Mark Reece's Blog - Posts Tagged "magic"
Review- Derren Brown's 'The Showman'.
Derren Brown recently performed 'The Showman' at the Wolverhampton grand theatre, which had been delayed for two years because of Covid.
Brown asked for the details of the act not to be made public, as some of them depend on the audience being surprised. Overall, the act felt less distinctive than some of Brown's other performances, but still highly impressive and entertaining.
He is highly charismatic and energetic on stage, which, at least when he is seen live, tends to overcome any shortcomings. Part of this performance concerned Brown giving thoughts on 'living in the moment', which felt a little trite at points. Also, some of the act involved the use of hypnosis in a way that didn't feel particularly original, especially given the range of Brown's previous performances.
However, overall, the show was very enjoyable. Many of Brown's tricks are built up slowly, with parts of them introduced as trivia or asides, only to be built into the act later. Also, there appeared to be misdirection in the explanations he gave for some of the tricks, which created a great sense of mystery, and made one think about the performance for several days after it was over.
Derren Brown in definitely someone to watch live, with even his more generic performances sticking in the memory.
Brown asked for the details of the act not to be made public, as some of them depend on the audience being surprised. Overall, the act felt less distinctive than some of Brown's other performances, but still highly impressive and entertaining.
He is highly charismatic and energetic on stage, which, at least when he is seen live, tends to overcome any shortcomings. Part of this performance concerned Brown giving thoughts on 'living in the moment', which felt a little trite at points. Also, some of the act involved the use of hypnosis in a way that didn't feel particularly original, especially given the range of Brown's previous performances.
However, overall, the show was very enjoyable. Many of Brown's tricks are built up slowly, with parts of them introduced as trivia or asides, only to be built into the act later. Also, there appeared to be misdirection in the explanations he gave for some of the tricks, which created a great sense of mystery, and made one think about the performance for several days after it was over.
Derren Brown in definitely someone to watch live, with even his more generic performances sticking in the memory.
Review- Derren Brown at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre
I recently saw Derren Brown's 'Only Human' performance at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre. Like many of his shows, this comprised a series of tricks with a common theme, in this case prophecy, leading to a crescendo.
This was the second time I've seen him live, and the tricks all seemed fresh and very well choreographed, involving startling visual effects and, in one instance, a costume change. Brown is a highly energetic and charismatic performer, regularly making the audience laugh.
I don't think the live performances are quite as thematically coherent as Brown's TV series, although that is a high bar; I'd certainly like to see him again during his next tour.
This was the second time I've seen him live, and the tricks all seemed fresh and very well choreographed, involving startling visual effects and, in one instance, a costume change. Brown is a highly energetic and charismatic performer, regularly making the audience laugh.
I don't think the live performances are quite as thematically coherent as Brown's TV series, although that is a high bar; I'd certainly like to see him again during his next tour.
