It is perhaps appropriate that a performance that included illusion, contortionism, sleight of hand and card tricks should open to a full house on Friday, February 4.Outerbridge Magical Moments in Time featuring illusionist Ted Outerbridge and dancer/illusionist Marion Outerbridge provided an evening of family entertainment at the City Hall Theatre as part of the 2011 Bermuda Festival line-up.The thread tying essentially disparate illusions together was the theme of time, and the performance opened with a series of aphorisms about the value of time, stolen time and time capsules. 1970s and 1980s pop music pumped up the energy with an upbeat tempo, and the audience, at least the younger members, were ready to enter the world of illusion.A slightly conservative, aloof adult audience meant that at times Mr Outerbridge had his work cut out to find enough adult participation for his conjuring and sleight-of-hand tricks, though there were plenty of youngsters keen to join him on stage.There were conjuring tricks silk handkerchiefs from empty bottles; sleight-of-hand illusions included drawing a whole front section of The Royal Gazette from torn shreds and turning several face cards featuring the Queen of Hearts into the King of Clubs.Apparently ‘psychic' skills included a ‘time capsule' of slightly unusual Bermudian icons music (Led Zepplin!), an address (12 Monkey Hall Lane) and an image (a fishing boat) written on paper and stored in a box weeks earlier until the time came to open the capsule on stage. In a similar fashion, times suggested by three audience members appeared written on a roll of toilet tissue.There was travel back in time. We visited a vaguely Medieval place where a knight used swords to pierce a rattan basket into which a damsel had hidden; the set of a 1960s game show, ‘The Psychic is Right' and the early 20th century when Percy Thomas Tibbles sawed a woman in half.The illusion of turning a piece of eggshell in a clear balloon glass into its former whole fresh egg was clever, as was Mrs Outerbridge's disappearance into a television that comprised several small compartments where did she go? She appeared moments later in an entirely different costume.The ‘three lengths of rope' illusion was particularly poignant as it was the first trick Mr Outerbridge mastered at the age of 12. It was also the trick he ended with.A simple piece of silk thread which was broken and rejoined as Mr Outerbridge reflected on the thread of life: seemingly fragile, but strong enough to bind together moments in time, magic moments of intense love, happiness, separation, all bound by beautiful memories.Carefully selected music, such as Pink Floyd's ‘Time', witty banter (“The lights were so bright I couldn't hear you,” he told one young helper), and poignant observations filled the time between acts, creating a cohesive performance, which I enjoyed.My husband, a Scottish engineer more widely travelled and worldly-wise than I, was less impressed with the overall performance, wishing there had been more illusion and less ‘production'.Pumped up with the promotional hype on the front page of this publication, he was disappointed that there was no levitation in the performance. Some ill-timing spoiled the illusion of one or two tricks, and Greta the psychic goose was more camp than clever. “A Saturday matinee performance,” was his verdict.That said, the audience, particularly the younger members, seemed to enjoy themselves thoroughly, and overall it was delightful family entertainment.