The Piff the Magic Dragon Show

Piff the Magic Dragon made his Fringe debut in 2009, immediately becoming the foremost dog and magic dragon show at the festival. Since then he has toured across the US, played the Sydney Opera House, and last year he didn’t quite win America’s Got Talent. Not that he’s gone all showbiz, Piff’s the same romper-suit dragon he’s ever been.

That said Mr Piffles—Piff’s longtime collaborator and the world’s only magic performing Chihuahua—might want to watch out. Not only is he now joined by two glamorous Vegas-style assistants, threatening his job, but the death-defying tricks he’s put through have only got more defiant and more deadly. The gag has always been that Piff looks like a children’s entertainer, but with a touch of acid reflux: the constant threat of dog death means he’s unlikely to play your niece’s birthday party.

It’s not hard to see why this hit a homer with Americans. Not only is it a particularly biting example of British humour but it’s a genius piece of misdirection. While Davids Blaine and Copperfield slather on the mascara and give endless quasi-mystical monologues (ever noticed magicians are the only people ever to talk about "wonder"?) you would never expect Piff the Magic Dragon to be, well, magic. 

Like Tommy Cooper, he uses his shoddiness to disguise what a stunningly good performer he is. This is self-effacing magic, the kind that only gets more baffling when you think about it later. The only real complaint is that it might be better suited for television. It’s small-scale tricks done really well, and many of the reveals require a close-up that the on-stage camera can’t manage.

But hell if that’s a deal breaker, you’re free to go to another magic dragon.