Magicians Jamie Leonard and Logan Ford recently performed a couple of sold-out shows of “Tinsel & Tricks” at the Edinburgh MagicFest in December 2024. They had previously performed individually in the 2022 MagicFest ‘Future Magicians’ program. This year, they joined forces to create an exhilarating performance that skillfully blends magic, festive cheer, and numerous surprises.
Jamie has a longstanding history of performing at three consecutive Edinburgh Fringe festivals and has been an artist at the annual MagicFest. Logan also has extensive experience in close-up and stage/parlour magic. They both perform at various local and private events.
Step into a world of wonder with ‘Tinsel & Tricks,’ a captivating magic show presented by young, up-and-coming magicians, Logan Ford and Jamie Leonard.
It goes without saying that you cannot beat live magic. So it needs to be appreciated that while I have reviewed a recording, the actual performance was of course live, with a sold-out audience. The show being performed and recorded at the “Scottish Storytelling Centre” in Edinburgh on the 30th of December 2024. However good a recording of a show, you cannot beat live theatre and the video highlights lots of positives as to why it is important to support artists like Jamie and Logan who perform. Two young artists who are out there and actively performing magic with bright futures ahead of them.
Jamie at a young age already has a catalogue of his own shows that he has performed, and is already becoming a name in the industry. Full credit to him and Logan for getting out there and performing shows at a young age, both showing stage presence and confidence to entertain and present magic with humour.
Jamie who acts as the lead performer during the show, was kind enough to also chat with the site and he explained that his passion is performing live and that he has plans to put on many more shows in 2025. Based on what I have seen, I do hope to see him perform live and can see big things ahead for this magician. You just cannot beat live magic performances.
Jamie kicked off the show in a confident manner and engaged quickly with the audience, focussing on building interaction with the audience before introducing Logan. Both performers being charismatic and worked the stage together and with their own solo spots. The audience being mixed ages from 8 upwards as a family audience.
Using playing cards and everyday objects, the audience was taken on a journey of magic, surprises, and wonders. It was refreshing to see a show where time has been spent crafting the set with household objects rather than using gimmicky off-the-shelf magic purchases. Jamie also mentions in the show that he started magic just with everyday objects when performing in front of his family.
"We set out to create our best show, incorporating our strongest material and infusing it with a festive twist. Our goal was to deliver the ultimate Christmas magic experience, blending top-tier illusions with the warmth and joy of the holiday season. By showcasing our finest magic alongside a festive spirit, we aimed to craft a performance that truly stands out. The result was Magic Bros: Tinsel and Tricks—a celebration of wonder, excitement, and Christmas cheer." Jamie Leonard
Normally I keep show reviews spoiler-free, but as this particular show is available to watch online (embedded below), I will go into a little more detail than usual.
Much of the show is based on the audience making choices, whether choosing cards or helping to select numbers. "What is Magic?" is a theme that is explored during the show.
The shared opening of the "Tinsel & Tricks" features both performers working together to amaze with playing cards. Both are very confident performers, and Jamie takes on the extra responsibility of main host.
Logan amazed with his solo performances while using everyday objects, and Jamie with his amazing ability to work with numbers. Logan’s spot being an object balancing set piece that you actually don’t see performed live that often. A set piece that fans of Dynamo/Steven Frayne will be familiar with.
The team then work through their set confidently. For such an interactive set, they both work the crowd well and are able to ad-lib and use humour to their advantage. Jamie being particularly good at narrating and instruction. The audio soundtrack that is used is also chosen well and allows timing of some of the performances to music.
Jamie's set pieces included nice work with cups and water (similar to a recent Stephen Mulhern TV set performance), and he worked with the audience selecting numbers to allow a mystifying reveal of amazing maths at the end of the show. A slick performance with energy which required Jamie to narrate his calculations as the tension builds. This piece also acted as part of the show close and was my favourite section with lightning calculations. Logan then rejoined the stage at the end for a funny reveal to close the show.
I thoroughly enjoyed the show, and most of the content was a little different from what others are doing. They also thankfully shied away from some of the more mainstream routines that are tired as too many perform (looking at you, Rubik Cubes!). The audience captured on camera also appeared to have enjoyed and I ended up watching the stream twice so far.
Thank you to Jamie and Logan for providing a copy of the show to review. We look forward to seeing your careers develop and advertising your future work.
To book these performers and check out their availability for corporate, weddings and live shows, do check out their websites and socials.
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Rating out of 5
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Thank you Martin for this wonderful review of our show!
Thank you very much for this review!