Review: Tom Brace Saws Himself in Half - Norwich Playhouse

Review by Ray Tempesta

Magician and comedian Tom Brace brought his highly entertaining Saws Himself... show to the stage at Norwich Theatre's Playhouse, and left us spellbound and charmed by his mix of clever mind trickery, audience participation, and daft gags.

Gone are the days of magic shows consisting of a perma-tanned bloke in a shiny gown preening to dramatic music, thank goodness. Instead, Brace's show has a premise. He's a magician on a mission to be admitted to the Magic Hall of Fame, following in the footsteps of the likes of Dynamo, Penn and Teller, and Mr Tumble.

To achieve his aim, he has to meet the standard under five key categories (I can't remember them all - but there was 'risk' and 'connection' in there).

Guiding us through each of the categories, Brace demonstrates some mind-boggling magical feats, with the aid of various audience members and silly props (a tanning tent and a leaf blower to recreate the Camelot lottery machine was a highlight!).

Tom Brace and just one of his daft props

It all leads to a grand finale, where as the title suggests, he aims to saw himself in half. Can he do it? Well, I can't reveal of course, but it is definitely worth sticking around to find out if only for the visual gag involving a banana.

It's a brilliantly put together show from a performer at the top of his game. He thanked us all at the end for coming to watch him, "I'm not famous, I'm not on telly", he commented, and that worked in our favour this evening, seeing such high quality magic in an intimate space.

Tom Brace Saws Himself in Half continues at venues across the UK, coming back to East Anglia when he plays at the Cambridge Junction on the 11th July, before heading to the Edinburgh Fringe in August.