Cameron Young

CAMERON YOUNG: THE SCOTTISH MAGICIAN

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It must be acknowledged that there is absolutely an innate appeal to spending an hour looking at a man in a kilt. Cameron Young, a Scottish magician who titled and themed his show The Scottish Magician seems to understand the allure. His show contains plenty of magic and plenty of celebration of Scottish culture—exactly as promised.

The celebration of Scotland starts immediately, with an audience participant invited to take part in a trick in exchange for the chance to win a classic Scottish snack. Young is kind to his participants, frequently offering rewards in the form of magical mementos as thanks for taking part in the show. He gets increasing numbers of volunteers as the audience catches on to this and everyone decides that they want a physical reminder of the magic.

While much of the magic included is familiar favorites, Young also includes some fun reinterpretations that make the classics feel fresh. Of particular note is his take on a ring effect, which involves an exciting series of revelations. It is, however, a mixed result, as this effect specifically is one of the ones that is unfortunately easy to catch out from the first few rows, even when the audience is not trying to break the spell of the magic. Young is much more successful at concealing the sleights of the classic tricks, perhaps indicating that this one simply requires a bit more practice. The audience is lucky to see his fresh new magic in progress.

The narrative around the tricks does feel at times a bit disjointed, with Young chatting at various points about his childhood adventures as a secret budding magician and then, at times, breaking into rhapsodic praise of Scotland—its food, drink, and celebrities. Aside from the kilt and the lovely accent, his enthusiasm in speaking on these varied topics does keep the audience’s attention. If it’s a slightly disjointed show thematically, it is nevertheless unfailingly entertaining.

It is hopefully not surprising to magic fans at the Edinburgh Fringe to hear that Young is not the only Scottish magician at the festival. He is, however, the only one who has themed his show on his love for his country. For mostly skillful magic, an enjoyable series of stories, a safe space to shout a bit about your love for Scotland, and of course a man in a kilt, The Scottish Magician is the show to see.

More information on The Scottish Magician and its performance dates can be found here.

YOUNG AND MOXIE

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Putting on a show as a new magic duo and invoking the names of Penn and Teller in all your marketing is a bold move, even by magician standards. It’s impossible to imagine anyone living up to a straight comparison to the stage chemistry of one of the most famous magic partnerships alive. Nevertheless, seasoned magician Cameron Young and Moxie Jillette, daughter of the Penn half of the esteemed pair, make this attempt together as Young and Moxie.

Young and Moxie take an appropriately sneaky approach to getting around this potential issue. They take full advantage of Moxie’s famous parent in their marketing—which can’t be faulted, the Fringe is a notoriously brutal market and it’s entirely reasonable to take advantage of every angle one has to get an audience—but then are quick to frame it as more of a magical apprenticeship for the younger Moxie than a traditional partnership. And if it does feel a bit like a partnership of convenience, they do have a better stage chemistry than might be expected of a pair that did their rehearsing over Zoom.

Most of the stage time is given to Young, the teacher in this scenario, although in contrast to his regular Fringe solo shows his work is peppered with Moxie’s snarky commentary. Young’s tricks are performed with his usual precision. He warms up the crowd with his favorite, predictive magic, and gets everyone thinking through his selection process so the whole audience feels involved.

Maybe it’s just that Fringe audiences are more accustomed to Young’s approach, but Moxie’s take on both magic and performing feel especially exciting. Her version of a classic effect, performed in front of the audience but really just for one person, breathes new life into a tired prop. Her running commentary on Young and his magic is hilarious and apt; her insightful perspective on magic makes the entire production that little bit more interesting. If magic shows had live commentators like sporting matches Moxie would be a perfect fit for the role. While she’s great when speaking to others, whether exchanging banter with Young or vibing with her audience participants, like many younger magicians Moxie comes across as slightly nervous in her monologues. The prevalence of this shortcoming amongst younger magicians would indicate that it is best remedied by the experience that she is currently building.

Young and Moxie is a worthwhile hour of a show, for both performers and even for the spark of their stage chemistry. However, both Young and Moxie simply radiate too much Main Character Energy, in the best possible way for two magicians, for their paired show to feel like a sufficient experience of either of them. While Young’s many fans can also catch him solo at the Voodoo Rooms this year, Moxie’s only available as part of the duo for now. After a glimpse at her unique approach Fringe audiences will surely be equally excited to catch her solo if and when she feels ready.

More information on Young and Moxie can be found here.

CAMERON YOUNG: A SECRET SHOW

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At around noon at the Fringe, getting to Cameron Young’s Secret Show feels like an early morning; perhaps the non-Fringe equivalent would be having to get to the office at 6AM. He has less time slot competition from his fellow magicians than with sleep. However, for the early birds it’s a worthwhile way to pass the time.

At the beginning of the show Young introduces the audience to his numbered binder of tricks—instantly appealing for its tidy organization, the audience knows they aren’t in for the kind of chaotic magic show that results in a mess of loose cards and sundry props strewn across the stage. Young allows the audience to choose the number of the trick that he’ll perform. This is a great gimmick, giving everyone a chance to feel agency in creating the direction of the show, and giving each day of the show a distinct flavor. As Young states, anyone who doesn’t like the show is welcome to buy a ticket for the next day and see him perform something a bit different.

Despite giving himself more to master, each trick that Young performed at the reviewed show looks well practiced. A highlight is a card routine that failed to get fourteen year old Young a date with his math class crush. The audience participant enthusiastically returned his flirtatious dance moves, and looked thrilled with the reveal that happened right between her teeth.

As an early show, the majority of Young’s audience were older folks and families with young children. He is great with both age groups, inviting older folks to get in touch with their silly sides and making sure excitable youngsters don’t interrupt him too much while avoiding shutting them down. At least two children in his front row left badgering their parents for magic lessons; we look forward to reviewing them in about a decade and hearing their re-telling of how Young inspired them.

The Secret Show is definitely worth a visit, perhaps especially for families but enjoyable for all ages. This is only Young’s first show of the day, like a few performers he runs two shows a day. However, what really makes him stand out (and is perhaps the most baller move of this year’s Fringe) is that he has this Secret Show through the paid Fringe, and his second show with the PBH free fringe. If it’s anything like this one his second show is surely worth checking out as well.

More information on Cameron Young and his performance dates can be found here.

CAMERON YOUNG: THE SECRETS SHOW

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The Secrets Show is not quite sure what it wants to be.  The audience may get the impression that it is a test run, in which the performer is looking to figure out what direction he might want to take in his magical career.  Luckily the performer in question is Cameron Young, who is brimming with magical skill and charisma.  Watching him show off the variety of tricks in his repertoire is a pleasure.

Young has a clear preference for dangerous magic, interspersing these risky tricks throughout the show.  His version of the classic trick involving a dangerous bag is of note because he has made the effort to switch up the number of bags and level of audience involvement, giving it a more personal touch.  His interactions with his primary audience participant for this trick have a pleasantly humorous effect on what can otherwise be a fairly scary trick.

In contrast, one of the segments that Young spends a considerable amount of time on is a very sweet extended camping trip story sequence.  Young talks about how his childhood spent camping led to a love of magic (the story of how he encountered a magician in the wilderness is teased but never fully explained) and weaves several tricks into the fabric of the narrative.  He successfully creates moments for the magic and storytelling to complement each other.

Where Young struggles slightly is in blending this narrative approach with his proclivity for dangerous stunts.  It can certainly be done, and Young certainly seems to have the magical and performance skills to create and perform a more cohesive show.  Even when working with such disjointed material his is an engaging stage presence and manages to create a fun magical atmosphere.

 

More information on Cameron Young and his performance dates can be found here.