The title looked like something from a Victorian sideshow. P.T. Barnum himself would not be out of place at a show billed as
On other nights audience interaction may have been greater, but with a well rehearsed script I did expect more laughs and more hypnotic suggestions.
Well there was no need to queue, and I did wonder if there would be enough in the audience to participate in the stage hypnotism as promised on the billing. In the end there were three brave souls suitable for hypnosis after a collective test to judge suitability. Henshall was joined onstage by Anna Scutt and writer/director Jonathan Chase, and all three practised their craft after a preamble to set the scene. In keeping with the era the fantasy scenario suggested a rocket to the moon for the participants and included an alien encounter while under the influence.
I checked the flyer again for the description and read about a ‘fast, funny, fantastical empowering entertainment’ but it was rarely any of the above. I do accept on other nights audience interaction may have been greater, but with a well rehearsed script I did expect more laughs and more hypnotic suggestions. The hypnosis setup took far too long while the audience members were only mildly amused and rarely entertained. The hypnotists do have stage skills, but for me this format is far from ideal.
