Review: EDINBURGH 2024: THE GREATEST MAGIC SHOW, Assembly George Square Gardens

“If you believe in yourself, anything is possible”

The Greatest Magic Show begins with a bang as the incredibly energetic ringmaster, Magnus, bursts on stage, singing a parody of Aladdin’s “Arabian Nights” with lyrics about him travelling the world to find what he considers to be the “greatest show.” Now, he’s here to present all of the great things he has seen, with help from magicians Sam and Justin. While Magnus is putting on an appearance of professionalism with a grin on his face at all times, Sam and Justin provide most of the comedy, acting like both clowns and magicians.

There is a disappointing trend in tricks being quite repetitive, with one example being when Sam and Justin are blowing up balloons, an element that goes on for much longer than it needs to. There is a lot of hype built up about the “Grand Illusion” from Las Vegas, but it is only used for one quick trick, which is a shame as there could have been more done with the prop that had been built up for quite a long time. 

Another thing that The Greatest Magic Show struggles with is its comedy. There are some moments of improvisation that don’t go as well as the performers may have hoped they would, with one of them even commenting, “And the crowd goes mild!” After a lack of response from audience members. There are also a few modern references that are dated and most of the songs are ones that wer popular years ago, something that could be updated with new productions.

One of the highlights of the show is its heavy use of audience participation, allowing children to become a part of the magic in a variety of ways. One child is brought onstage after Sam and Justin “discover” that he has coins falling out of his shoe, which leads to said shoe being locked up in a box. The kid looked quite concerned at what was going on and a bit distressed at the loss of his shoe, even though it was temporary.

A particularly memorable moment occurs at the end, in which one young audience member is selected to perform several magic tricks focusing on the importance of belief. Indeed, I would have enjoyed the show a lot more if it had kept that message for the entire show instead of just the final few minutes. 

Ultimately, The Greatest Magic Show is a fun magic show for kids but struggles to appeal to audiences of all ages with its repetitiveness and lack of variety. The performers are clearly passionate, but I woul dhave liked to see more from them, including some more well-executed comedy.

The Greatest Magic Show ran until 26 August at Assembly George Square Gardens - Palais du Variété.

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