Derren Brown - Showman
Derren Brown, as he so often does, wrapped things up in a broader theme, this time daring to reveal more of himself that we're used to. His humanity has rarely been in doubt, but here we saw some of his fragility when faced with personal trauma, adding emotional heft to his accomplished stage craft
Theatre Royal
Some years ago my Mum was at a posh do - the kind where guests are kept entertained, even during the meal. In-between starters and mains, a "lovely young man" offered to show her some card tricks. Magic shows aren’t really her idea of a good time, but seduced by his polite, self-effacing manner she agreed and was suitably impressed. When she asked him what the future held for him, he confided in her that he was meeting with Channel 4 the following week and was hoping something would come of it. I think it’s safe to say that the meeting must have gone well for Derren Brown.
I mention this for two reasons. Towards the end of Showman, Brown made a firm but fair plea that no part of his show should be revealed, so I'm sort of stuck for something to say. More importantly, it's a reminder that while he has a reputation as a cold reader and mesmerist, he's also a straightforwardly accomplished magician. The fun is often trying to work out which skill he is using, particularly when he's doing his best to mislead you even in that regard.
A perfect example of this - at least, it would be a perfect example if I could share it with you - was the undoubted highlight of the show, involving and confusing the entire audience into thinking one thing, then another, only to be utterly bamboozled by a call back at the end of the show. I think, in the end, I worked out how he did it, but I have a long drive home, and it took me as far as Long Stratton before the penny dropped. The beauty of Derren Brown's illusions is that, far from undermining my enjoyment, this only enhanced it. I could marvel at the elegance of the trick's construction, while chuckling at my foolishness at being hoodwinked in the first place. Much like a hokey thriller, or silly ghost story, the key to enjoying Brown's show is to immerse yourself in the moment and go with it. Dissect it too forensically and all you end up with is the ubiquitous dead frog.
That said, I did feel there was a fair amount of filler in the show. Perhaps it’s unfair to expect entirely new routines, but fans of Brown will have previously seen much of this before. We got asked to bring a special object, so it’s presumably okay to reveal, and not much of a surprise, that he matched people with objects, and people with people. It was all adeptly done, but not a highlight of the show. I was also surprised by how many industry standards were included. Expertly performed, of course, but the sort of tricks that wouldn't fool Penn and Teller and even felt overly familiar to those of us that were foxed. To my mind, a shorter show packed with only the astonishing (and there was much that did astonish) would have been better.
As is always the case with his shows, Brown wrapped things up in a broader theme, this time daring to reveal more of himself that we're used to. His humanity has rarely been in doubt, but here we saw some of his fragility when faced with personal trauma, adding emotional heft to his accomplished stage craft. It pains me to honour his request to keep quiet about the shows conclusion – it was not only a delight but surprising moving - but it’s surely fair to say that it wass worth staying to the end, which then turned out to not be the end, and that the last ten minutes packed in more left turns, gear changes and stand out surprises that the sum total of first 90 mins.
