'Mysteries and Lies' is a genuinely impressive magic show...

★★★

It’s no lie to say that in “Mysteries and Lies,” magician James Alan pulls off some truly astonishing sleight-of-hand tricks. In his hour-long set, he makes coins supernaturally bend, cards disappear and reappear, and precious rings from members of the audience seemingly interlock. 

These are all classic illusions that have been performed time and again. Some of the more common ones — like a cups and balls routine toward the beginning of the show — didn’t particularly work for me. As well, the poor sight lines in the Sweet Action Theatre makes it hard to follow some of Alan’s more intricate tricks.

But does a fine job of ramping up the stakes with each successive trick. He’s also such a magnetic presence on stage that, by the end, it’s impossible not to be enraptured by his magic. 

-Joshua Chong, Senior Arts Critic

The More the Merrier

This weekend I dropped in on Donna G host of CIUT’s The More the Merrier to talk about Mysteries and Lies which opens tomorrow at the 2026 Toronto Fringe Festival.

You can also find out more about some of our sister shows in the festival including Dads, Belly Button, He-r'tz, Many Happy Returns, Little Eden, Gerry's Imaginarium, Above the Hospital, and You, Always, Never.

CP24 Breakfast

I had the chance to visit the studio of CP24 Breakfast to talk about Mysteries and Lies at the Toronto Fringe Festival opening next week. I had a chance to do some magic for Nick Dixon and Jennifer Hsiung while I was there. Take a look:

Tickets are still available for the show at the Sweet Action Theatre. There are eight performances starting June 30.

Truth, Technology and the Art of Deception

I recently sat down virtually with the director of Mysteries and Lies, James Biss and David Peck, host of the Face2Face Podcast to discuss our upcoming show at the Toronto Fringe Festival.

We discussed the role of deception in technology and the connection between magic and new modern miracle technologies like AI. The episode is entitled “Truth, Technology and the Art of Deception”. Bella also made a brief cameo to discuss the role of tuna fish in modern Canadian theatre.

You can listen below on YouTube, Apple and Spotify.

And of course, tickets for Mysteries and Lies are now on sale from the Toronto Fringe Box Office online.

Performance Schedule:

Tuesday, June 30, 5:00 PM
Thursday, July 2, 4:00 PM
Saturday, July 4, 8:15 PM
Sunday, July 5, 12:30 PM
Monday, July 6, 9:30 PM
Thursday, July 9, 6:30 PM
Friday, July 10, 1:00 PM
Saturday July 11, 4:45 PM

The Sweet Action Theatre is located inside Artscape Youngplace (180 Shaw Street, Queen & Ossington). The Theatre is wheelchair accessible.

 

Houdini's Death Defying Mystery

Ideas on CBC Radio dedicated an episode to the great magician Harry Houdini. Born, Erich Weiss, Houdini was one of the world’s first truly famous celebrity entertainers. He had a keen sense of both drama an publicity and you can see many parallels between his life and the modern entertainment world.

Nahlah Ayed - Ideas - CBC Radio

Interviewed as part of this episode were biographer Adam Begley, performer Katie Bendon and master magician and magic historian David Ben.

The episode is available to listen to on Apple and Spotify Podcasts, or on the CBC Website.

A Time to Fringe with YoungW

We sat down digitally with YoungW to discuss Mysteries and Lies at this year’s Toronto Fringe Festival:

Mysteries & Lies is a stripped-down, close-quarters Fringe experience designed less to impress audiences than to destabilize them — gently, playfully, and sometimes profoundly. James Alan – an actual magician – creates an unrepeatable, interactive hour; built live, in the room, with you. In an era of deepfakes, AI-generated realities, and “alternative facts,” he is using classical live magic to explore a very modern problem: How easily can human beings be manipulated – even when they know it’s happening? Your choices will leave you lying awake in bed at three o’clock in the morning wondering if the people in charge of the universe are personally messing with you. Directed by James Biss. Running at Sweet Action Theatre. See the show page for dates and show times.

Q&A with director James Biss and performer James Alan 

• What inspired you to create this project?
  This specific show was inspired by the venue. Artscape Youngplace (which contains the Sweet Action Theatre) used to be an elementary school – a red brick building like my own elementary school – and so we gave the show a bit of an academic vibe. The show has a bit of a classroom feel (except with a show called Mysteries & Lies, most of what I’m teaching is not accurate.)

• What do you hope audiences will take away?
  First, I hope they have a wonderful time. I want them to laugh, lean forward, gasp a little, and leave arguing pleasantly about what just happened and how much they thought was “real”. I also hope the show leaves people thinking about the stories we tell ourselves. We all live with mysteries. We all tell lies – sometimes to others, sometimes to ourselves, sometimes just to survive the day. Mysteries & Lies plays with that idea, but playfully, theatrically, and with a wink.

• What’s next for you both? Anything you want to shout out? We’re interested in building work that crosses boundaries: theatre, mystery, storytelling, magic, literature, and old-fashioned showmanship. We want to make live events that feel rare – the kind of thing you had to be there for.

Tickets are now available for the show which runs from June 30-July 12 at the Sweet Action Theatre (Queen and Ossington, Toronto).