Blackout. Only a spotlight remains, lighting up a box of secrets that have been submitted by the audience for later use. Curtains open to reveal the man himself, Rufus Hound, sitting with his back to the audience at a beautifully ornate Victorian desk. We hear him speak… ‘No one likes being kept in the dark’. Lights up, Rufus turns in his chair, mouth covered in tape, large white pieces of card in his hands… and so it begins.
The Mesmerist – a brilliantly put-together piece that will awe, surprise, make you roar with laughter, unsettle you, and put you through an emotional ringer as you witness a magic show peppered with history and intertwined with a deeply personal story of connection and self-discovery, brought to life with the wit and masterful talent that only Rufus Hound can provide.
A chance discovery of magician’s props, recordings, and journals belonging to his late grandfather, a man who was an aspiring magician with whom Hound had never had a relationship, led him, during the crush of the pandemic, to read the journals, learn the tricks, and work to recreate the last show that his grandfather would perform, rather fittingly at Watford Palace Theatre in 1983 (although he did not get to do so in its entirety, for reasons I am unable reveal because of spoilers).
Inspired by the personal and theatrical nature of this project, Hound spoke to Steve Marmion, CEO & Director of Programming at Watford Palace Theatre, and with his direction, and writers Maheni Arthur, Georgia Crowther, Lancelot Ellis, and Chris York, they set out to develop Hound’s project into a stage performance which would amalgamate Hound’s newly acquired magical talents (under the watchful eye of former President of the Magic Circle, Magician and Magic Consultant Steve Penrose), and combine them with his comic prowess, his dramatic gravitas (often overlooked in my humble opinion), and his enthusiasm for the fantastical, culminating in a work that explores secrets, lies, illusion, and their part in the discovery of a life.
Is The Mesmerist an act of therapy? A way to discover and connect with a little known relative? Or even an attempt to reclaim a career that had previously seen Hound appear as a stand-up, on TV, Radio, and the Stage but got struck down by circumstance? Perhaps ‘yes’ to all of these, but what is clear is that Hound has found himself on top form and in total control of what must be an incredibly complex production.
With audience participation, anything could happen (and it does) yet jokes are played upon with finesse, the innate stand-up in the man has not disappeared and is a pleasure to witness. Magic that is seemingly going awry is cleverly and reassuringly shown the respect that it deserves. We witness escapology, illusion, mind-reading, even a woman being sawn in half, précised into bite-size chunks of original history and personal anecdote, all of which we are lovingly allowed to question at every moment. One moment my face was sore with laughter, the next covered by my hands in disbelief and – in the second act – terror, being faced with the possibility of what was about to occur. Tension was there to enjoy, proving that the artists had done their job to perfection. We, the audience, have been drawn in. We are invested. We are rooting for the main man himself.
At times, even Rufus Hound seemed to be questioning his own disbelief, and yet his endearing nature and the power of his storytelling, however much it may be rooted in the truth of its own origin, meant that the audience was eating out of the palm of his hand as he led us on an adventure that will not be easily forgotten.
Hound truly is the star of this show, and deservedly so, but it would be remiss of me not to further mention the extraordinarily curated set by Jasmine Swan; somewhat reminiscent of a Victorian Museum of Curiosities and how one might imagine the front room of a medium’s house to be. The set proudly displays artefacts from Hound’s grandfather’s collection, formerly stored away in boxes in his mother’s garage, giving them light and life once more amongst books, vintage posters of the original mesmerist himself, and an old reel to reel tape recorder which plays an interesting part for the audience and was a hot topic for many in the interval. All this is sensitively lit by Lighting Designer Philip Gladwell, with a slight haze that only adds to the intrigue. Are we comfortable? Yes. Are we unnerved? Yes. Are we in good hands? Always.
The Mesmerist is more than worthy of a West End Run and I do hope it gets one, but in the meantime rush to see its limited run at Watford Palace Theatre. This marvel of a show is a secret I cannot keep to myself. Its conclusion, however, is one that I must!
The Mesmerist runs at Watford Palace Theatre from 2 to 21 March 2026.
Get your tickets at watfordpalacetheatre.co.uk
Words Abigail Jones
Photography Ross Kernahan, DMLK Video
