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Marc Salem - Mind Games
Hampstead Theatre
October 8th - 28th 2001
Reviewed by Ian Keable
After watching
Marc Salem's Mind Games at the Hampstead Theatre you could be forgiven for
thinking that Marc Salem had somehow spent so much time performing over the last
few years that he had failed to keep up with the present literature. Okay there
might be a relatively recent Book Test that somehow crept its way in but in the
main it was the props of our fathers, and maybe even our grandfathers, that
prevailed. The Magic Square, Nail Writing, Add-a-Number pad and a classic
Blindfold routine incorporating the 'reading' of facts about the audience as
well as discerning borrowed objects, were amongst the tools that Marc relied
upon to bamboozle his awestruck audience. It was enough to make you go back and
read Annemann again.
Marc Salem even has the effrontery to go against all the advice that Derren
Brown has been freely giving on various Internet sites and putting into practise
in his television specials. Derren abhors the stationery cupboard approach to
mentalism; Marc revels in it. He is continuously picking up pieces of paper,
scribbling things down on pads, getting drawings made on large sheets of board,
having people write down information on file cards. And yet it works for him.
Naturally. Because his approach is completely believable. You buy into this
supposed expert on the human mind, his casual name dropping, his examples of
verbal and visual confusion. And you like the guy - he is as non-threatening a
performer with as small an ego as it is possible to envisage in a field renowned
for its arrogant entertainers. He even tells you that he is not going to
embarrass you in any way whatsoever - and actually keeps to his word.
The show lasted one hour and a half without an interval - which for me was a
fraction too long. However you certainly get value for money. From the rapid
Magic Square to open proceedings, Marc moves at a fast pace through numerous
effects (although perhaps not numerous methods!) which makes his running gag of
"I'm just warming up" simultaneously amusing and ironic. The audience were
flabbergasted and anybody who dismisses it because the methods are so simple are
missing the point. At the finish Marc says that "any ten year old could do what
he has done - with thirty years of practise" (yes, he is quite keen on corny
gags): and he is right. The methods may be within the capabilities of a child:
but the showmanship, the slickness and professionalism, the little
presentational touches, the show's structure, the comfort zone, the tension
building, the perfectly executed ending - well, that is something else.
For anybody remotely interested in mind-reading, this is a 'must-see' show; for
anybody remotely interested in performing in any branch of magic, this is a
'must-see' show. Bottom line: go and see it.
© Ian Keable, October 2001
Marc Salem - Mind Games
Hampstead Theatre
October 8th 2001
Reviewed by Ian Rowland
It is hard to create a show of first-rate mentalism which wins widespread public
and critical acclaim, and which is also highly-regarded among magicians. Marc
Salem has done precisely that, and no 'MagicWeek' reader should miss the
opportunity to see this consummate performer in action.
Salem offers a rich variety of spellbinding material, without a single playing
card in sight. The show includes all his 'trademark' routines, such as the
delightful 'Truth or lie' (a pacy re-vamp of pseudo-psychometry) and his
exceptional blindfold finale, which left the audience literally gasping in
amazement. His faultless showmanship and stagecraft meant the show - 1 hour and
45 minutes - never dragged for a second.
From a magician's point of view, while there is much to admire in this
'mentalism masterclass', the most impressive aspect of the show is Salem's
ability to take staples of the repertoire and re-invent them for modern
audiences - and to do so with an instinctive grasp of what audiences will, and
will not, enjoy.
There is also much to admire in Salem's interaction with the audience. Even when
cursed with one or two desperately dull-witted spectators, his expansive charm
and unflappable manner - deliciously spiked with a sharp and self-deprecating
wit - carried the evening.
The show is a magnificent demonstration of just how enjoyable mentalism can be.
Not to be missed.
© Ian Rowland, October 2001