⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and a half
The Greatest Magic Show features the three amigos of Showmen Productions.
Magnus as the Ringmaster, Sam the seasoned magician and Justin the goofy magician. The dynamic works well to create a comedic show.
The premise is simple – Sam and Justin are magicians. While Sam is trying very hard to maintain his professional wizardry, he is distracted and thwarted by Justin’s bursts of “ineptness” and tomfoolery. Enter the Ringmaster, who attempts to reign things back in, only to get tangled in the mess as well.
It’s a show of magic tricks with generous dose of slapstick. This kept the kids well and truly engaged with the most ridiculous moments garnering deafening laughter.
However, this also meant that at times, it felt like the magic was taking a backseat to the chaos. Truthfully, I am finding it much easier to remember the moments of silliness than the actual magic tricks.
What I do remember is that most of the magic tricks involved having a volunteer. The magicians executed this element of their show superbly with maximum impact.
While interactive shows can be highly engaging, it also means that performers are at the mercy of their audience. Add the fact that the audience comprises mainly children with no filter and most artists would sweat buckets.
Showmen Productions nails the audience participation element, thanks to how attuned they are to children.
While this show is highly interactive, they are selective with who they bring onstage. At the session I attended, one family was creating a ruckus, insisting that the magicians pick their son. The boy was clearly uncomfortable and shaking his head. While some magicians might pander to the familial pressure, the magicians spared the boy.
Similarly, when the volunteers develop stage shyness, the magicians simply roll with it. There’s no cajoling, just acceptance and gentle guidance.
But most importantly, The Greatest Magic Show also imparts a fantastic message at the end of the show about the important of hard work and believing in yourself. A cynical parent might think, oh how trite. But kids need repetition and hearing it from sources outside of the parental sphere helps the message stick.
So even though it may not be the greatest magic show on Earth, this show is both heart warming and belly achingly funny. Now that’s a feat that’s simply magic.