Spectacular, slick and beautifully staged: Majika – Africaโs Greatest Illusionists -was presented in Cape Town at Artscape, on the of weekend June 7 andย 8, 2025, by Cape Townโs College of Magic in honour of its 45 years on the magic boards. This was theatrically powered epic scale illusion, magically alluring and thrilling, with an African aesthetic.
As the COMโs Chad Findlay said, the aesthetic was Black Panther meets Afrofuturist. Findlay directed Majika which featured an A-team of creatives, including Oliver Hauser (lighting design) and Jared Schaedler(choreography). They are currently involved in the design of the musical Joseph and The Technicolor Dreamcoat which is on in Cape Town and then transfers to Johannesburg. They bring all the bells and whistles of light and design of a Broadway show to Majika. Costumes by Beaura Jacobs nails the Black Panther/Afrofuturist look with skin tight black leather, boots and hats.
South African illusionists have been gallivanting around the world, dazzling audiences in stage shows, appearing in TV shows and events. It is great to see them on home ground in Majika. The humour is terrific with banter, along with their tricks. They provide insights into their journeys in magic- the thrill of the carnival at Maynardville in Cape Town, for instance. It is not simply about trickery and illusion but about memory and how magic made them feel and continues to inspire them. I loved the personal reflections by the illusionists โ snippets of their own stories and what has influenced them.
I donโt want to give it away, but mentalist Brendon Peel is a scene stealer with his inspired reveal method. I want a whole show cantilevered on this trickery construct. Peel won the Trophy on Penn & Tellerโs hit US TV show, Fool Us. He fooled the magic duo of Penn and Teller and watching him in Majika, one gasps at the ingenuity of his act, how he has finessed mentalism within a very Gen X zeitgeist.
In addition to performing solo, Peel also performs with Li Lau โ renowned for his escapist and sideshow acts. In Majika, Lau does a classic escape from a straightjacket which is always thrilling to watch. Watch here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DK-RH5RMzb8/ or https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMSPcpmsX/
Audience participation in Majika, ensures that the audience is immersed in the magic of the performance. Get involved during the interval. Watch until the end.
The dancers (choreography by Jared Schaedler) intersect with the magic which adds to the spectacle. Kgomotso Marite is sassy and dynamic as she shifts from role as dancer to magician, slicing and dicing magician, Sisonke Mkwela in the box. She is assisted by Vuyo Kwatsha. Findlay tells me that Marite is not a magician by training. Unlike most of the performers in Majika, she is not part of the COM alumni. During rehearsals, she seemed like a great fit and abracadabra she became the magician doing the sawing. Traditionally it is the male magician who saws the assistant in half in this illusion, called โclear sawing in halfโ. Findlay says that he hopes to integrate the dancers even more into the illusions in shows in the future. Watch here: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMSPcC94y/
Production values are exceptional in Majika with the use of a wireless live feed, beamed onto a screen, filmed by an on stage camera person. This means that one doesnโt miss out on close-up magic elements and conceptually it gives the show an injection of an arena vibe โ a sense of being at a big concert. I am writing in the first person as I hope that this show will be taken further and will be staged again. It is too good as a once-off.
There were only four performances of Majika in June 2025. The Saturday performances were sold out and almost sold out on the Sunday. It was a rainy cold weekend. It takes a lot to get audiences in to the theatre when the weather is inclement in Cape Town.
Interesting to note that LA based producer, Simon Painter was on board as a consultant on the branding and concept of Majika. Painter is the main producer of the international show, The Illusionists. The show was staged in 2018 in South Africa. Painter directed the latest Cirque du Soleil show, Mad Apple in Las Vegas (co-created with Neil Dorward) and recently launched a new show, Cirque Alice in Australia. From what I gather, Mad Alice is an operatic re-imagining of Alice in Wonderland, with illusion.
Imagine something like Cirque Alice, presented by the College of Magic, with a narrative story arc and dance harnessing illusions and stunts. Watch this space.
โณ Featured image: Kgomotso Marite and Olwethu Dyantyi in The College of Magic’s Majika, which premiered in Cape Town at Artscape on June 7 and 8, 2025. Pic: Anya Ramparsad. Supplied.
