The Amazing Max. Photo provided by Gordon Center.
To me, a magic show is all about ‘how did he do that?’ And with the Amazing Max, even my skeptical 12-year old was amazed. This isn’t your run-of-the-mill magic show with card tricks and bunnies and magic hats… the Amazing Max takes a different spin on magic by introducing tricks like a thought reader (complete with video screen), a stuffed pig named Hamlet, an inflatable T-Rex, and a machine that cleans shoes.
Max introduces us to a brand of off-the-wall magic humor that’s contemporary and definitely unique. Amazing.
Part of the fun is the audience participation, and the Amazing Max definitely knows how to work the crowd. There’s nothing like seeing a cute kid on stage, and Max makes sure he has plenty of those (I counted no less than seven kids that went up on stage). In fact, most of the kids called up were on the younger side, and as we all know, the younger, the cuter. He ups the cute factor by making all the kids give us their biggest smile and then prompting them to smile even bigger. And at the end of each act, Max throws each child a magic wand (which he continues to throw until each one catches it) so ‘the magician’s assistant’ can leave to the sound of a huge round of applause. And what kid isn’t thrilled with a (free) magic wand and applause?
This audience involvement works to keep the kids entertained. First off, they see their counterpart under their lights. Second of all, little kids are just funny… you never know what they’re going to do or say. And lastly, the kids end up thinking ‘hey… I could be next!’ Max encourages the kids to signal their desire to go onstage by doing everything from showing their crazy dance moves to raising a foot. And once they’re on stage, he makes them feel comfortable under the spotlight.
Max keeps the attention of both the younger set and their parents with his goofiness, whether that’s pretending he’s five years old and telling his parents about his future career goals or finding quarters in various body parts of ‘the magician’s assistant’. He also has plenty of energy as he runs throughout the theatre, shows off his dance moves, and even has a light sabre battle. Max seems to be having as much fun as the kids, channeling his inner child to the delight of everyone in the audience.
Max even lets the audience choose the ending – a forum on issues in the recent election or a light sabre battle with a giant taco? Hmmm… now that’s a tough one, right? Of course, to kids, there’s nothing funnier than seeing an adult in a taco suit battling with Max – and of course, there’s a magic trick hidden inside there too. Max introduces us to a brand of off-the-wall magic humor that’s contemporary and definitely unique. Amazing.
Running Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes.
“The Amazing Max” only played on February 5, 2017. For more information on Gordon Center, click here. For more information on “The Amazing Max,” click here.
