Amaze at The Criterion Theatre
Jamie Allan is only the 3rd illusionist to have a extended solo West End season, following in the steps of Paul Daniels and Derren Brown. I was therefore looking forward to discovering a new (to me) magician and seeing what he brought to the West End in his show, Amaze.
The show is rooted in his 80’s childhood, taking the audience back to how he first discovered his love for magic and sharing with us how this love grew. He speaks fondly about his family and mentors and the reveal of one of his stories almost feels more amazing than some of the magic itself. Allan is a wonderful storyteller and him weaving his childhood through the tricks helped the show feel more personal and engaging rather than simply a series of stunts one after another. There was the odd moment where the pacing felt slightly slow, that a few more tricks interspersed a bit more frequently would have helped this.
Jamie has a very natural way with the audience, he built up rapport very quickly, never coming across as too flashy or arrogant which is always a danger when you are on stage alone for most of the show but equally was engaging enough to be leading a West End show.
Allan’s magic varied in style throughout the show which also helped keep the audience engaged. There was a lot of close up magic with cards, the tricks filmed live and displayed on screens to make it easier for those further from the Criterion’s stage to see. There was also clever tricks using technology with the whole of the audience on their smart phones at one point and there was a big illusion for the climax of Act 1. Surprisingly the biggest illusion was the one that fell the most flat for me, perhaps it was the fact that I have seen people perform similar illusions on stage before so I was a bit jaded in that regard. It was the rest of the show that really kept me guessing and scratching my head to wonder just how he had done it, some might even say…..amazed.
The set design was engaging, with props reminiscent of his childhood littered around the stage and their relevance gradually becoming clear as the show went on. The toys and artefacts of the 80’s provided a nice contrast with the more modern screens that were dotted around, working together to deliver a hit of nostalgia but making it relevant for todays audiences. The screens were not only used to show some of the tricks up close but also to show photos of Jamie’s childhood and key 80’s moments such as the trailer to ‘Never Ending Story.’ Before the show even started there were 80’s videos playing which really helped set the scene when the audience arrived into the auditorium.
By the end of the show not only did you feel that the show had achieved what it said on the tin ‘Amaze’ but you also felt like you knew Jamie Allan that little bit better and wholeheartedly brought into his story.
Amaze is running at the Criterion Theatre until 23rd November. You can find out more and buy tickets here.
If you like this review you might also like my review of Hadestown, Stranger Things The First Shadow and Starlight Express.