★★★★☆
Mischief’s second production of Mind Mangler: Member of the Tragic Circle stars Henry Lewis, the Artistic Director of Mischief, Jonathan Sayer, the Director of Mischief, and Tom Wainwright.
From the moment of entering the theatre foyer, the audience-participation aspect of this show becomes clear, with front-of-house staff encouraging audience members to write down a “secret” on a piece of paper which has a chance of being used during the show. In the auditorium, there are cast-members with ballot boxes where these pieces of paper are placed; they are then emptied into fish bowls, in full view of the audience.
Henry Lewis then appears on stage with an incredible presence which brings the audience right into the palm of his hands. Throughout the show, he cleverly balanced both the use of magic and comedy to captivate the audience. The humour used throughout this show was definitely more adult-appropriate, with it majorly consisting of sexual innuendos, with some religious and political jokes thrown in occasionally.
The use of magic (with magic consultancy from Ben Hart) during the show definitely takes the audience by surprise, as there is so much that goes wrong that when actual magic happens, it comes out of nowhere. This is very much interspersed throughout the duration of the show to keep the audience engaged.
Controversially, this is definitely a show that works better with the use of audience heckling, and it strikes me as a show that will be different every night.
Music plays a special part in the show as it was composed by Steve Brown, who tragically passed away in February this year, and through using his compositions, Mischief are paying tribute to a much-loved member of their team.
I found the star of the show to be Jonathan Sayer with his numerous trips onstage as “different members of the audience” being some of the most memorable parts of the evening. There was a great relationship between Henry and Jonathan when they were onstage together, with one of my personal favourite parts being the role-reversal between the two members of the cast. Without wanting to give too much away, this involved Henry being put under his own spell and turning into a screaming, hairy armadillo whenever he heard a bell.
The production is brought to life by designers Sara Perks (set), Gillian Tan (video), David Howe (lighting), elen Skiera (sound), and Roberto Surace (sound), under the skilled direction of Hannah Sharkey.
If you are looking for a show with a solid plot and a heartfelt story then this is definitely not the one for you. However, if you are looking for a show that is light-hearted and will leave you with a smile on your face, Mind Mangler is the place to be!
Mind Mangler: Member of the Tragic Circle runs at the Apollo Theatre in the West End until April 28 and tours the UK from May 15 to June 16, with a stint at Palace Theatre Manchester from May 15 to 18.
Photo: Pamela Raith
JADAR 