Fake Comes to London: Award-Winning Magic and Storytelling in September
After two award-winning runs at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and a double-award-winning appearance at Prague Fringe, Chris Cook is bringing Fake to London for the first time this September.
The magic and storytelling show will play six performances at Lower Marsh Arts Club in Waterloo from 23–28 September 2026, including a Saturday afternoon matinee.
For audiences looking for something different to see in London this September, Fake combines magic, comedy and theatre with a story about art, fraud and deception.
It’s pretty, but is it art?
That's the question at the heart of Fake.
Magician and storyteller Chris Cook tells the stories of a faker so skilled he had to forge his way to freedom, an artist so talented he may himself be a fraud, a magician whose promise conceals a lie, and a mysterious figure who may not exist at all.
Three men. Four stories.
What connects them is a fascination with illusion and authenticity, and with the things people are prepared to believe when they want something to be true.
Through a mixture of sleight of hand, comedy and storytelling, Fake asks what actually gives something value.
Is it skill? Belief? Authenticity?
And if something looks real, does it matter whether it actually is?
From Edinburgh Fringe to London
Fake first appeared at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2025, where it was selected as a Mervyn Stutter's Pick of the Fringe and won an Edinburgh Festival Fringe Theatre Award.
The show returned to Edinburgh in 2026 and won another Edinburgh Festival Fringe Theatre Award, alongside multiple four- and five-star reviews.
At Prague Fringe earlier this year, Fake won both the Creative Award and Inspiration Award.
Now the show is heading to London for the first time.
The seven-performance run takes place at Lower Marsh Arts Club, an independent venue close to Waterloo and the South Bank.
A different kind of magic show
Fake isn't simply a series of magic tricks.
The illusions are part of the storytelling, helping to explore the same ideas as the stories themselves: deception, belief, authenticity and the value we place on things we think are real.
It's a show about art forgery, con artists, magicians and illusion, but also about something much more familiar: why we sometimes choose to believe a good story.
As Cook puts it:
“This is not a show about magic tricks. It’s a show about why we fall for them.”
That combination of magic, comedy and storytelling has helped the show find audiences beyond traditional magic fans, making it an unusual addition to London's theatre calendar this September.
What the critics said
Fake has received multiple five-star reviews during its Edinburgh and Prague runs.
★★★★★ The British Theatre Guide — “A sheer entertaining delight.”
★★★★★ Fringe Radio — “Cook is a confident performer with a natural stage presence”
★★★★★ World Magic Review — “For a bit of magic, a bit of storytelling, and a lot of heart, Cook's Fake is the show to see.”
★★★★★ Edinburgh Reviews — “A history lesson, a philosophical debate, and a masterclass in storytelling.”
★★★★★ Binge Fringe — “Clever, naughty and inviting.”
★★★★★ The Student — “It aims to be truly, genuinely hopeful.”
★★★★★ Entertainment Now — “A highly entertaining show... which combines stunning magic, standup and an inter-woven story.”
See Fake in London this September
Fake comes to Lower Marsh Arts Club for six performances this September.
23–28 September 2026
Lower Marsh Arts Club, London SE1 7AE
7pm daily
2pm matinee on Saturday 26 September
If you're planning a theatre trip to London this September, Fake offers something a little different: a story about fraud and forgery told by a magician, using magic to explore why we believe the things we do.
It’s pretty, but is it art?
A story only a magician could tell.
