The Coliseum - London • 31st July - 6th September 2026

Having written many reviews where I have felt duty bound to delicately navigate my way around the main thrust of the plotline so as not to give too many surprises away, it turns out that a magic show with no such nuanced plotline is actually twice as hard to write a review for, Now You See Me Live at London’s Coliseum theatre being the case in point. My fear is that to flag the illusions too descriptively before you get the chance to see them will only serve to diminish that initial sense of wonder each trick would otherwise generate when performed during the shows near 2-hour runtime.

Meanwhile, for anyone who recognises the title of the show from the highly entertaining Hollywood heist franchise of the same name, you will no doubt already be aware of The Horseman, a fictional group of illusionists who were introduced to the cinema going public in 2013, performing elaborate magic acts to pull off real-time bank heists. Having grossed over $350M globally, the three sequels (so far), were probably inevitable, and given the current trend to bring tried and trusted film franchises to the stage, a theatrical tie-in was probably also only a matter of time. Fast forward to 2026 and after a successful run in Australia and Singapore, Now You See Me Live arrives in London complete with its own Four Horseman, the original actors of the film, (Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harleson, Dave Franco and Isla Fisher), being replaced by a line-up of real-world illusionists, Enzo Weyne, (French illusion designer and stage performer), Andrew Basso, (World-renowned Italian escapologist, well known for high-stakes underwater and strain escapes), Gabriella Lester, (magician and illusionist) and the show’s host Matthew Pomeroy (Award-winning British magician and illusionist). For the London run of the show they are joined by three young, up-and-coming performers best known in the UK for their successful appearances on Britains Got Talent, Eden Choi, Fraser Penman and the seemingly always smiling Rafferty Coope, each one an equally impressive master of their own particular brand of magic and, if their appearances tonight are anything to go buy, are also living proof that the future of magic and the art of illusion is in safe hands. Would that I could write so enthusiastically about the audience’s own contribution to the show.

For a big, bold, West End magic show with production values befitting one of London’s biggest and most prestigious theatres, I would have assumed that the audience would have already been fans of this particular brand of entertainment and up for audibly expressing their enjoyment from the outset. However, to my surprise, this Coliseum audience seemed to take a strangely long time to warm up to the spectacle that unfolded before their eyes, there being an almost palpable resistance to fully giving themselves over to the high-octane spirit of the proceedings. This was in no way a reflection on the talented performers on stage who, one by one, tried their very best to garner an altogether more enthusiastic response from a crowd who were clearly more concerned with trying to crack the code of each illusion rather than give themselves over to the spectacle of it all. Whether this had anything to do with an often referred to ‘English reserve’, or the rather austere setting of the London Coliseum or, as I suspect, a sad reflection of the more cynical times we live in, it seemed a shame to find such cynicism seemingly rob this audience of the ability to fully engage with a show that would otherwise demand such cynicism get left at the door. Thankfully the seven gifted performers persevered with their crowd-work and the audience was eventually brought fully on board, which in turn took the already entertaining evening to the next level. (The show’s next stop is Las Vegas where I imagine the audience will have no such problem letting their appreciation be known from the outset).

It’s possible that associating the night so closely to the Hollywood film franchise as a marketing strategy may have also led to some confusion as to exactly what the show was going to be as many of the people I spoke to ahead of the performance imagined a story element from the film might have found its way onto the stage, an understandable mistake given the likes of Stranger Things and Harry Potter playing in theatres just a few 100 metres away, but to those under any confusion as to what Now You See Me Live is as a show, I suggest you imagine that if The Horseman of the film decided to put on a West End stage show to showcase their individual magical skills, this would be that show. Where the stage show does match the cinematic heights of the movie however is in the impressive stage lighting and dramatic use of music throughout, all of which add to the sense that this is more than just theatre… this is event theatre.

Having been privileged enough to get invited to the shows press event prior to tonight’s performance (see interview with Matthew Pomeroy here) I had already been wowed by the playing-card magic of Eden Choi, and having subsequently seen clips of this performance online (making me feel better about this particular spoiler), and once again watching in awe live this evening, I was no less amazed by the talent of this young, up and coming magician / illusionist. Indeed, card tricks turned out to be a thing I found myself being quite partial to, given Matthew Pomeroys own creativity with the cards was no less incredible and indeed, having been instructed to select four playing cards at random from a box on the way into the auditorium, along with every other member of the audience, this would lead to one of this evening’s most impressive magical moments. That’s not to say that this evening was a one trick pony as if card tricks aren’t your thing, then there is some escapology to blow your mind. If escapology isn’t for you then there’s hypnotism. If hypnotism isn’t for you then there is the pure unadulterated joy of seeing first-rate magic performed by some of the leading performers in their field. Of course, if magic isn’t your thing, or you’re likely to spend more time deconstructing each illusion as it happens rather than first allowing yourself to enjoy the ride, then just maybe this isn’t the show for you either. For me, Now You See Me Live’s finest moments were when the magic left the stage and got the whole audience involved, the randomness those moments injected into proceedings leaving no room for the more cynical brain’s to engage. A spectacle for young kids and grown-up kids alike!

★ ★ ★ ★