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THIS
STORY LAST UPDATED:
21 September 2002 1639 BST
::
Derren Brown Live
:: Tobacco Factory
:: 18th - 28th September 2002
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| The
amazing Mr Brown |
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"Everything
you see is real, but nothing is based on reality," the
amazing Mr Brown told a stunned Tobacco Factory audience at
the climax to his one-man show.
The Factory, fast becoming a popular venue for productions that
are slightly different from the norm, has probably never seen
anything quite like Derren's show.
And the audience, which joined in the evening's entertainment
with gusto, certainly hadn't.
It's
very difficult to describe exactly what went on during the show
without a) giving too much away and b) arguing bitterly about
it with my husband, who might have seen a totally different
act from the way he interpreted it.
Derren has made his name as a "psychological illusionist"
with his own TV specials on Channel 4 and is a cross between
a magician, hypnotist and mind-controller, with a good dash
of showman added into the mix.
Manipulation
He has a background in both magic and hypnotism, and practiced
both for a time, before moving into the field of manipulation
and psychological control.
And I'm fairly sure he still uses a healthy dose of both to
achieve some of the amazing results he produced during what
felt like an exhausting two hours plus of entertainment.
Game of two halves
The show was certainly a game of two halves.
Derren spent the first half showing astonishing feats of mind-control
to a group of fairly pliable members of the audience, most of
whom were amazingly happy to be show as weak-willed saps in
front of a group of strangers.
At the end of the first half, as we prepared to retire to the
bar for a well-deserved drink, Derren warned us that the second
half of the show would be different.
It would be darker, would end with at least one member of the
audience being completely shell-shocked and involve the use
of a Ouija Board!
A number of people looked as if they might leave when this was
announced, Derren's dark, compelling eyes and considerable air
of confidence giving the whole idea a very sinister feeling
indeed.
An air of worry
But I saw no empty seats when the second half resumed and though
there were moments when an air of worry descended on the audience,
our amazement at what was happening in front of us kept us firmly
in our seats.
One little niggle here. The Tobacco Factory still allows the
audience to take drinks into the auditorium, and the sound of
people kicking over their plastic glasses on at least two occasions,
not to mention someone's mobile going off, was really off-putting.
Derren worked hard to get the audience into a pliable state
for his "tricks" and there was a definite flash of
his eyes when something disturbed the atmosphere.
Perhaps it's time the Factory decided to confine drinks to the
bar area.
Delight
But this was just a small niggle in an evening that was a delight
from start to finish.
Derren is a consummate professional and the sparse set and black
and white decor was a world away from the vivid colours you
might expect from a conjurer, giving a more authoritative and
scientific feel to the whole show.
Any illusionist who can send his audience away astonished, perplexed
and wanting to know more has achieved a most definite success.
I think we'll be hearing a lot more from the amazing Mr Brown. |
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"Everything
you see is real, but nothing is based on reality,"
Derren Brown |
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