Master illusionist and mentalist Derren Brown brings his own brand of psychological manipulation to the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre this March.
As a performer with a penchant for toying with his audience, Derren Brown has been foisting all sorts of mental trickery onto his unsuspecting victims (and the general public) for fourteen years. His television work and previous stage shows have led to the self-described ‘synonym for the art of psychological manipulation’ developing a following of hardcore fans who will watch every TV special, and attend every show.
But if the magician’s work remains largely unknown to you, taking a gamble and attending his latest stage offering could lead to one of the most entertaining nights out you’re likely to have this year.
As someone who attended the last two of Brown’s stage shows to grace the-now Bord Gáis Energy Theatre (Enigma in 2010 and Svengali in 2012), I can guarantee that for better or worse, you’ll be entertained, and you will walk away with firm opinions on the performer, good or bad.
Feats of mental trickery are not everyone’s cup of tea (for example, if you don’t like being outsmarted, you probably won’t like Derren), but for those of you who can enjoy letting someone take you on a journey of their own devising and then amazing you with feats of their own brilliance, there are some truly amazing moments to be found in Brown’s stage shows. Everything from the incredibly elaborate set-designs to the filler activities during the interval are part of the stories of the shows, and the personal guesswork as to in what way they’re involved means that from the moment you sit down you are being drawn into the plotline of the night.
As each of Brown’s stage shows tends to be made up of different tricks that weave in-and-out of an overlying narrative devised specifically for that show, it is impossible to tell you exactly what you’re going to see without spoiling everything (indeed, having not seen Infamous yet myself, I have no idea what I will be getting myself into).
However, you can expect plenty of audience participation, interaction, and a lot of humour (which can get particularly bawdy depending on the audience of the night, so there may be some language). Brown’s interest in horror, the supernatural, and the uncanny, means that there are also moments that may be frightening to young children, and he himself states the shows are unsuitable for under-12s.
Brown is a natural showman and his stage shows should probably more accurately be considered ‘events’. It is quite impossible to describe exactly the things that you witness without making them sound somewhat lacking, especially when it comes to the parts of his shows that rely on him displaying memory tricks or showing off his artistic flair, but if you speak to anyone who has ever attended his live work, it’s guaranteed they’ll have made their mark. A show that you should definitely treat yourself to.
Derren Brown’s Infamous runs in the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre from 10th – 15th March 2014, and tickets (from €35 – €48.50) can be found on Ticketmaster and the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre website. Performance unsuitable for under-12s.
CONTACT DETAILS
Bord Gáis Energy Theatre
Grand Canal Dock
Dublin 2
Tel: 01 677 7999
Lead image courtesy Derren Brown website
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