A great idea this – pit one mighty fine magician (Cameron the Magician) against three comedians and let the audience decide who comes out on top. Winner takes all, and a fairly humiliating punishment at the end for the loser.

Darcy Kavanagh had the unenviable task of opening the show. His routine, though with some funny moments, was a bit of a struggle, and the spectators didn’t quite open up with any big laughs.

Cameron’s first trick was a fairly chaotic endeavour involving a group of show goers up on the stage following a series of instructions for a card trick which ended up tricking itself. Though the stunt itself failed, the process was fun, and Cameron’s natural comedic flair shone through anyway.

Xavier Susai was next, and he approached his comedy from a slightly different angle, illustrating his stories with bundles of energy and some great moves, which brought the laughs loud and hearty.

The next magic trick involved some biological manoeuvring and clearly wasn’t for the faint-hearted. The end result was something quite special, drawing gasps of wonder and amazement. How on earth did he do that?

Comedy captain Allan Aldworth had to follow a hard act, and his relaxed, conversational humour couldn’t sustain the energy from the previous trick.

And then the piece de resistance, another “how did he do that?” moment from Cameron, complete with a false ending before the final big reveal. A fabulous show stopper to complete proceedings.

The winner was decided by a strong majority. Poor Captain Allan had to endure a slapstick disciplining, and the last laugh was laughed the loudest.

A fun mix of skill, surprise and laughs, Comedy vs Magic! was a wonderful night where the real winner was the audience.