Ipswich Regent Theatre – Tuesday 14th April
A guest review by Birgit Bennett
To say that I was sceptical would be an understatement. Derren Brown no doubt has a huge following and is known for his elaborate shows but still, I was not prepared for what I was to witness. It is hard to review a show without giving away anything (as asked by Derren) but I will try.
The Ipswich Regent Theatre was buzzing, full of excited people and the show starts well before you realise that it actually has.
Audience participation is a major part of the show and it is impressive how Derren Brown manages to put the participants at ease. As to be expected the stage becomes a different sphere, a place where reality seemingly loses its grip on time and logic. Members of the public are encouraged to fulfil tasks that seem pointless at first but mostly turn out to be anything but that. People are encouraged to follow their instincts only to find out that they might have been steered subconsciously all along.
Some of the sequences are amazingly low key and seemingly simple whilst other scenarios are so complicated and full of sensations to all your senses that they are hard to comprehend, some even tether on the border of questionable taste, making the audience feeling uncomfortable. We expected nothing less. I still ask myself what the point of a few scenarios might have been, but if there is one thing that (I think) I have learned yesterday is that Derren Brown does nothing without a reason.
The whole evening is filled with seemingly random acts that finish up tied up in a beautiful bow at the end. Although some connections might seem a little tenuous to some sceptics like me, the apparent connection can’t be denied.
The name of the show ‘Only Human’ is apt. We are only human and Derren Brown understands us probably better than we do ourselves.
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