Home

Venues

News & Reviews

About Us

Performers Area

Press & Media Area

Login

2018 EVENT SEARCH

Award-winning cabaret star and the UK’s most successful juggler, Mat Ricardo, had a problem – after a 30-year career as the go-to guy for jaw-dropping dexterity, he'd run out of new tricks. So he did something stupid. He bet everyone in the world that he could learn any trick they could think of. This is a one-man variety show – world-class juggling, magic and illusion, escapology, sleight of hand, knife-throwing, stand-up comedy, feats of strength, demonstrations of dexterity and the only good trick that exists with a fidget spinner.
'Brilliant' ***** (Herald).
'Captivating' (Scotsman).

News and Reviews for this Show

August 26, 2018  Broadway Baby When you’re considered the best at what you do, some of us might rest on our laurels but Mat Ricardo wants (indeed, needs) new challenges. So, he invited the world (via the open forum of Twitter) to set him the task of learning ten new tricks in one year which he would then perform at the Fringe. A few ground rules were set to protect life and dignity and off he went learning everything from dice stacking to knife throwing but, as he is a master entertainer, nothing is as simple as it seems. As well as the consistently excellent new skills, Ricardo takes time to remind us why he’s the best with some incredible juggling and a couple of excellent new takes on his signature tablecloth trick. Ricardo is a man obsessed with the process of learning new skills and his desire to share this with an audience is an ongoing theme of his Fringe shows. This year he has shown that the skill he has mastered above all others is that of the showman. Where this show flies is in the charm and banter that floods from Ricardo. He’s a man who is obviously most comfortable doing something seemingly impossible in front of an enraptured audience. His street performer roots are apparent in his ability to work the crowd; alternately badgering and endearing us to clap or not depending on his whims. He’s performing a bunch of tricks and skills that could easily go wrong and he’s not afraid to admit when they do. It only encourages us to cheer all the louder when things go right. Mat Ricardo is often described as the best variety act in the business and deservedly so. He refers to himself throughout the show as a Vaudeville Schmuck and it’s easy to imagine that, had he been around in the days of Music Hall; he’d have been an international celebrity, topping the bill at venues worldwide. Click Here

August 25, 2018  Three Weeks Mat Ricardo has thrown down the gauntlet this year, inviting members of the public to suggest challenges, which he then attempts to perform (with varying levels of success). A consistently engaging presence, he is never less than compelling as we await his next stunt. Some of these tricks really are something special (removing his jacket whilst juggling is particularly stunning)... Click Here

August 15, 2018  The Scotsman Undoubtedly one of the greatest variety artists at work today, Mat Ricardo is an outstanding juggler and much more beside.... As well as showcasing superbly realised feats of dexterity, Ricardo’s shows are underpinned by his deep knowledge and love of variety forms and histories, his endearingly barbed and quick-witted relationship with the audience, and his willingness to express what performance means to him personally, often in courageously vulnerable ways. All of these qualities are to the fore in Mat Ricardo vs the World, a high-concept show a year in the making. After three decades in the business, Ricardo invited the public to challenge him to learn some new tricks; this show gives us the highly impressive fruits of his resulting efforts. Without giving away too many specific details, some new tricks offer variations on the kind of juggling, balancing and fast-handed expertise that is Ricardo’s stock in trade while others take him further afield. There’s a brilliantly tense routine inspired by an action movie, flirtations with forms adjacent to juggling such as magic and escapology and novel takes on golfing and cup-stacking. Click Here

Press & Media downloads for this Show

Press Image 1 Press Image 2 Media File 1

Comment on this Show

 Website Design & Development by Craig Shaynak and Alex Petty