Audiences love to be fooled, whether it’s with clever plotting with a twist, the arrival of an unexpected character or even a charming flimflam man with a British accent. The latter is Derren Brown…
-sized house without losing the sense of intimate wonder. In some ways, it makes his feats of bamboozlement all the more impressive as he sends Frisbees out into the audience to find far-flung volunteers.
All of which he freely admits, even poo-pooing the idea of psychics, mentalists and magic. He calls his art “psychological illusionism,” and if you want to intellectualize it, it’s also metaphorically rich. It’s important to know what’s real and what’s easily faked in these times, he says pointedly. The truth is far more complex, he suggests, than the manipulated fakery that scoundrels practice.
In light of urging critics and others not to reveal the nature of his set pieces, it’s fair to say he starts the show with modest demonstrations using his powers of observation — not to mention statistical analysis — with the classic which-hand-has-the-object test. He then ups the ante with subsequent demonstrations that are grander in scale.
He peppers the audience-participation with clever improv, culled no doubt from years of stage and television shows in the U.K., where he’s widely known. “Hmmm, this person is somewhat of an adventuresome speller,” he says, reading a card submitted by an audience member.
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