If you thought a group of kids at a magic show was a recipe for an energy bomb, wait until you meet Mario ‘The Maker Magician’ Marchese. On to the stage he bounds, getting us clapping rhythms and chanting inspirational phrases before we even know what we’re doing. We’re wiggling our fingers, he’s playing Simon Says with us, now he’s taking the lace out of his shoe for a trick, and BAM! . . . in what feels like the blink of an eye he’s made the shoelace disappear from his hands and re-lace itself on his shoe.

To say that Marchese is a master of magic might imply only that he’s proficient in sleight of hand (which he is also). But this relentlessly brilliant show proves that the art of making magic for children is about so much more than trickery. Marchese is a Chaplin-esque clown, a wild-eyed boffin who makes robots out of pizza boxes, someone who understands exactly the glee children take in watching underdogs misbehave behind the boss’ back, and an ardent teacher. He tells stories about Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat. He talks about repeated failures and the need to keep trying. He embeds a beautiful ethos in an endlessly fun and silly show.

It's high energy stuff (if you have sensitive kids, be warned that there is a small spraying of water at a couple of points) but beyond all the slapstick and tricks, you can feel that Marchese is a performer who is passionately curious about the world, and determined to share his wonder with an audience.  

Mario The Maker Magician, Underbelly George Square, until 27 August, 10.55am.