The Soldier of Illusion's magical show at The Albany

Richard Jones begins his show. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Richard Jones – The Soldier of Illusion and winner of Britain’s Got Talent 2016 – the only magician in the history of the show incidentally to have taken the top spot, brought his incredible magic to The Albany Theatre last night.

Richard who spent 12 years in the British Army currently tours with three different shows, Mission Magic, Masters of Deception and The Sound of Magic which was the show at the Albany Theatre.  And what a great show not just with amazing illusions happening right before your eyes, the incredible mind reading and musical soundscape but also because of his warm and engaging personality, his entertaining storytelling and his humour.

Volunteer trusts his mobile phone to Richard! Photo by Ann Evans.

Even before he walked on stage, he had the audience participating, and that continued throughout the show with him inviting individuals of all ages in the auditorium to come up on stage and help him with each trick. From mind reading to shoes that go up in smoke only to re-appear at the end of the show; from enabling a teenager to complete a Rubic Cube in ten seconds with it behind his back; to having the entire audience participating in their own card trick to discover whether or not we are lucky. It was magic all the way!

The evening was more than just a collection of brilliant tricks however; his storytelling told us something of his life. Incidents from childhood then ripple throughout the show and become a part of his brilliant finale. He tells of his first paid gig as a young magician that went horribly wrong – with this story leading smoothly into a trick where the same thing could happen again! Hilariously, it did – only this time the outcome was very different!

Soldier of Illusion Richard Jones. Photo courtesy of the artist.

It felt like there was a reason behind every trick he performed – something that related to his life or to ours. From start to finish you felt part of the show, not simply there watching it. And he clearly appealed to all ages. I took my grandsons aged eight and 10, who loved the show as much as I did, with the melting shoe trick being their favourite.

How Richard does those tricks just leaves you dumbfounded. It’s no wonder he won Britain’s Got Talent. He achieves the impossible right in front of your eyes, and he does it with humility and humour. This was a real family friendly, interactive show that leaves you desperately wanting to know how he does that! But that’s something he’s keeping under his hat.

Richard Jones on stage. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Earlier Richard said: “I absolutely love performing live because you can never recreate the feeling of hundreds of people experiencing something impossible together. The Sound of Magic is much more than a collection of tricks. It’s funny, surprising, emotional and incredibly interactive. I want people to leave the theatre feeling uplifted and talking about what they’ve just witnessed all the way home.”

Since winning Britain’s Got Talent, Richard has performed at the Royal Variety Show, on the West End, at theatres all around the UK and overseas, corporate events plus entertaining the Armed Forces to keep up their morale.  Additionally, he’s been awarded the most prestigious honour within the world of magic, that is Member of the Inner Magic Circle with Gold Star.

Richard Jones tours with three different shows: The Sound of Magic; Mission Magic and Masters of Deception. Check out his website for venues and tour dates: https://www.richardjonesmagic.co.uk/