jamie leonard

JAMIE LEONARD: BLINK OF AN EYE

☆☆☆

If you are chronically online, you may be aware of the audio meme that goes: “Want a beer?” “He’s 4!” “I don’t know, what am I supposed to do with him!?” Jamie Leonard is of course not 4, but he is just 18, a fact that will be shocking to anyone who experiences his confident and mature mastery over the stage. He’s 18! What are we supposed to do with him, review him fairly to the same standard of long time adult magicians? That’s apparently all we can do.

Leonard is up front about his age, making multiple references to his recent stint in, well, school, throughout the show. He also is in one of the exact life stages that his chosen theme is more directly relevant to, where the cusp of adulthood that you are falling over reveals that many things that came before it can and will be over in the blink of an eye. This truth is prominent to anyone at a transitional phase of life, so even those in his audience who are long past their school days can and do find it relatable. The magic tricks that he picks are lightly tied into this theme, and are not necessarily anything profoundly original, mostly a selection featuring card and math based tricks. However, his bright presentations keep them feeling fairly fresh, and he performs each and every one to near technical perfection.

When including audience participants in his effects, Leonard finds an excellent balance in being charmingly open and easy with little kids, and gently razzing the adults. He guides everyone clearly and keeps instructions simple, while making the experience enjoyable for all.

Even if you cannot relate to the underlying theme, Leonard has an infectious energy and affable enthuiasm that keep the audience feeling upbeat and engaged. At some points he is literally dancing and prancing around the stage, showing the confidence you might expect only from a much more seasoned performer. The only showmanship facet that really seems to need more experince is enunciation, as occasionally Leonard seems to get a little overexcited and fails to speak clearly. However, these moments are limited.

Jamie Leonard’s Blink of an Eye is an excellent work of a magic show, and his sold out rooms indicate that he is rapidly finding the success he has earned. If this is the level he is capable of performing at as a teenager, his competion should be quaking in their boots at the prospect of what he will be bringing within the next five or ten years.

JAMIE LEONARD: FOCUS POCUS

☆☆☆

Jamie Leonard is a tough Fringe act to catch. Over the past couple of years he has put on mini runs (by Fringe standards) of just a day or two. Undoubtedly by the time this review is online he will have once again vanished for the year like the proverbial elephant. While the magic might not have been flawless, Leonard is a charming performer and well worth an hour of the audience’s time.

Focus Pocus included a good mix of magic styles, there was something for everyone over the course of an hour. As the audience members entered the venue Leonard asked them to write a random word on a blank card, and the purpose of this was left a mystery for the majority of the show to great effect, with the timing of the reveal calling back to one of his early tricks and ensuring a positive last impression. Not all of the tricks went so well to plan, but Leonard only ran in to a couple of issues and was quick to salvage what he could. Focus Pocus is decidedly comedy magic, and that attitude of not taking himself too seriously served Leonard well when things didn’t go as perfectly as he might have hoped.

In a small venue early in the afternoon, Leonard found few volunteer participants, but enough to not have to resort to picking people at random. He establishes a strong rapport early on, and is mindful of the variety of age ranges in his audience. When his participants pick a naughty number for him to use for one of his tricks, he comments on it directly enough to get a laugh from the adults but obliquely enough that he hopefully didn’t prompt any awkward questions from the younger children.

Appropriately for a comedy magician, Leonard is a funny guy, with great comic timing, especially when joking with his audience. If the magic isn’t perfect yet it seems reasonable to attribute that to his youth, he doesn’t mention his age but joking about homework certainly makes him sound on the younger side. But it’s his calm attitude towards mistakes and distractions that comes across as the best sign for the future of his performance career; the ability to not let setbacks derail a performance is perhaps the most important quality in any performer. Fringe audiences may have to wait until next year to catch a glimpse of Leonard’s magic, but they won’t be disappointed by his performance—regardless of whether or not the tricks go right.

More information about Jamie Leonard can be found here.