In 1982 the toy company Fisher-Price released a magic kit that wound up under the Christmas tree of five-year-old Jamie Allan. Not only was it the perfect pairing of kid and gift, this “Trunkful of tricks kids can really do” became the catalyst for a lifelong love of mystifying audiences and his extraordinary magic show/memoir Amaze.

Jamie Allan, photos by Danny Kaan.

Engaging, down-to-earth, and British (the accent is a definite plus), Allan’s show at New World Stages is a coming together of magic and reminiscences set mainly in the attic (part playroom part archive part Wayback Machine) of The Horse and Jockey, his parents' pub that also housed a theatre where, at age eight, he showcased his budding magic skills as an opening act for the headliner du jour.

“I don’t remember a time that I didn’t do magic,” says Allan, a Gen-Xer who spent his formative years watching TV specials featuring magicians like David Copperfield, Penn & Teller, and Doug Henning. “For me there was an allure about magicians from over the pond, they seemed so exotic—and as a kid, I always believed America was where the biggest and greatest magicians were. I still believe that, so being here is really the dream.”

As it happens, Amaze is a rarity—a magic show for sure, but also a touchingly narrated journey through Allan’s past, represented pre-show by posters, commercials, and ephemera from the 1980s, giving theatregoers a deliciously loopy flashback to the decade that gave us Ghostbusters, E.T., Return of the Jedi, Applebee’s, and Radio Shack. Once the show gets underway, though, the nostalgia becomes personal, moving on to his parents and their impact on his life and career, like the day he and his mother (the singer Kay Kennedy) stumbled on a windfall of props, books, and tricks from a magician’s estate. It’s revelations like this—intermingled with jaw-dropping magic, both traditional and tech-driven—that give the show its unique patina. One minute you’re immersed in Allan’s compelling backstory, and the next you’re raising your hand, hoping to be among those rarefied few chosen to take part in his onstage hocus-pocus.

“I’ve never talked so much as in this show,” says Allan, explaining that while the storytelling aspect of the show is new to him, it’s something he’s come to love. “I always wanted Amaze to be more like a play and to have the audience not just to understand the background but to feel some of the emotion.” If the night I saw the show is any indication, he’s succeeded—absolutely.

According to Allan, the decision to create a deeply personal magic show grew from observing a common thread among present-day magicians. “I think I spot trends, and I noticed that many performers were still presenting a kind of slick slam-bang magic,” he says. “Because we live in a world of watching people through social media and podcasts, it’s almost like they’re trying to present a front, or mystique, through their magic, which is something I’ve been guilty of as well.”

So Allan opted for a different approach: to simply tell the truth.

“And that just doesn’t happen in magic shows,” he admits. “My aim is to never lie to the audience, which is really hard when doing magic because you can’t say ‘this box is empty’ if you know it’s not. But that’s what I’m trying to do…to not lie. I might not tell the whole truth, but I try never to lie. It’s a real challenge.”

In bringing Amaze to New York following its successful run at the Criterion Theatre in London’s West End, Allan is experiencing—like many U.K. entertainers before him – the joy of performing for U.S. audiences. “Americans go into a show wanting to like it; in London they want you to prove yourself,” says Allan. “I’m not saying Americans can’t be harsh—they can if something’s not good—but they always seem to go in wanting it to be great."

Among those rooting for Amaze at New World Stages are Allan’s generational soulmates, fellow Gen-Xers, who arrive with their kids—mostly elementary and middle-schoolers—ready and anxious to trot onto the stage at the drop of a top hat. And as a father of three himself, it’s no surprise that Allan’s secondary superpower (after magic) is finessing fun reactions from giggling little ones. “There are things in the show that change with each performance, depending on the audience, and I wouldn’t want it any other way,” notes Allan, citing one of his fears: having to say the same words every night.

“One trick in the show is like jazz magic when it comes to getting it to work, and I love it because you feel alive…you’re very much in the moment with that audience in that time—and you have to be to get it to that perfect conclusion.”

That said, Allan is well aware that while he’s rocking the spotlight, he’s not a solo act: “It takes an army of magicians to do what we’re trying to do,” a team that includes Illusion Manager Justin Gentry and Featured Artist Natalia Love, a skilled magician in her own right, who appears at pivotal points throughout the show. “When he hired me, he was looking for someone who could already do magic and help out more, something most assistants can’t, so it really worked out well,” she recalls, adding that because the show’s magic is so incredibly unique it has universal appeal.

“It always surprises us when we look out into the audience and see the mix—retired couples, families, date nights, everyone comes to a magic show,” says Allan, who cites two different types of theatregoers: “You’re either a dreamer or a skeptic. Sometimes a dreamer will drag the odd skeptic along with them,” he adds, thoroughly optimistic that the cynic will become a dreamer before the performance ends. 

In the final analysis Amaze is more than a magic show, it has both emotion and dramatic weight. You might enter the theatre expecting one thing, but you’ll leave having experienced something different, better, and satisfying.

Show Score’s 93% theatregoer approval rating for Amaze comes with a flurry of comments, including “Funny” “Clever” and “Entertaining.” But if I were to guess, I’d say that Jamie Allan’s favorite notice to date has to be: “Great acting.”

Amaze is currently playing at New World Stages, 340 W. 50^th St. (btw. 8^th and 9^th Aves.) For tickets call 212-239-6200 or visit amazemagic.com.