I have fallen under the mind control of Derren Brown after watching his Only Human show at His Majesty’s.
When the master of manipulation says from the stage “don’t reveal the contents of the show... shhh! ... it’s a secret”, I have no choice but to obey. So, no spoilers.
Which means that when the audience all gasped as one, I can’t tell you why.
Then there was the bit where, astonishingly, he managed to do something I can’t say.
And wow, just how he made a bloke from the audience do that thing, goodness only knows.
But it’s not giving anything away to say watching Derren work his magic – well, psychological illusion – in the flesh is as thrilling as watching him on the telly.
He is just as charming, just as soothing, just as funny, just as entertaining and just as baffling.
The one difference on stage, though, is the edge that comes from watching the maestro work with a live audience – their participation is no secret, by the way.
Power of suggestion vs thrawn Aberdonians
Derren is quite open about using the power of suggestion. But then, he’s making suggestions to Aberdonians – a wily and thrawn people with a long history of not warming to being telt what to do.
It was a tightrope the illusionist walked with ease. Even when it looked a bit shoogly at times, he managed to pull it back with an easy quip and playful gleam in his eye.
So, since we can’t talk too much about what was happening on stage, let’s chat about the audience instead. They loved it.
You could tell by the laughs, the wows, the applause and the wide-eyed wonder of some.
Certainly, the chit-chat in the bar at the interval was all speculation about how he did what he did and what tricks might have been at work to make him square those magic circles.
You will come away from Derren Brown with a sense of wonder
I opined a few theories myself, safe in the knowledge that I was wrong, no matter what I thought was behind his masterful flourishes of jaw-dropping feats – the kind that make you question whether Derren is indeed Only Human.
In fact, you do tend to agree with Stephen Fry’s famous summation of Derren: “I just want to burn him at the stake and watch his witch’s heart bubble”.
Of course, there is no such thing as real magic, but there truly is a sense of wonder.
And that’s what you come away with after a night in the company of Derren Brown.
Derren Brown: Only Human is at His Majesty’s Theatre until Saturday, May 10.
You can find information and tickets here.
Review by Scott Begbie