Opening his highly anticipated new show at Birmingham Hippodrome, Derren Brown delivered an epic, thought-provoking performance that left the audience flabbergasted and in awe of his magical prowess.
Whether you are a firm believer, a cynical sceptic, or someone on the fence regarding his hypnotic and masterful on-stage trickery, his latest performance will leave you genuinely scratching your head and wondering how on earth he did it.
It is a show that relies heavily on audience participation, but as Derren has said himself, there is not a massive pressure to take part. You can pass his frisbee, which he throws out to the crowd, along if you desire.
Cinematic Stage Effects
His acts are brought to life with flashy, blistering, cinematic stage effects that work brilliantly in the tall theatre of Birmingham Hippodrome.
The Meaning of Only Human
Without giving Derren's secrets away (I genuinely do not have any, I wish I did), the clues to his new show are in its name, Only Human. He explores themes of what it is, and what it means to be, human, which tugs on your heart strings.
I will make an honest admission before I write any further. I was politely sceptical about his stagecraft beforehand, having never seen him live until last night, but I left the show hugely impressed. And now I can admit I am not a disbeliever anymore; I just genuinely do not know how he pulled off his acts.
And that is the beauty of Derren Brown. It is okay not to know. Instead, I realised it was about being present and engaging in a blissfully wonderful experience and shared disbelief with the audience around you. That can be family, friends, or total strangers.
There is one thing I can guarantee you, though: you will leave the theatre with a huge smile on your face.
Only Human is appearing at Birmingham Hippodrome until Saturday, June 13.
