I should have hated this. I had imagined myself surrounded by 10 year-old boys all going mental for a failed ninja with a few mediocre card tricks. How wrong I was! Javier Jarquin uses cards to burst balloons, make card boomerangs and ultimately to utterly destroy his foam adversary. Like a ninja he oozes coolness, has the talent to back it up and has an impressive stage presence. Not all tricks were successful first time – it would have been exceptional if they were – and this merely allowed him to improvise, often with hilarious results. I have never seen such an engaged, reactive and eager audience. Be prepared to play eagle, tiger, snake. Intrigued? Then go!

Assembly George Square, 2-26 Aug (not 13, 20), 11.20am.
tw rating 4/5 | [Alice Taylor]