children's magic

MARIO THE MAKER MAGICIAN

☆☆☆☆

While 11AM on a Fringe weekend morning might feel like an early start to adults, the kids in Mario the Maker Magician’s audience were bright-eyed and full of excitement. In his self-titled Edinburgh Fringe premier he gives them ample opportunity to burn off their excess energy, quickly establishing a pantomime-adjacent performance style that gets them all involved and keeps them engaged. The focus is always on the children, but Mario gets the adults involved too when he needs a participant with a little more focus or who doesn’t mind a bit more teasing. And no one, regardless of age, could fail to be enchanted by his magic, brought to life with the help of his adorable robots and grounded with the educational bent of his show writing.

It’s that motivational and quasi-educational element of the show that makes it feel especially worthwhile for families with young children. Mario includes famous artists and scientists in his act, using their work to inform his own and making them stick in the minds of his young fans. He also takes the extra step to draw motivational conclusions from each famous individuals’ lives, encouraging the audience to live their lives to the fullest. It’s a classic conclusion to come to for a children’s act but is presented in a way that is memorable and effective.

Mario’s magic is presented adorably. His brightly colored shoelaces and red clown noses are used to great effect to kick off the show. Children (and adults) who find themselves coveting the clown noses need not fear—without giving too much away, they may not feel this jealousy by the end of the show. Later tricks involve Mario’s very sweet homemade robots, who seem to have minds of their own but never fail to be hilariously magical. A highlight here is a robotic play on the classic cup and ball trick, which has never before felt so delightfully silly. 

Adult participants in Mario’s show face some playful teasing, but his child participants are treated like the VIPs that they are. The children who join him onstage are made to feel magical and made integral to the show, the focus squarely on their own hopes and dreams, which Mario celebrates and encourages them to pursue.

Mario the Maker Magician is a popular children’s show to see this Fringe; even on a classic rainy Edinburgh morning, on the first weekend of the Fringe, he had a very nearly sold out audience. But luckily for the children’s guardians it’s not one that they will dread to sit through, there’s enough to keep them amazed and entertained as well. Housed in the inflated purple cow, Mario is a worthwhile family destination.

More information on Mario the Maker Magician can be found here.

MAGIC GARETH’S MAGIC EYE

☆☆☆☆

The Edinburgh-renowned Magic Gareth managed all but a full house on a sunny Edinburgh Sunday morning—the first magical feat of the reviewed performance of Magic Gareth’s Magic Eye. The one potential critique of the show is both immediately obvious at the start of the show while not being at all his fault, that due to the shape of the stage and audience layout individuals who chose to sit at the far edges are unable to see Gareth on stage. There is a brief moment of shuffling around when he first comes on, and future audiences are advised to arrive early and get central seats. That being said, the rest of the show—the bits that Gareth has control over—are difficult to fault. Even the smallest members of his audience are happily engaged for the full hour.

Gareth’s magic and child-friendly stunts consistently amaze, and get the whole audience involved. His fun take on Russian roulette culminates in a surprise that, from personal experience, is a refreshing treat for a hot summer day. And when he has an extra special prop to show off he makes sure to run around the whole audience so that everyone gets a chance to touch it. This prop’s use results in one of the visual highlights of the show, featuring Gareth using a hilarious makeshift blindfold to show off his skills without using sight. Cameras came out up and down the audience as everyone wanted their memento.

Given his reputation as a children’s performer it would be expected that Gareth is good with the children in his audience, and he is indeed great with them. He involves the little ones at every possible opportunity, making them feel important without giving them anything too taxing or stressful to do. His final words onstage are especially sweet for the kids, making sure that every single person in his audience leaves the show feeling special.

Magic Gareth is so well known as a children’s performer that even us Edinburghers without children of our own have often heard of him, and in Magic Gareth’s Magic Eye he more than lives up to his reputation. Children’s entertainment doesn’t get much better than this.

More information on Magic Gareth can be found here.

MAGIC ROMAN’S SUMMER HOLIDAY

☆☆☆

Magic Roman immediately grabs the attention of the children in his audience—and many of the adults—with his lovely bubbly coffee mug at the very start of Magic Roman’s Summer Holiday. The pretty bubbles are equally lovely to see and engaging for the children, several of whom reach out to bat them out of the air. Roman here establishes the pantomime-esque atmosphere, welcoming kids’ verbal contributions to the show. It all makes for an excellent lunchtime destination for young families.

As an adult, magically Roman is a bit of a mixed bag. He does not shy away from tricks and props that will only appeal to children, a point in his favor given his target audience, but perhaps worth noting for their attending parents. And this does not mean that there is nothing to keep the adults engaged, he earns their applause too—especially with his mind reading style trick that had a fun twist for all the age groups. Roman rounds out his entertainment value with a few original songs themed on his holiday, great transition pieces that feel a step up from the usual practice in magic shows of playing a recording of music in such transitory periods instead. He has a multitude of talents.

Kids and adults are all invited onstage, and Roman is great with both. The kids in particular are encouraged in their adorable interactions with him at all times. His cutest exchange comes from an effect with a paper bag. The kids’ increasing frustration at Roman’s misinterpretation of their requests was rewarded, eventually, with an exciting reveal that stunned them in to silence. Entertainment aside, he does a great job of encouraging the kids to get rid of excess energy through dancing and screaming, surely a welcome addition to the show in their parents’ eyes.

Magic Roman’s Summer Holiday is excellent children’s entertainment. The show is primarily geared toward their little ones but the adults will undoubtedly find joy in it as well. As at the reviewed show it appears to be under-appreciated, but for the group it’s geared toward it’s well worth the visit.

More information on Magic Roman and his performance dates can be found here.