THE ENIGMATIST
Wilton’s Music Hall
★★★★
“exceptionally clever”
Magic as entertainment has moved on a lot since my youth when the prestigious Magic Circle held sway, famous for the oath its members must take in order to preserve the secrets of the tricks they perform.
Now, with audiences so much more sophisticated, performers of magic know that we know what we are seeing is an illusion, built on extraordinary powers of memory and psychology, on misdirection and mathematics. Yet the simple opener ‘pick a card’ still has the power to captivate. So this is exactly how David Kwong, magician and puzzle creator, opens his two hour show of incredible twists and tricks.
Kwong’s performance is exceptionally clever. He is unfolding a long story while keeping our minds baffled and our bodies on edge. Audience involvement was there, as cards were handed out and individuals drawn on stage to help. There was illusion and sleight of hand, but then, it turned out, the trick never really concluded. It just became a piece of a larger jigsaw. We got tips for mastery at Scrabble. We were shown how a crossword was constructed. And all the time, he is taking us on a narrative journey through his own career interleaved with the fascinating story of George Fabyan, pioneer of modern cryptography.
Fabyan was an American businessman who founded Riverbank Laboratories on a country estate in Geneva, Illinois. As well as the laboratories he built a lighthouse, windmills, grottoes and a zoo on his grounds. This private research enterprise is now recognised as the forerunner of the National Security Agency and Fabyan’s story, put with that of two of his employees, has all the features of a fairy tale. So, unless you are a follower of cryptological history, you might wonder, as I did, whether this wasn’t just another illusion being spun by Kwong over the course of the evening.
This show has been thrilling audiences across the USA. Opening at Wilton’s Music Hall, it was playing to a packed house. I was impressed at the skills of the audience too. Kwong set us five puzzles to solve, all part of cracking a code that would eventually open the mystery box sitting at the back of the stage throughout the show. At least sixteen people stood up with the solution, when the final piece was put in place.
What was in the box? Well, clearly, this is not going to be revealed here. It is enough to say that the standing ovation and the cheers at the end were as great as was the mystery of the conclusion. How did he do it?
THE ENIGMATIST
Wilton’s Music Hall
Reviewed on 24th November 2025
by Louise Sibley
Photography by Justin Barbin
Previously reviewed at this venue:
MUSIK | ★★★★ | October 2025
THE REMARKABLE BEN HART | ★★★★★ | September 2025
MACBETH | ★★★★ | July 2025
ROMEO AND JULIET | ★★★ | June 2025
MARY AND THE HYENAS | ★★★ | March 2025
THE MAGIC FLUTE | ★★★★ | February 2025
POTTED PANTO | ★★★★★ | December 2024
THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE | ★★★★ | October 2024
