Matt Hale: Serving Suggestions

Possibly the last way you'd expect a comedy hypnotist to start his show would be solving a Rubik's cube by manipulating what appeared to be a severed hand while simultaneously reciting Blackalicious' tongue-manglingly complex rap Alphabet Aerobics, but expectations make fools of us all eventually.

There was a purpose to the apparent madness though, as in one elegantly deft feat of multi-tasking, Hale demonstrated the power of suggestibility and the capabilities of the human mind.

Regular service was soon resumed and an enthusiastic audience rushed at the chance to go under. Indeed, many would-be volunteers had to return to their seats as all spots on stage were grabbed in a handful of seconds. Unlike some acts who take their audience-volunteers behind a curtain, the actual hypnosis was done live on stage.

Hale orchestrated a deft touch over his somnolent cast, often at breakneck speed. There were a few standard hypnotism tropes that you might expect, sexy dancing, reacting to disgusting smells, etc, but also plenty of originality and of course the wildcard reactions of the volunteers themselves. It was a masterfully controlled set by Hale, one which had punters laughing their way through the doors after the end.