Derren Brown - Enigma **** TNT
How does he do it?
And how do you review a show when the press have, understandably, been asked not to reveal too much of what kept everyone guessing for over two hours as Derren Brown hypnotised, mesmerised and completely baffled us with a succession of mind-boggling displays?
Brown’s banter can be pretty waspish, but he’s honed the linking patter to a slick perfection in which even apparent errors have a part to play. He’s shown on television that he can make strange things happen, but there’s nothing like witnessing him in the flesh – a neat, besuited figure with a slightly devilish air and an uncanny ability to understand - or is it influence?- his audience.
Participants are randomly selected by the throw of a Frisbee (you’re in with a chance in the dress circle and the stalls, though the upper circle seems out of his reach) but if you think he uses stooges, think again. On press night, at least one theatre critic and the partner of another ended up on stage and were flummoxed along with the rest of us.
One man was put into a trance and became as rigid as a plank suspended between two chairs; a woman’s childhood memory was inexplicably sussed, and somehow Brown was able to “read” a watch face wrapped in a layer of tin foil.
Occasionally, you might think you’ve worked out his blend of mindreading, psychological illusion, suggestion and showmanship – but when he adds an extra layer of magic, then another, the abilities of this polished performer become creepily inexplicable once more.
Adelphi, Strand, WC2E 7NN (0844 579 0090) tube Charing Cross www.seetickets.com till 18th July (£25-£45 Premium seats £65)
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