Created by Jimmy Cao
Produced by Jimmy Cao Magic | Montreal, QC
Review by Lucy Baker
50 mins / PG / Solo, Magic
If you were to write a bucket list, what would be on it? Fly a plane, go to Japan, run a marathon? Maybe become a magician?
That’s one of the items on Jimmy Cao’s list of 52 experiences to complete before he turns 30.
Image from Bucket List. Photo provided.
Created by and starring Jimmy Cao, Bucket List is a one-man magic show that runs for about an hour. The show features almost a dozen incredible, awe-inspiring tricks that are sure to delight anyone, young, old and in between. From vanishing and reappearing objects, to Rubik’s cubes, to ChatGPT-guided trickery, Cao’s show has something for everyone.
Between the tricks, Cao keeps up a hilarious running commentary, talking about his life, his career as a magician, and his bucket list. His jokes never fail to land, and the audience was laughing literally the entire time.
Image from Bucket List. Photo provided.
As is typical for magic shows, Bucket List contains a significant amount of audience participation. Sitting in the front row, I was fortunate enough to be invited onstage for not just one, but two magic tricks. However, if audience participation isn’t your cup of tea, the show is just as fun for the spectators as it is for the participants.
Although this show is almost entirely in French, the magic can be enjoyed by both Anglophones and Francophones alike.
Bucket List is playing at La Nouvelle Scène, Studio B from June 12–21. Tickets are $14 plus service fees at the Fringe box office (3rd floor, Arts Court, 2 Daly Avenue), and at the three satellite box offices (LabO in the Ottawa Art Gallery, Fringe Courtyard, 67 Nicholas St and La Nouvelle Scène). Five and ten Show Passes are also available. Visit the Ottawa Fringe Festival’s website for the show’s schedule and check out their online schedule here.
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