From Apocalypse to Fear and Faith to Pushed to the Edge, I’ve been spellbound by Derren Brown’s psyche for over a decade. With that said, it may come as a shock that I’ve never seen the master illusionist live. That streak finally ended this week when I got a last minute ticket to his newest show, Derren Brown Showman. After being delayed due to COVID-19, his first UK show in five years is now concluding its tour with a limited run at the Apollo Theatre.
As the audience was sworn to secrecy on the show’s content, this is going to be a very different review, meaning no ‘What is Derren Brown Showman About?” or “Were there any standout moments?” sections. While I wish I could pull the metaphorical curtain, I hope what I can cryptically say will be enough to encourage you to see it.
Derren Brown: Showman
Written and performed by: Derren Brown
Directed by: Andy Nyman
Venue: Apollo Theatre
Rating: ★★★★★
What were my thoughts on Derren Brown: Showman?
Derren Brown’s knack for mind-bending stunts that prey on human nature have become so well known, if not infamous, in British culture that it feels impossible for him to take it further. After over two decades of watching his TV shows, specials and stage shows, that passage of time makes it easy for your inner cynic to think “this person’s being fed what to say/do” or “they’re an actor.” I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel that way, surveying the stage trying to decipher how something was done behind the smoke and mirrors. However, Derren Brown Showman erased those thoughts as soon as it started.
While remaining the natural showman, what made, well, Derren Brown Showman, stand out from his other stage shows was its simplicity and emotional core. Focusing on themes of memory and sentimentality, the two-act show explored how the objects and moments we can forget in the blink of an eye (quite literally at one point) carry more than they appear. How the things that make us feel isolated can actually bring people together. There was indeed comedy sprinkled in and times I audibly gasped at shock reveals, but Brown seamlessly transitioned them into his real message that made for a more reflective and sobering theatrical experience I certainly needed in a post-pandemic world.
Is some of my praise in this review biased as I got involved in one of Derren’s out-of-body-inducing tricks of the mind and spoke with the man himself? Maybe, but the idea that I took the risk and participated in something I normally would’ve been too scared to do showed the power of his charisma. The kind of charisma that can leave the 775-seat Apollo Theatre transfixed (except for the one woman constantly checking her phone a couple of rows in front of me).
What were my overall thoughts?
Derren Brown Showman is easily one of the illusionist’s career bests. Exploring life and death in a way that encourages the audience to live it to the fullest, he manages to draw on the audience’s and his own emotions while being spellbinding, funny and charming as ever. Still making me ask “How the hell did he do that?” like he has done for years, this show is a big reason why Hugh Jackman has heavy competition for the title of The Greatest Showman.
Before I finish, there’s one more special reason why you should see Derren Brown Showman. I dare not say it, but just book your ticket ASAP if you’re desperate to know what it is.
Derren Brown Showman is on at the Apollo Theatre until March 18th 2023.
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