There were nonstop laughs from the whole audience, as well as awestruck gasps – especially from younger kids – at The Amazing Max magic performance for children ages 3 and up. You can catch the final New York City show for this season on Saturday, January 4, but Max is sure to entertain City kids again soon when he returns home from the national-touring show.
Last week I attended the performance on the Upper West Side with my three daughters, ages 5, 8, and 10.*
In the hour-long production, Max fits in about ten magic acts. There were cards, coins, levitation, mind-reading, and disappearing objects, to name (but not give away) few. My youngest daughter was in awe, while the older two quickly had ideas about how some of these tricks were achieved. There were lots of jokes and antics interspersed with and part of the magic. I wasn’t sure how a little stuffed pig fit into the act, but it sure got laughs while riding across the stage on a big-wheeled truck. And the light-saber fight with a human taco? That one wound up tricking me too.
For almost every magic act, there was a child from the audience to assist on stage. Max requested hand-waving, foot-raising, and hip-shaking to indicate interest in volunteering. Although my daughters were disappointed that they were not among those selected, they still had fun trying to get up on stage. Max was able to connect with the kids and make them feel comfortable in front of a theater full of strangers. Max had a way with the very youngest volunteer, who was only 3 or 4; he had the whole audience laughing with his huge smiles and future aspiration to be a “waffle.”
On the day we attended, the majority of kids in the audience were pre-schoolers. The feedback from my daughters was that that the jokes and magic were best for this age and up to age 6 or 7 (though a couple of acts included written words in the visuals that I had to read to my 5 year old). Even so, Max’s energy and antics kept all four of us smiling and laughing throughout the show.
This season's New York City run is at Theatre 71 at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament, a small and comfortable theater with 5 rows and about 100 seats. Any seat is close enough to the stage, though the center section would be preferable for a head-on view of Max’s tricks. Ticket prices range from $34.50 to $69.50. Premium tickets get you seats in the first two rows and a mini pre-show with the magician’s assistant that includes a small magic trick to learn and take home. After the show, everyone is invited to line up and meet Max in person for a chat and a photo.
*We received complimentary tickets to the performance for the purpose of this review. I was not compensated in any other manner, and all opinions expressed in this article are my own.
Gianna Abruzzo is a Brooklyn-born adventurer with nearly ten years of experience exploring playgrounds – in Lower Manhattan, around NYC, and in eleven more countries – with her three daughters. Gianna seeks to share a sense of community and pride in the places we play. Follow her on Instagram
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