Ever since he was a toddler, James Phelan dreamt of being a magician. We know this, because he talks about his formative years during the show, but he also shows us via a series of home videos played as the audience arrives. It’s a seemingly innocuous screening of baby James crawling and playing, which (of course) has an unexpected twist. Because nothing in The Dreamer is wasted, no conversation between Phelan and an audience member, no apparently random comment or number. He’s storing everything up to blow our minds further down the track.

At the age of 31, Phelan is now living his dream, and he’d like us to, too. If, as he points out, he can plant a thought in our heads (or remove it), then doesn’t that prove how powerful the human mind is? Each person he enlists to help with his increasingly impressive set of tricks is asked not only their name, but what they do for a living, and what they dreamed of doing as a child. As he fuses people’s feet to the floor, makes them forget their own name, pushes subliminal thoughts inside our head, and predicts which number we’re all thinking of, he’s certainly a spokesman for making the impossible possible.

It’s easy to be sceptical about this sort of ‘mind-reading’ magic but what would be the point? Our ancestors may have thought there was some dark devilment at play, but we know it’s a mix of psychology and showmanship. And what a joy it is to watch it executed so masterfully. 

James Phelan: The Dreamer Underbelly’s Circus Hub, until 24 August, 5.15pm.