Piff the Magic Dragon: Last of the Magic Dragons

Piff the Magic Dragon is the creation of conjurer John van der Put, whose unlikely idea of pulling on a slightly slap-dash dragon costume has made him one of the most popular magic acts of recent Fringes.

He jokily promises to “dazzle like David Copperfield, astound like Derren Brown and reach the heights of Paul Daniels,” but this show is often far more about the character than the illusions.

Piff is an exasperated, sometimes even belligerent, dragon. He mutters about the cost of his various tricks and moans at the level of audience response. It’s a great comic creation, complete with a range of hang-ups ripe for self-deprecating quips – everything from his estranged wife to the somewhat more intractable problems of being the last of his species.

He’s frequently joined onstage by truculent assistant Amy and Mr Piffles, “the world’s first levitating chihuahua”, complete with matching dragon costume. In fact, not only does he successfully levitate, he also reads minds, cuts paper, finds cards and carries out his own stunts, as well as adding a significant amount of cuteness.

Mr Piffles is just one of the gimmicks used, often at the expense of the hugley impressive close-up magic. Watching van der Put manipulate a whole range of objects, from pencil toppers to cigarettes, is utterly bewitching – as items disappear, reappear, burn and reform at will. It's just a shame that this genuinely amazing talent seems to get slightly lost in the comedy mix.