A Kids Magician for Children of All Ages!

As someone who does lots of fancy adult magic, this page might surprise you. But my kids show, "Gary the Great," is SO. MUCH. FUN. I adapt my act on the fly to make sure your guests have a great time, no matter their age or personality. You never know what's going to happen in this show, and that's what makes it so uniquely special.

This high-energy comedy magic show is perfect for birthday parties, block parties, school assemblies, communions, corporate events, theatrical performances, weddings, street fairs, and more. No event is too big or small! My show will fit in your living room! Just fill out the availability form below because weekends sell out quickly!

Packages can include:  

Comedy! Juggling! 

Face Painting! Magic Wands!

  Party Favors! Workshops!

Photo Packages! Walk-Around Magic!

Unanimous Five-Star Yelp / Google / Facebook Reviews

"Gary the Great was... GREAT! He was responsive and courteous in arranging to come to our 5-year-old daughter's birthday party, and after comparison shopping, we thought his fee was reasonable for the professional he is. He was prompt in arriving (which is important for a 5-year-old's party). Most importantly, he had total control over 20 kids for 45 minutes, kept them focused, amazed, and laughing hilariously. His show was the best 45 minutes of the party." 

~Sarah, Westchester     

"Gary the Great is a phenomenal magician who works a crowd with warmth, humor and a deft sleight of hand. He recently performed at my school to a crowd of close to 300 middle school students. We gasped and laughed in disbelief, trick after trick during his sensational show. Even when Gary deconstructed one of his favorite card tricks, we still did not know how he managed to pull it off so smoothly. We plan to hire Gary again and bring him back to the school each year. He's that great!" 

~Antoinette, Bronx     

"Gary the Great is amazing -- professional, funny, wonderful with children, creative, and full of energy. After he left, the kids could not stop talking about his act."

~Maryanne, Brooklyn     

This might seem counterintuitive, but as a children's magician, I mostly try to avoid tricking kids. From birth, life is one ridiculously complex magic trick that they're trying to figure out. Every available resource goes into processing the data around them. And just when they start making sense of it, this guy shows up with a hat and a cape and says "Hey kid! Here's a bunch of stuff you can't figure out…." and that just seems to me like an incredibly frustrating experience. (As a side note, this is potentially why many adults love to be tricked by magic. Because it brings them back to that childhood state, where nothing made sense.) But to a child, being tricked conflicts with their primary life objective.

SO WHAT IS THE GOAL?

When I first started performing for kids, I would do these beautiful vanishes. I'd look up after, expecting this great reaction, and it was NEVER THERE. The kids would just say, "Of course it's not there… You made it disappear." How wonderful! All kids, God-willing, should have no concept of the word IMPOSSIBLE. So even if you can trick them, and even if they're okay with it, it's kind of pointless, right? So then what is our job? For me, it's to empower the kids, to make them the magicians. And with that, I become an audience of one, watching their show.

SO WHAT IS THE GOAL?

I'll set artificially low expectations for my effects, results that sound cool in theory, and then let the children blow those expectations out of the water. By having the show appear to be functioning beyond my control, the kids are enthralled. And there's the added benefit of limiting behavioral issues. Kids who "act-out" just want to have an impact. Or maybe they just want to see me lose my cool. But if both those things can happen on my terms (with the illusion of chaos), then everyone is satisfied.

REACTIONS ARE KEY:

Adults love to see volunteers having great reactions. Kids in the audience will take cues from a volunteer's great reactions. My energy as a performer will be fueled by a volunteer's great reactions. In short, reactions are really, really important. Since some kids are naturally effusive, I watch the crowd during an early reveal and take note of which child's reactions are making my heart burst. I'll make a point to choose those kids as volunteers later in the set. They have no idea that they've already auditioned for the role.

KEEPING IT FRESH:

The irony with all magic is that you can only get really good at an effect by doing it so much that you're bored by it. So how do I stay excited with routines that I've been performing for 12 years? By allowing for and encouraging the unexpected. And with kids, that objective comes easy. Kids are far less predictable than adults, so I use this to my advantage. Those mundane adult brain patterns don’t exist yet. I've never asked a child an interesting question and received a boring answer. What do you do for a living? What do you think is in this bag? What would you like to make appear right now? By leaving space for kids to respond, they will steal the show in the best possible way. I sometimes include a line for the adults, "I'm wondering why you hired me, when you have entertainment like this…" It's a joke, sure. But like all good jokes, it's also true.