London’s longest running magic show is on tour … and it’s coming to Yarm.

The show is one of the West End’s top attractions featuring the best in magic, illusion, mind-reading, comedy, juggling, glamour and sheer variety.

Simply called West End Magic, it’s been at the Leicester Square Theatre for the last 10 years and to celebrate the decade it’s now on a nationwide tour with the two-hour show at the Princess Alexandra Auditorium in Yarm on Friday, May 26 at 7.30pm.

Every show is compered by comedy magician Wayne Trice who is a master of close-up magic and each show will also include guest acts.

Every performance will also feature multi award winning magician and Magic Circle member Oliver Tabor who is current president of the International Brotherhood of Magicians in the UK and a former European and British magic champion.

Oliver has been a consultant for film and TV productions such as Hollywood blockbuster Now You See Me 2 and the BBC series London Spy where he taught film actor Ben Wishaw - Q from James Bond - sleight-of-hand.

Oliver said: “The show is all about variety and being family friendly. Anyone from a toddler to a 100-year-old will enjoy it which is what variety is all about.

“We have one mission with this show and that’s to entertain in a way the audience has never been entertained before. You’ll see things that’ll make your jaw drop, but there’s also glamour and comedy. We want people to leave happy and chatting about the show knowing they’ve seen something unique, something they’ll always remember.”

Every show on the tour will feature special guests and the one at Yarm will be Joel Dickenson.

Sleight-of-hand expert and mind reader Joel has been performing since he was just 10, crafting his style and magic on the streets of York, London and Barcelona.

He performs ‘impossible magic’ right under the audiences’ noses such as writing the word ‘money’ on a small piece of paper, setting it on fire and transforming it into a £20 note as you watch.

Joel said: “People love to be amazed, see a trick and think ‘wow’, how has that happened.

“I’ve studied human behaviour, manipulation, magic, hypnosis and the power of persuasion for many years and I believe anyone can be mentally controlled. It’s something very powerful so we make sure we always use it very wisely.”

Joel has won the coveted North West Close up Magic Competition four times in a row, Blackpool Magic’s Best Trick award and has also won the North West stage magic title three consecutive times.

He runs an online magic shop called Northern Miracles and has written for TV performers around the world.

Every show will have more than a touch of glamour with The Glamourists.

In this part of the show Oliver teams up with dreamlike performer Butterfly to stage the ultimate theatrical illusions.

The result is stylish sorcery and elegant vignettes that combine their signature motifs of butterflies, rose petals and doves.

Butterfly starred in the video for one of the most singalong pop songs ever, Chelsea Dagger by The Fratellis. She has featured in stadium tour projections for some of the world’s biggest bands including Fleetwood Mac and Kings of Leon.

Show compere Wayne Trice said: “The show is all about the audience having a great time and there’s a trick I do with rabbits that gets all the children shouting out … but, being a magician, there has to be a twist. I’ll also be doing some escapology trying to escape my own jacket which is far harder than you’d think.

“People will always like magic as they love that sense of mystery but it’s all about the delivery as much as the technique behind each trick or illusion. We only have guest acts that have that wonderful delivery, weaving a totally engaging story into the magic.

“We’ll have people on stage and have some fun with them, making them the stars of the show while they are up there with us.”

Wayne says when he does close-up magic he can have two very different reactions.

“Many simply accept it for what it is and don’t want to know how it’s done,” he said. “But then you’ll have others desperate to know to the point of following you around to closely watch your every move.”

For more information or to book tickets go to https://www.thepaaonline.org/whats-on/west-end-magic/