The Infamous Brothers Davenport

From January 2012

Ouija board
Would you work for me?
I have got to say Hello
To an old friend

Ouija Board, Ouija Board, Morrissey (1989)

January at the Lyceum Theatre; it must be an Arthur Miller play. But this year it's not, instead a welcome return by inventive touring company Vox Motus last seen in Edinburgh at the Traverse during the 2010 festival with The Not-So-Fatal Death of Grandpa Fredo.

Like Grandpa Fredo, the Infamous Brothers Davenport is based on a true story. Willy and Ira Davenport from Buffalo, USA were magicians who presented their tricks as being the work of the supernatural. In 1862 they travelled to England where the Spiritualism movement was taking off and this is where the play picks up.

The play has earned rave reviews - 'the show dazzles and delights', 'thrilling yet thoughtful' - and there are some spectacular set pieces. Solid performances too from the five-strong cast and great to see Ryan Fletcher back on stage at the Lyceum after his Confessions of a Justified Sinner a few years back.

And yet, after a great first half, the pace dropped after the interval and I'm sure I wasn't the only member of the audience who was left at the end thinking 'is that it?'. It's still worth going to see, just don't be too disappointed when all the loose ends aren't tied up. And if anyone works out how they get the table to float during the séance please get in touch.

The Infamous Davenport Brothers, Royal Lyceum Theatre, until 11th February then touring