We’re off with the bang of a rack embedded with metal spikes smashing down into the incarcerated body of illusionist Sabine van Deimen. But there is no blood and guts. After a miraculous escape, the show has begun.

Welcome to Impossible, a theatre show truly like no other, where seven master illusionists come together to create a spectacular that has had them touring the globe, and now returning to London’s West End for a second run – with some new participants and daring new acts. We are sold the thrill of magic, old as time itself, a master art full of secrets, daring and wonder, from the moment our bottoms hit the seats and most of us buy straight into it. I for one have not seen a magic show since I was about five years old, and if I remember correctly, that involved a suspicious duster, several hankies tied…