In his aptly named Amaze, Jamie Allan relates his story of being raised by loving parents, discovering his life’s passion at an early age, and being lucky enough to pursue it and master it. The show is a touching coming-of-age tale, mixing humor and poignancy to wonderful effect, delivered with charm and wit.
Oh, and did I mention there’s also magic involved?
Not of the literary kind, although there’s plenty of that. Rather, the sort of sleight-of-hand trickery, mentalism, and stunning illusions that leave you shaking your head in bafflement. Allan, you see, is not only a talented monologist but also a terrific magician, here displaying his artistry in the intimate confines of one of the smaller New World Stages theaters.
The affable performer isn’t seeking simply to dazzle us, although he often succeeds. Rather, he’s looking to make us relate to his story of becoming fascinated by magic when he was just 5 years old and received the gift of a Fisher-Price Magic Show, which he proudly displays on his memorabilia-laden set (I fervently hope it’s the actual one he got). He soon became “The Amazing Jamie,” performing tricks for patient friends and family members. His childhood heroes, he informs us, were such figures as David Copperfield, Doug Henning, and Penn & Teller, all of whom he pays lavish tribute.
Allan augments his tale with plenty of props, including the three-legged table his father made for him and a collection of vintage magic books his mother generously bought for him at an antiques store. He grew up living above a pub run by his parents in a small English town, the basement of which featured a cabaret where the performers included his mother (we hear a recording of her singing “The Way We Were,” and she’s good) and a magician who took the dazzled young Allan under his wing.
Along the way, Allan regales us with expertly performed illusions, ranging from card tricks (magnified on a video screen) to a neat variation on levitating a female assistant to a truly dazzling routine incorporating iPads that he calls “Digital Art.” The magician often weaves various forms of technology into his bits, including one in which audience members are invited to make seemingly random calculations on their cellphones, only to all wind up with a particularly significant number.
Truth be told, if you’ve been to Vegas or seen any of the many magic-themed shows that regularly hit New York, you’ll be familiar with many of the tricks, or variations of them, on display. Which is why this show, co-created by Tommy Bond and directed by Jonathan Goodwin, is so unique. Allan isn’t simply performing magic, which he does to perfection, but is telling a story—one that proves sweetly sentimental and touching, infusing the proceedings with an emotionalism sorely lacking in most shows of its type.
There are pacing issues, with some of the routines feeling too long. Amaze might benefit from a slight paring of its current two-hour runtime (including an intermission). But those are minor quibbles for this rare evening of magic that should prove appealing even to those who aren’t fans of the form. And that may be Jamie Allan’s greatest trick of all.
Amaze opened Aug. 13, 2025, at New World Stages and runs through Nov. 2. Tickets and information: amazemagic.com
