Weird That It Happened Twice: The Double Magic of ‘Rhythm&Ruse’ and ‘The Magician’s Table’ (REVIEW)

If I had a nickel for every time I went to a September opening of a vintage immersive magic show South of the River in Central London, I’d have two nickels — which, as the meme goes, isn’t very many, but it’s weird that it happened twice. That being said, despite the fact that I initially thought, in writing this feature, that I was stumbling into the plot of The Prestige, comparing London’s two new offerings, Rhythm&Ruseand The Magician’s Table is less like pulling identical rabbits out of identical top hats, and more like comparing apples to oranges.

Let’s begin with Rhythm&Ruse, which opened to great intrigue and excitement in the famous Waterloo Vaults. With the involvement of storied Punchdrunk alumni including Sam Booth, Fania Grigoriu, and Mallory Gracenin, expectations for the show were both high, and highly specific — and, happily, largely met.

Guests enter Rhythm&Ruse, and are immediately transported to the world of The Starling, a mysterious speakeasy, and before you’re even seated, a cocktail (or mocktail) is placed in your hand. Drinks are a key element to the show — tickets include five of them, alcohol optional, and your evening’s selection is presented by your server. Snacks are available to purchase, and include old-school standbys with a twist, from exotic flavours of popcorn to top-quality chocolate bars. Once seated, you can enjoy the live jazz band (the music at Rhythm and Ruse is truly something special), before your evening’s hosts, a very … amorous married couple, take center stage and introduce you to the evening’s entertainments. Much of the night’s immersive elements will come from these two and their friends, who come by your table between acts to clue you in on their latest doings, and probably flirt with you.

The fun of Rhythm&Ruse is in how many different things it manages to be at once. There’s close-up magic at your table, but there are also larger acts on stage, musical performances, and, woven through, the antics of The Starling’s founders and a few close associates, which get progressively hornier and involve increasing numbers of audience members as the night progresses. There have also been whispers of one-on-ones, and while no one ever actually stated a connection to Aleister Crowley and other 1920s occult figures, the clues, from the official The Starling motto to the type of tarot deck used at our reading, were impossible to ignore. I left Rhythm&Ruse a little dizzy, a lot intrigued, and having had one heck of a night.

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If you venture a little further East, to Bermondsey, you’ll find, in the upstairs of a former warehouse, The Magician’s Table. I saw The Magician’s Tablea week after Rhythm&Ruse, but really, the two are half a mile and a full decade apart. While Rhythm&Ruse is a 1920s speakeasy in all its dark glamor, The Magician’s Table takes its inspiration from the 1930s — we are now in the realm of traveling circuses, card sharps on the side of the road, and shanties with a secret.

The plot of The Magician’s Table is straightforward: you and your fellow guests have gathered for a memorial evening in honor of Dieter Roterburg, the late lamented magician whose colleagues have gathered to send him off in style. This is, first and foremost, a magic show: you’re placed at tables directly facing a stage, and Dieter’s friends, colleagues, and relatives may discuss the Great Man with you, but there are always, literally, tricks up their sleeves. The immersion is very much what you do or don’t make of it, with the cast taking their cues from the audience as to how deeply to play their roles.

Unlike at Rhythm&Ruse, cocktails are not necessarily included with all tickets, but they are encouraged (the cinnamon espresso martini is wonderful), and made fresh to order. Another “pro tip” is to arrive early — the pre-show, in the cozy bar area, is charming, funny, and sets the scene well for what’s to come.

And what might that be? Well, the show specifically requests guests don’t disclose too much, but even that tells you something–close-up magic is the main dish of the evening, so to speak, with actors approaching your table for card tricks, mentalism, and more, with occasional interludes to the main stage, leading up to a grand finale.

So, which show ought you to attend? It’s a valid question from anyone scouring TodayTix with magic on their mind, but sadly, the answer is the dreaded “it depends.”

While it’s not my place to gossip, there has been talk of an active rivalry between the two productions, and if anyone reading this is invested in that idea, I’m happy to inform you it’s unnecessary. These two shows needn’t be enemies. For all the “vintage magic immersive cocktail experience” line sounds similar, these are two different shows serving two different purposes. Whether you’re in the mood for a sexy musical evening, or an intimate magical review, is really the question you should be asking if choosing between them, not the inane “which is better?”

I was lucky enough not to have to choose, and I’m glad for it. With the twin arrivals of Rhythm and Ruse and The Magician’s Table, there’s twice as much magic in London’s theatre scene, so let’s raise a glass to that.

Rhythm&Ruse runs through Jan. 4, 2025 with shows on Fridays & Saturdays and select Thursdays & Sundays, tickets start at £47; The Magician’s Table runs through Feb 16, 2025 with shows Wednesday through Sunday tickets start at £37.50.