April 11th–13th 2025

Gemma Regan

 

Michael Boyd bemused and amused with the skill of Merlin

 

Hundreds of soggy families packed into the Brisbane Powerhouse at the weekend to escape the reality of a rainy weekend with magician Michael Boyd’s magical MYSTIQUE – A Journey Beyond Reality.

 

Boyd became an international star after appearing on the TV show Pot Luck and then as a finalist on Australia’s Got Talent, where he honed his skills as an illusionist and magician. He described to the audience how he had joined the Young Magicians Magic School at 13 after being taught the craft by his grandfather, who was in the trade. His grandfather inspired many a budding magician and even had kids from the audience on stage to perform tricks with him.

 

Fortunately, he managed to squeeze Brisbane into his busy schedule to astonish the audience with illusions created by the David Copperfield team, including the terrifying $50,000 Scorpion. The contraption looked like a giant bear trap into which Boyd climbed before the steel jaws snapped with a mouth-dropping clang before Boyd sprang from the side of the stage to the delight of all.

 

It was a mystical journey through the continents, with a variety of shows travelling through Asia, India, Africa, and Paris. Boyd was accompanied by three dancers, led by Queenslander Megan Chadwick (Moulin Rouge) with Tegan and Allie. The dance interludes had the ladies in feathered headdresses and sparkly costumes, bringing the bling of his recent show, Cabaret De Paris, at Jupiters Casino to Bris Vegas. 

 

The illusions flowed with the Mysteries of the Orient segment, which had an unnerving potential to impale as Boyd balanced on a sword tip only to be run through to the hilt with gasps of fear from the younger audience until he bounced up uninjured. There was a mix of classic tricks with cards, palming, and the mystery of the rings, as well as a plethora of boxes and cages into which either Boyd or his assistants were caged and either vanished or were impaled. 

 

Boyd did not omit the much-loved levitation tricks with my favourite, the floating card table, which one excited young girl helped perform. The young volunteers (of which there were many) were rewarded with Boyd’s commercial magic sets, available in the foyer so the kids could practice at home, spawning a new generation of conjurers.

 

It was a magical performance. The only let-down was the beach ball used for suggestions from the audience, which burst as it was passed around as a limp piece of plastic. Otherwise, the tantalising tricks and sleight of hand boggled the mind as Boyd bemused and amused with the skill of Merlin in a must-see show.