☆☆☆

It takes all kinds of events to make the Fringe the unique festival that it is. An Unbefleavable Magic Show is one of the stranger ones, bringing the wonderfully weird energy that the Fringe is best known for down to scale for the little ones: young children and, of course, fleas. The fleas are assisted by human performer Jamie the Hopscotch Magician, who skillfully keeps his younger audience engaged, encouraging involvement from the willing and showing kindness to the shy.

While the focus is on the fleas showcasing their acrobatic feats, Jamie also performs flea-themed magic and juggling himself. The way that Jamie demonstrates “the fleas” in action is fun to watch. Children will be the most entranced, but adults can appreciate the creativity and care that has gone in to inventing such an unusual act. The primary apparatuses are contained in an adorable little miniature circus, even smaller than doll size, into which Jamie has placed all the expected paraphernalia of an actual circus. The fleas he describes are in the expected archetypes for circus performers, showing Jamie’s attention to detail.

Interspersed and tied in to the main event is Jamie’s magic and juggling skills. These are clearly designed for young children to follow and participate in with ease. To an adult magic fan the tricks themselves may seem fairly basic, but they are well performed, suit the purpose, and the children are suitably impressed. Jamie gets a lot of mileage out of his rope trick in particular, with a couple of children participating in various stages.

The audience participation is largely geared towards the younger audience members. Jamie often asks for volunteers, and at the reviewed show was able to include all who put themselves forward. As the audience was quite young on average there were more interruptions than usual, whether from an excitable baby or enthusiastic youths. Jamie took this all in stride, responding in kind where he could, and ensuring that the show stayed on track.

With a great location along Leith Walk that’s convenient for a few of Edinburgh’s neighborhoods and a fun and creative subject matter, An Unbefleavable Magic Show is a great choice for family oriented entertainment. Adults will have a nice time as well, but the emphasis is definitely on entertaining younger kids, a good niche to have at the Fringe. And with the PBH free fringe setup, there’s no reason not to give the fleas a chance.