This year during the 2026 Melbourne Magic Festival I was extra excited to bring my daughter, Miss 5 to some magic shows (along with my aunty). Miss 5 had an introduction to magic during the 2025 Melbourne Magic Festival and was keen to see more shows, especially by female magicians – after all, representation means so much! The first magician we saw was no other than skilled trans storyteller Emma Chandler (she / her). I’d seen select magical effects from Emma previously, and also viewed a selection of her song / story videos online so I was particularly keen to enjoy this show with Miss 5 who is already a big fan of stories and songs. This show was advertised as a ‘relaxed performance’ – meaning that children could get up and move, call out or comment, stim or any other action to ensure they felt comfortable during the performance. The house lights were also left on – which is a comfort for any children who dislike dark spaces.

Emma commenced the show with a fun routine and song to get all the younger members of the audience (and their adults) engaged and ready for the fun hour ahead. Emma shone as a storyteller throughout the show, welcoming actions and comments from her audience and providing engaging remarks along the way. All of her stories involved various fun props – many of which looked like household objects – appearing from an oversized basket / picnic hamper (which I can now not unsee as a giant pelican beak!) Stories featured were a mix of traditional indigenous stories, mixed with others that seemed to resemble fables. Magic was included as part of this experience, but it was not the main focus. Personal highlights for me were the handmade nature of things – a particular story prop was completely handmade, and Emma mentioned the different items she’d sourced to make it. A magic wand was also handmade – a timely reminder that magic can be made by any and all of us. The handmade nature of this show was a refreshing release from the racing outside world that is often obsessed with technological advancements. Emma’s performance was welcoming and inclusive, without having any agendas or pointed reminders. I also appreciated that (with a smaller crowd) Emma was able to offer the chance to help out during the show to each child – whether they chose to or not.

I did find that a show run of 60 minutes was perhaps a bit long for the younger audience members – this show is best suited from preschoolers to low / mid primary. Up to a certain age, some children are only able to focus for between 30 and 40 minutes at a stretch. Emma did ‘play well’ to her audience, and accepted that older children could probably guess the ending to some of her stories. There were times that Miss 5 became unfocused and bored, partly due to show length but also due to a youngster in the front row who insisted on having a comment or callback each time Emma spoke. Literally more than 60 comments during an hour’s performance was A LOT (and of course this person’s caregiver chose to do nothing – either not self aware or selfish). These interactions can happen given the nature of the performance, however this needs to be in balance with everything else. After all, we were there to listen to EMMA and enjoy her stories, songs and magic.

VERDICT: A pleasant, gently paced show full of stories, songs and magic. Ideal for preschoolers to low / mid primary. Bring your attention spans, and a sense of wonder / whimsy!

Note: The 2026 Melbourne Magic has now concluded. Click here to be taken to the festival website to keep up with MMF news.