COMEDY
For the latest news, listings and reviews, go to list.co.uk /comedy
DERREN BROWN The svengali of misdirection promises you a miracle
A master showman or total show-off? Well, no one likes the latter but you could argue that we are in dire need of more from the former camp. Derren Brown has been called both, and much else besides.
After being baffled by a particularly fiendish card illusion in Channel 4’s Trick of the Mind, a bemused Stephen Fry declared that the mentalist extraordinaire just had to be taken away to the nearest stake so that he could ‘watch his witch’s heart bubble’. Everyone from Martin Kemp to Michel Roux and Robbie Williams to Richard Madeley have been well and truly foxed by his skills on TV, while some corners of the press attacked Dezza by claiming that his almost-live death-
defying climax to Russian Roulette in 2002 was nothing short of a hoax. That kind of poo-pooing will leave little
impression on the thousands who will be making their way to see the king of misdirection and manipulation when he brings Miracle to the nation, following in the footsteps of the Olivier Award-winning Something Wicked This Way Comes and Svengali. At this stage, he’s giving little away about the content of this new show (other than it being unsuitable for under-12s and somehow relating to the ‘miracle of life’). But you can rest assured that your jaw will soon be blown and mind thoroughly dropped. (Brian Donaldson) ■ Edinburgh Playhouse, Mon 18–Sat 23 May.
2 Apr–4 Jun 2015 THE LIST 73
N A Y R S U M A E S © O T O H P