Chicago Tribune
- Highly Recommended
"...Young and Stange invite comparisons to Penn and Teller, of course, but actually operate closer to the style of James Corden or the famous British comedy duo of Morecambe and Wise. Their magic sauce is self-deprecation, and they seem genuinely delighted to be doing their show, grinning from the stage that this is the longest-ever booking for their “family business,” baking in some Python-esque gags and extolling the audience to watch “America’s Got Talent,” where they said their debut was airing simultaneously with their Studebaker opening night. (I demurred, World Cup calling and all.)"
Chicago Reader
- Highly Recommended
"...The British team of Young & Strange (Richard Young and Sam Strange) bring the requisite squabbling siblings comic edge to their acts, which range from simple sleight of hand to elaborate disappearance illusions (one involving a kid from the audience). Sawing people in half may be old hat, but Young & Strange make it feel fresh."
Stage and Cinema
- Highly Recommended
"...Most of the magic shows I've been to have been small, intimate affairs, with an audience of fifty or less watching one magician perform an array of card tricks and sleights of hand. Champions of Magic, now on at Chicago's Studebaker Theatre, entertains on a rather larger scale while still conveying a sense of closeness and familiarity. This is partly achieved through audience engagement, but also through storytelling. The result is a lively, family-friendly show that successfully balances spectacle with personality."
Buzz Center Stage
- Highly Recommended
"...The show features four magician-stars, (with several assistants), and they are BUSY. Either at the back of the stage displaying gigantic props, at the front of the stage climbing over the various cabinets and coffins, canoodling with audience members, and always reflected in the giant screen above the stage, they are talking to you. Of course, some of the chatter is meant to be distracting, to engage the brain while they are diverting the eye, but a lot of what was conveyed was storytelling: how they came to be magicians, and how they came together."
The Fourth Walsh
- Highly Recommended
"...The CHAMPIONS includes four magicians, Richard Young, Sam Strange, Liberty Larsen and Fernando Velasco plus traveling crew. These magician assistants work hand-held cameras, buckle straitjackets, and catch batons of fire to keep the show ever-moving. Driving this multi-media, high-voltage, family-friendly, interactive spectacle is Young & Strange.They are two blokes from England that have been perfecting their act since childhood. The charismatic Young introduces the acts as the impish Strange flickers green and red lights."
Third Coast Review
- Highly Recommended
"...The internationally acclaimed Champions of Magic is captivating Chicago audiences at the Studebaker Theater in the historic Fine Arts Building. This production has become the longest engagement of the tour and has been extended through August 23. Whether you know how the magic tricks are done or not, Champions of Magic is a dazzling experience that entertains audiences of all ages while filling the theater with wonder and laughter."
Curtain Call Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"...Champions of Magic is a stunningly fun production now playing at the Studebaker Theater. The illusionist magicians bring to Chicago (the birthplace of close-up magic, by the way) a sleek, high-energy production that amazes with its previously unfamiliar moments and also refreshes with familiar illusions and all while maintaining an easy, crowd-pleasing accessibility. All four performers manage to balance humor with genuine moments of astonishment that keeps smiles on the faces of all throughout the show."
