Smoke & Mirrors — Restaurant in Bristol

fun, entertaining and great attention to detail Review of Smoke & Mirrors Pending review I was looking for something to do in Bristol with my partner who would be celebrating her birthday that weekend. Of course this time of year there is plenty to see and do, but I wanted something 'different' and came across an advert for Smoke & Mirrors. A comedy & magician show....... I don't know, I guess having never seen a magician before and the lure of a laugh or two was too much to pass up on, so I booked it. So in the booking I ordered up a jug of beer and a finger buffet for the interval. I had no idea what to expect but game for a laugh and a new experience. Now a heads up, it's essentially a pub, quite small but buzzing with happy people. We went to the bar and was immediately greeted by a nice young lady who confirmed our booking and gave us the general run down on how the evening was planned and that she would come and get us when the show was about to start. I have to say she was very organised and put us at immediate ease. So many times you go to places and of course you feel like just a number, but she was warm in her manner and made you feel like a 'friend'; very good. The room itself where the show takes is very small, it feels a bit like a converted store room, initially you think meh maybe this isn't going to be what you thought; actually it works very well. It means less people for a start, you're right next to the stage then you soon realise you ARE part of the show. I think pretty much everyone was in some way or another involved at some point. in the show. The closeness made it more personal and fun, you weren't straining to hear the magicians, or too far away to try and spot the 'slight' of hand. On to the magicians themselves, very good, very entertaining and of course funny. I would like to tell you about the tricks but I can't - no spoilers. What I can tell you is that it was a unique and fun experience that starts from the moment you walk in to the moment of leaving. Though we didn't stay on after the show which lasted for I think around 2 hours, there was a magician that would come to your table and performs magic after the main event and also live music for the remainder of the night. Beer is a reasonable price and as a ticket holder you get 10% your orders all night which was a bonus. the only reason I didn't give 5 stars is that I wasn't too taken by the food, not that there was anything wrong with it, it tasted fine - I think more to do with my own expectations, I was thinking it might have been hot food like pizza or something. Maybe giving a choice at the point of booking would work better to manage those expectations? Overall both my partner and I really enjoyed the night, I would whole heatedly...

So I'm not going to lie, I'm one of those people who have always loved Magic/illusions whatever you may call it. My partner booked a Friday evening, food and a show for Valentine's day as I have wanted to head here for a while.

The setting, is intimate but cosy, which I think adds to the evening. In terms of the actual show, I left with my face aching as I was laughing so much as was my partner (who to be fair a magic show isn't her cup of tea). I'm hoping she has NOW been converted and we can do a load of shows together! When we went, Dan chard was the first act, and his cards skill were amazing close-ups. To add to this, his witty banter was on point (adult comedy and banter so if you are easily offended maybe take him with a pinch of salt!), the comedy section was great. I was involved a few times in the show which may have added to my experience but I didn't see anyone who didn't enjoy it!

The second act was Richard Newman, who covered silly magic let's say, but was absolutely great and just controlled the stage and the audience. Interaction again was great and I got a dog to leave with :-). The misdirection was on point, he had everyone involved and laughing, then you really didn't see what was going to happen. It may not make sense, but I have always been a level 3, I love magic, I believe in magic (the illussion and mis-direction anaywas) and this really didn't disspaoint at all and was layed out and performed extremely well ! Even when we thought there was a mishap or something went wrong, it didnt and just added to the hole performance !

In terms of the bar area and staff, I don't dirnk alcohol anymore which sometimes people find it odd when yuo go to a bar or a show, I let the staff now behind the bar and even though they didnt have cocktails etc on the board, they were more than happy to make and at a reasonable price (as they didnt have alcohol on them obviously!)

I...

Felt like a very weird prison visit. Very intrusive emailing system which reminded me multiple times that I had bought a ticket and listed all the behaviours they would not tolerate and how they would punish these. Made me not want to go. On arrival they check your name is on the list and give you a pager to hold until they summon you to the auditorium door 20 feet away and easily visible. They give you no choice of seating and take no account of disability. Again they instruct you about their rules, telling you not to leave the auditorium during the show. The quality of the show was poor and I left at the interval. The MC was simply rude to everyone and not funny. Two of the three comedians were dull, one of whom, an Australian, shouted into the microphone annoyingly in an auditorium with maybe 30 chairs. So I'll cross that off my list of stand up venues......

Seven months later I decided to give it another try because the MC for the night had made me laugh with her stand up "I am a recovering chav". Sadly she just chatted dully with the front row and addressed all the women as Babes, verifying her chav status. This is a tiny pleasant venue and they all shouted into the microphone totally unecessarily. The first act was a Jewish bloke from Cardiff who had made me laugh a lot at Zion but he just shouted into the microphone and ignored my suggestion that he didn't need it. The second act was I think the same tall Australian woman who shouted into the microphone on my first visit so I left as it was...