Lie To Me review | Melbourne International Comedy Festival

Josh Staley is here to tell us that magic is not real. It's all about illusions, sleight of hand and powers of persuasion. But when you watch his magic show Lie To Me, and witness his acts, you can't help but wonder if he's actually lying to us, and magic is, actually, all around.

The intimate setting of Staley's show means there are no shining lights, dramatic music or pauses to distract us from what's happening. The audience is three deep and very close to the front, and yet, Staley pulls off some utterly baffling acts where it is impossible to see how he accomplished it and how no one in the audience was able to figure it out.

World of Wonders review

Lachlan Wilde has been practising magic for roughly a decade and even won the Australian Junior Champion of Magic award at the 2015 Melbourne Magic Festival. Three years ago, as a bright eyed 21 year old, Wilde bought a ticket to see the world and create new experiences for himself. Fast forward to 2022, and Wilde is back at the Magic Festival with his show World of Wonders, in which he shares those adventures with us through some mesmerising magic.

There is great imagination and creativity with Wilde linking his "art of deception" with anecdotes and memories from his travels to Abu Dhabi, London and Paris, including a particularly interesting (although somewhat questionable) spotlight on Jack the Ripper. His storytelling is specific enough to form bonds with us but vague enough where we are able to insert our own experiences and further strengthen the relationship between magician and audience.