Susan Granger’s review of “Derren Brown: Secret” (Cort Theatre)
For captivating, mesmerizing entertainment, head to the Cort Theatre to see Derren Brown manipulate and maneuver your mind into absolute incredulity.
A two-time Olivier Award-winner, Brown is a charismatic British mentalist who dares his audience to examine how their expectations and beliefs influence how they perceive the world around them, noting, “Sometimes you need to be aware of the bigger picture you’re missing.”
At the beginning of the show, Brown asks the audience (and critics) not to reveal the titular ‘Secret’ so I won’t. But what I can tell you is that he recruits audience members by randomly tossing out Frisbees. Catch one and, suddenly, you’re on-stage participating in mental marvels.
For example, an audience member is asked a series of questions whose answers are determined by subtle non-verbal, physical cues. And Brown doesn’t always get them all right, which only serves to up his ‘likeability’ quotient.
The one ‘secret’ Brown, a former Roman Catholic schoolboy, does reveal is that he’s gay, an admission which sets the tone for a climate of confessions from vulnerable members of the audience.
“There is no actual psychic mind-reading going on, because that would be impossible,” Brown maintains. “I use a spectrum of activity, conjuring through hypnotic and other suggestion-based techniques, blended into a compelling experience.”
Directed by Andy Nyman and Andrew O’Connor, who co-wrote the material with Brown, the show enjoyed a sold-out run in 2017 at the Atlantic Theatre off-Broadway, where it won the Drama Desk Award – and not much has changed.
There’s Takeshi Kata’s scenic design, Ben Stanton’s lighting, Caite Hevner’s projections and Jill BC Du Boff’s sound design. The selection of songs that play before the show and during intermission eventually becomes relevant, as do posters placed around the theatre. It’s all subliminal messaging.
Running two hours and 20 minutes, Derren Brown’s dazzling one-man show is a limited engagement, playing through January 4, 2020.