Review: Jamie Allan's Amaze Will Wow Kids—and Their Gen-Xer Parents Too

Jamie Allan’s Amaze is a delight for all ages, especially those between 8 and 12 years old who marvel at the wonders of storytelling and magic. And what kid doesn’t? 

Allan begins the show by painting a picture of his own childhood in the UK during the early 1980s. He asks if there are any children of the ‘80s in the audience, and as you might expect, the hands shoot up. Director Jonathan Goodwin sets the scene with props, designed by Damien Stanton, that recall the era and posters of Allan’s idols (David Copperfield, Penn and Teller) that adorn the stage as snippets of nostalgic songs fill the air. 

Allan talks about his first magic kit, which led to his calling. There are two kinds of people, he tells us: those who believe in magic and don’t overthink it, and the cynics. It’s a setup, of course, that asks us to decide which one we are before we begin the voyage through his childhood.  

The magic tricks start small, a stick poking through a sheet of glass, and then a card trick. Soon, Allan includes audience members, some of whom join him onstage. The first act concludes with a reincarnation of his beloved mother, played by Natalia Love, whom he levitates horizontally without strings, or so it would seem, and then she appears to vanish into thin air. It’s a memorable act, tenderly pairing the memory of this mother with an impressive and haunting trick. 

With the exception of a rowdy group sitting nearby on the night I attended, the audience was thoroughly engaged by the show. Tricks aside, Allan is a charming and warm performer who welcomes the audience into sharing his love of this form of escapism. I attended with a fellow Gen Xer, and we both enjoyed the two–hour distraction from the bustle of summer in the city. I recommend it for families and for anyone who loves a Rubik’s cube–filled trip down memory lane.