 Catching Angus Baskerville’s latest show Hidden Powers felt essential this year. Last August, I only glimpsed his talent during a fleeting street performance in George Square at the very end of the festival with a teaser that left me wondering how on earth he pulled off his tricks. A year later, sitting in the theatre, I found myself not only wondering again but even more baffled - especially after a coin toss landed me directly in the middle of the action at one point.
To describe the show in detail would be to spoil the fun, but what’s clear is that Angus is a craftsman of his art. His sleight of hand, timing, and ability to control a room mark him as a magician fully in command of his craft. Yet the tricks are only part of the magic. Threaded through the show is something deeper: Angus weaves his own story into the performance, reflecting on how his co-occurring autism and ADHD conditions shape the way he sees himself as a magician. Instead of treating these as “deficits”, he reframes them as sources of strength and calls them his “superpowers” that fuel his creativity, perception, and stage presence. The result is not just a magic show, but a statement of identity and pride. He even turns common stereotypes on their head, myth-busting medical model assumptions about neurodivergence. One highlight sees him challenge the idea that autistic people “can’t read body language,” only to dazzle the audience with astonishing feats of apparent mind-reading. It’s playful and subversive, showing how lived experience can disrupt lazy misconceptions. The atmosphere in the room speaks for itself: families, couples, and festival-goers of all ages gasping, laughing, and repeatedly blurting out “How?” and “No way!” Angus doesn’t just perform tricks but he is creating moments of collective wonder. Lee Hutchison 4/5 Hidden Powers Venue: Space 2 at theSpace on the Mile Dates: August 20-23rd Time: 1520 Tickets: www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/hidden-powers |
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