Magician Josh Staley is well known for his family / adult magic shows focusing largely on his card magic, so I was keen to see his magic show for children called “The Just Joshing Magic Show”

There was a nice mix of magic themed music playing as audience members took their seats in the theatre (or on the floor mats for children wanting to be closer to the action). Josh Staley had a relaxed demeanour throughout the show, and had a strong rapport with all the children in the audience / his volunteers from the audience. In terms of what sort of magic to expect, Josh has a wide repertoire of magic to show and entertain his young audience with – wands go wayward, magical coins appear, and there’s magic with silks…which brings me to one of the best lines in the show from Josh (when addressing a young audience member) -“I’m not made of silks, young man!”. Waves of giggles and ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’) were heard all throughout the show as Josh captured the attention of the audience with his magical talents. One of the highlights for me were the priceless looks of wonder and astonishment from his volunteers  – clearly Josh’s show will be one they remember for a long time. Another personal highlight was the ‘magician’s lunch’ scene which was very funny indeed. Josh’s finale involved many members of the audience and had everyone saying “WOW!”

Verdict: A highly enjoyable magic show for families with children 7 and under. A solid choice for a fun, relaxed magic show.

*Disclaimer: I attended this performance as a guest of the festival