Multi-media magic and classic conjuring meet coming-of-age memories in British illusionist Jamie Allan’s Amaze, co-created by Allan and Tommy Bond, now playing a limited Off-Broadway engagement at New World Stages following a record-breaking production in Chicago and an acclaimed run on London’s West End. Interwoven between his dazzling feats, sleight-of-hand tricks, and segments of audience participation, Allan, under the fluid direction of Jonathan Goodwin, pays tribute to his loving parents (Kay Kennedy, a professional singer, and Alan James Nicklin, a bandleader), shares direct-address autobiographical reflections on significant episodes from his happy childhood in the small English town where they owned a pub, and recounts his discovery of, passion for, and dedication to magic at an early age, supported and encouraged by his Mom and Dad, all delivered with engaging charm and heart.
To tell his personal story, revolving around the year 1982, while also employing the latest in state-of-the-art high-tech for his innovative theatrical performance, Allan utilizes a multitude of projected family photos, videos, and recordings (including a touching one of his mother singing “The Way We Were”), digital devices and lasers, along with meaningful costumes and props (by Ingenious Design UK). Most significant among them are the Fisher-Price magic kit and vintage books on magic from a local antiques shop that his parents gifted him as a child, were kept in the attic above the pub (recreated here for the stage in Damien Stanton’s changing set), where he developed his skills from the age of five, and now play as central a role in the show as they did in his life and career – a career that began with fledgling acts in the pub’s basement club (where he met a renowned magician who took him on as a protégé), then went professional in 1995, when, at eighteen, he made his British TV debut on iMagician.
Upon entering the theater, everyone is invited to write their name and a favorite childhood toy they held in their hands on a piece of paper, then fold it and deposit it in a bucket. The show closes with Allan asking some random members of the audience to pull one out of the bucket and hand it to him; he then reads the names and the toys from the papers, with the final one culminating in a surprise connection to him and his first trick, tying the entire story together from beginning to end. Unfortunately, on the date I attended, Allan’s unintentional slip up on the final name made it very clear how the trick was done. It was a disappointing spoiler (and a rarity, I’m sure) to an otherwise flawless, astonishing, and mystifying performance. But as he noted in his introductory comments, people should come to a magic show to be delighted, entertained, and amazed, not to fixate on trying to figure it out (though in this particular case, through no fault of the viewer, it was unavoidable).
With that said, the rest of the captivating, mind-blowing act successfully transported us into Allan’s world of expert effects and masterful illusions (with Richard Young serving as illusion director), enhanced by a magical soundscape (sound by Ryan Borshuk) and shifts in colorful lighting and spotlights in the darkness (by Sean Gleason). The conjuring features everything from making a full-scale motorcycle appear, to manifesting his late mother from a portrait of her, levitating her (or more accurately, his assistant Natalia Love, in a wig and dress inspired by Kay), and then making her disappear, to transforming a stuffed animal into a monumental moving creature that he mounts and rides (with illusion fabrication credited to Adam Topham, Greg Frewin, and Willie Kennedy, and creature effects to Axtell Expressions).
There are also bits of audience participation, with chosen attendees working Rubik’s Cubes and jigsaw puzzles on stage to astounding effect, and pass-the-mic interactions, with others giving their birthdates from their seats, then the entire house entering the numbers on their cell phones and adding them up, resulting in a very timely total. And there is a gripping routine of “Digital Art” with the images on multiple iPads manipulated by Allan, and close-up card tricks, filmed in real time by Love and projected in live feed on the large background and side screens to make his extraordinary legerdemain readily visible to everyone.
If you’re a fan of magic and want to revisit your childhood sense of wonderment or introduce your own kids to it, Jamie Allan’s family-friendly mix of heartwarming storytelling and jaw-dropping spectacle is a must-see that remains true to its name, will keep you on the edge of your seat, and have you wide-eyed and gasping with glee, while underscoring the value of parents who give their unconditional love, inspiration, and approval, make you believe you can do anything, and have been proven right by Amaze. It’s a show that was meant to be, and it’s in the cards for you to get your tickets and experience it! The performance is followed by a meet-and-greet with the extremely likeable Allan, who happily poses for photos and expresses his appreciation for his duly impressed audience.
Running Time: Approximately two hours and 10 minutes, including an intermission.
Amaze plays through Sunday, February 22, 2026, at New World Stages, Stage 5, 340 W 50th Street, NYC. For tickets (priced at $58.99-264.99, including fees), go online, or find discount tickets at TodayTix.
