Award-winning Adelaide illusionist Matt Tarrant.
Illusionist Matt Tarrant has the distinction of being the highest selling solo act of the Adelaide Fringe in both 2017 and 2018 and he’s been winning awards for his magic since 2012.
This show builds on the same laid-back style of presentation with big screens, loud music, and ripped jeans. He’s an appealing character on stage and bonds immediately with the audience.
MORE Unsolved follows on from the 2018 hit show Unsolved. It’s a mix of card tricks and mentalism with many relying heavily on audience participation. And these are genuine audience members, not stooges. I know, because I was one of them, picked at random by a flying Catbus (yes, the character from Totoro). Up on stage, I found I was able to correctly read the mind of the other volunteer. The item he was thinking about was a clock. (And no, I won’t reveal how it was done!).
Tarrant has a solid repertoire of tricks and performs them well, some with a little help from Bruce the Mind-Reading Goose and the complicated compilation of a random Uber Eats order.
For fans of magic acts and illusionists, a lot of these are standard fare. But Tarrant is engaging on stage and very smooth when working the deck of cards. And he’s an Adelaide boy, and the audience always loves a local.
Tarrant’s illusion with the lottery ticket numbers is especially impressive and very well executed. It’s hard to see how this one was performed so cleverly, even with the help of technology and well-oiled sleight-of-hand. And that’s the joy of a magic show – you know you’re being fooled and you want to be completely flummoxed. How did he do that?
At the end of the show, Tarrant explained that he was one of a number of performers who lost serious money when they were not paid for appearances in Perth. He also promoted shows by a number of other illusionists in the Fringe, which was a nice touch of camaraderie.
MORE Unsolved is a fun show of trickery and illusion by a very popular Adelaide performer. And yes, this one is family friendly too, so feel free to take the young ones along.
Rating: 4 stars ★★★★
Matt Tarrant: MORE Unsolved
Matt Tarrant
28 February – 17 March 2019
The Flamingo at Gluttony, Adelaide
Adelaide Fringe Festival 2019
