Socialist magic Reviews

"Ian Saville's one-man show is a gloriously witty and consummately theatrical manifestation of what could become a whole new concept in political theatre. Launching himself with gay abandon from the basic situation provided by Brecht's play 'The Good Woman of Setzuan', Saville provides a semi-autobiographical account of his own conversion from a mere purveyor of sleight-of-hand into a socialist magician....
Saville has taken the tired old tricks of the magic brigade and given them a whole new subversive meaning....An astoundingly funny display."

"A deft and funny routine ... captivating in its charm ... utterly infectious."

"After his act, he announces proudly, audiences are wont to rush out: 'They immediately want to get up and change the world.' Nobody showed the least sign of wanting to rush out when I saw him, for whatever reasons. I think they were too busy laughing."

"Saville deftly mixes this hotchpotch of skills and ideas into an entertaining and often hilarious whole, keeping his audience riveted from start to finish."

John Willett (Brecht translator and scholar)

"You have found out how to conjure up a most credible Brecht. Much more successfully than many Brecht experts are able to do. And as a complex demonstration of Verfremdung (or Alienation? Or what? You name it) your dialogues with him could hardly be bettered. This really is magic. You make us laugh and think. What more could BB ask?"

The Independent

"Would make the hardest liner laugh .... Ideologically sound and magnificently bonkers."

The Scotsman

"Knitted with a dry humour and a mock sense of unsophistication, Saville's act is a delight."

The List

"Ian Saville, complete with comradely manner, is a master of fast, funny patter and his act should not be missed."

What's On in London

"Saville puts the magic back into politics."

Morning Star

"Good conjuring, good politics and very, very funny. Don't miss him."

Abracadabra (magician's weekly).

"Ian laughs at his own contradictions and invites us each to confront our own. I don't suppose Norman Tebbit would enjoy the show but almost anybody with a sense of humour would."

Winnipeg Free Press

"The mixture of radical politics and magic makes for an unusual but hilarious entertainment."

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