Ottawa Fringe 2014. Mr and Mrs Jones

Reviewed Friday

The Story Two magicians – one who drives a four-inch nail into her face, the other an expert at legerdemain – meet circa 1888, marry, and yoke their professional talents to create a wildly successful, scam-ridden road show based on the Victorian fascination with mentalism.

Pros Full of dramatic flourishes and more than a little humour, Mr. & Mrs. Jones is pure, richly enjoyable entertainment. The two performers, professional mentalists themselves, work together as smoothly as a well-practiced card trick as they give demonstrations of mind reading, a journey to another dimension, and the like. The show succeeds in part by playing off the 19th century hunger for showboat spiritualism against our modern cynicism.

Cons The New Zealand accents mean you’ll miss a word here and there.

The Verdict The fun, unlike mentalism, is real.

Mr. & Mrs. Jones

You Rung? Productions, Christchurch, New Zealand

Plays in The Courtroom

Festival continues until June 29. Tickets/information: 613-232-6162