★★★★★ “Utterly mesmerising… Real Magic is brilliant, undoubtedly.” – North West End
“I am extremely impressed by the multitude of different and engaging ways Forced Entertainment manage to say the same words over and over; enhanced by their comic gestures.” – The State of the Arts
“A masterclass in the art of cognitive dissonance and the risks of stubbornly resisting change… [Hits] home the sense of time wasting watching banal television.” – Live Art Alive
“Forced Entertainment see it as part of their mission to confuse and provoke as much as to entertain, and the buzz of animated post-show discussion in and around HOME’s bar seems sufficient evidence that they have achieved this… The audacity of the concept as well as the highly accomplished performances make it a memorable watch.” – Unrestricted Views
★★★★ “An intoxicating and beguiling mix of watching performers go through the same trick again and again… It will make you laugh, it will make you cry, it will probably make you want to scream.” – Caught in the Act
“Bizarre and thought-provoking… Raises so many questions about how meaning is created and shared between theatre-makers and audience.” – The Reviews Hub
This is a thinky piece, brought to life through dry comic timing and expressiveness… offers interesting perspectives on deconstructing theatre while blending high art with pop culture… A surreal play for surreal times.” – Mancunian Matters
★★★★ “Exquisite torture and infinite complexity are wrung from three performers, six words and a scenario repeated like a demented Groundhog Day.” – The Guardian
“Haunting, enticing, surprising, as ever…a curious joy and a magical gift.” – Total Theatre (UK)
Real Magic creates a world of absurd disconnection, struggle and comical repetition.
To the sound of looped applause and canned laughter, a group of performers take part in an impossible illusion – part mind-reading feat, part cabaret act, part chaotic game show – in which they endlessly revisit moments of defeat, hope and anticipation.
Caught in a world of second-chances and second-guesses, variations and changes, distortions and transformations, Real Magic takes you on a hallucinatory journey, creating a compelling performance about optimism, individual agency and the desire for change.
Co-produced by: P ACT Zollverein Essen, HAU Hebbel Am Ufer Berlin, Künsterlhaus Moustonturm Frankfurt, Tanzquartier Wien Vienna, Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts, University of Sussex and the Spalding Gray Consortium – On the Boards Seattle, PS122 NYC, Walker Art Center Minneapolis and Warhol Museum Pittsburgh.
Information for Schools and Colleges:
Recommended for post 16, AS and A2 and equivalent levels Drama and Theatre Studies.