Paul Dabek – Encore!: Magic And Comedy In A Truly Winning Formula – Adelaide Fringe Review

The Speakeasy at Gluttony, Sun 18 Feb. [MAGIC/ILLUSION – UK] Magic and laughs is a great combination, and Paul Dabek is generous with both. This one hour show is delivered at full throttle and packed with patter, antics and tricks. His delivery style is just a touch under frenetic, and keeping up the dialogue while making complex card and rope tricks look deceptively simple is quite an accomplishment. There were some lovely quieter moments too. A routine with a handkerchief was beautifully done with mime, and a shadow puppetry sequence provided poignant contrast. Dabek is a great crowd manager and had us cheering wildly to make patrons outside wish they were with us. He is amusingly self-effacing and frequently takes the opportunity to put himself down to add to the humour and break down barriers with the audience. His impressive array of magic tricks is complemented by some pseudo-mentalism routines that are always good fodder for ‘how did they do that’ type conversations after the show. Add a touch of the risqué and vaguely bent commentary and you have a very entertaining show. At times his interaction with the audience seemed a little forced and automatic – he might benefit from slowing down a bit and allowing time to really sense what is going on in the room – but his magic and comedy mix is a winning formula and is delivered with grace and panache. 4 stars Michael Coghlan Paul Dabek – Encore! continues at The Speakeasy at Gluttony from 8.55pm until Sun 4 Mar. Book at FringeTIX on 1300 621 255 and adelaidefringe.com.au. Click HERE to purchase your tickets. #ADLfringe