The measures didn’t significantly interfere with the show in a way that distracted you. If anything, the smaller audience generated an intimate environment like the one experienced in a parlour magic show.
The clue’s in the title. Rose told us a historical ghost story about the origins of Spiritualism. From this period came Mentalism and Mind Magic which uses the five known senses to create the illusion of a sixth. Over the course of an hour, we learnt about the mischievous Fox Sisters called Maggie and Kate who convinced townsfolk they were mediums, when in fact they just performed elaborate conjuring tricks. The audience discovered the Davenport Brothers and their Spirit Cabinet trick as well as heard about sceptical magician, Eric Weisz – you might know him better as Harry Houdini. The pace and length of each chapter in the story was just right. It met your expectations.
At the very beginning, Rose described what he does as an “obsession”. You instantly could tell Rose possessed years of experience performing magic and storytelling. He looked each audience member right in the eye. His performance style was well judged: not too over the top but not underdone either. You could hear his passion and genuine interest in the subject area of bizarre magic. Reading the room, there was not much audience reaction which either meant there was an attentive silence or the theatregoers might have been getting used to watching theatre in the context of a “new normal”. Maybe a bit of both? Nevertheless, Rose’s Victorian style and showmanship was consistently there. He kept your attention.
I perform magic tricks myself and I thought the illusions performed tonight complimented the narrative and visual elements of the production. The “Antique Haunted Key”, “Spirit Slates”, and “Nail in the Nose” were just some of the tricks and stunts nicely performed in the show. One minor point would be the lack of tension in some scenes. I tend to compare any kind of ghost shows to the theatre production of “The Woman In Black” because I always feel on the edge of my seat when I watch it. The deathly silent and dimly lit opening in tonight’s show was strong because I felt the tension, nervous excitement, and anticipation for what would happen next. The unnerving atmosphere was present for most of the show but now and then I felt comfortable by Rose’s stage presence and to be honest I wanted to feel on the edge of my seat all the way through.
The spirit cabinet and the table of curious objects looked like something from the Vaudeville era and went hand in hand with this unearthly and peculiar performance location. The music from the record player and the intermittent unusual noises were rather terrifying. As you would expect, the minimal lighting design worked very well, all they used were a few white flood lights. Lighting the set and performer from the side and from below which was more than appropriate for a ghost story. During one trick, I wasn’t sure whether the piece of personal information conveyed to the audience volunteer was meant to make sense to her or not. Due to the build-up, it felt like the information meant to resonate with her, but because it did not this might have been a mistake.
All things considered: Dusty Rose’s “Ghost Show” delivered what it promised. A confident and mildly eccentric central performance combined with petrifying production elements and a spine-chilling location, resulting in a great ghost show.
Performed as part of this year's Greater Manchester Fringe Festival
on - 9/10/20
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