Clearly Impossible
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https://melbournemagicfestival.com/
Date Reviewed: 06/07/2025
The show begins before it begins…
You meander down a shadowy, secret Northcote laneway, eyes peeled for a rabbit’s doorknob and ears tuned to whispers of magic. You knock. You murmur a secret code. A door creaks open… and you step into a graveyard (!).
Welcome to Clearly Impossible, magician Tim Ellis’ latest offering at the Laneway Theatre – his self-built, speakeasy-style theatre tucked inside his actual home.
Once a 1920s broom factory, the venue has been lovingly transformed by Ellis since 1998 into a whimsical fusion of cosy parlour and mad scientist’s library. Plush cinema seats, salvaged from an old Greensborough cinema complex, line the intimate space. “It’s true,” Ellis assures with a magician’s wink. “They don’t know they’ve gone yet, but they will find out, eventually.”
It’s like Nonna’s velvet-draped living room collided with David Copperfield’s toy chest: twinkling fairy lights, vintage board games, and curious artefacts fill the shelves. Even the toilets are part of the experience (and yes, they sparkle).
“This is the best home theatre in a house… or the best home that’s also a theatre,” Ellis quips as the show begins. “You decide.”
At the heart of it all is the table – a sleek, transparent stage for the impossible. “No one’s hiding under here,” Ellis grins. “You can see for yourself.” Coin tricks shimmer and vanish. A child inspects a glass, unsure if it’s “regular.”
“You haven’t had the life experience to know yet,” Ellis teases, prompting laughter that rolls through the room. Like the magic, the humour is sharp, warm and constant.
From the very first shuffle of the deck, performed by an unsuspecting guest, Ellis sets the tone: intimate and interactive. This is not a show to passively watch. You’ll inspect coasters, surrender your jewellery (voluntarily, of course), and even your phones as Ellis mischievously swaps a photo without you noticing. It’s all part of the immersive enchantment he conjures with ease.
But whatever you do, don’t try Mighty Monty on the street. Ellis demonstrates the notorious con game with showman flair, luring you into a moment of confidence before flipping it on its head. He gives you money to bet, only to win it all back. Just when you think you've got the trick figured out, he pulls the rug from beneath you. It’s theatre of deception layered like a Russian babushka doll: tricks within tricks, within more tricks.
Then comes the menu – a literal one. In this choose-your-own-adventure format, the audience selects the next act... or so it seems. Somehow, Ellis always appears to know in advance. “Will the next audience choose the same? Will they see the same show?” I ask.
“Come back and see,” he replies, with the grin of a magician who guards his secrets like a sommelier guards a rare vintage. You’ll never quite know if the choice was yours… or just part of the illusion.
A highlight? A surreal mind-reading sequence that unfolds with eerie precision – and just when it seems he’s got it wrong or almost right, he nails it. Logic crumbles. Reality dissolves. Clearly Impossible lives up to its name, a testament to Ellis’ well-deserved awards and accolades.
Ellis says it all began with a magic box – a childhood gift from his grandfather when he was ten. That single box sparked a lifelong obsession. In 1992, he even bought Australia’s oldest magic shop, Bernard’s Magic Shop – the very place where many of his early tricks came from. He owned it for several years.
He also founded the Melbourne Magic Festival, now in its 18th year. Running from 7 to 19 July, it features Clearly Impossible among its headline acts.
I ask how many magicians are performing this year. He hasn’t tallied them yet. Shows run back-to-back from morning to night – many interactive, all uniquely different. It’s a Herculean feat, and Ellis is already planning ahead for 2026 and 2027.
“This year we have three international guests,” Ellis shares. “They’ve told us they’re amazed by how friendly the Melbourne magic scene is. Magicians here support each other – we share ideas. There’s a true sense of community.”
As Clearly Impossible ends, the Festival begins. This show doesn’t just open a curtain – it sets the tone for a week of wonder and whimsy.
Don’t Miss:
• The trip to the magical bathroom (yes, seriously – twinkling stars, but be careful which way the water falls…)
• The unassuming intimacy of the space – there’s truly no bad seat
• The chance to return and never see the same show twice
• A rare opportunity to be part of the magic in a non-threatening, playful way
Who It’s For:
Solo adventurers, date-night couples, families, skeptics, dreamers, magic nerds, and anyone who still believes (or wants to believe) that the impossible just might be possible.