Review: Derren Brown's "Enigma" (Adelphi Theatre, London)

1:55p.m., Fri 3 Jul 2009

It's kind of hard to review Derren Brown without giving away the punchline to the set-pieces of his act, which would be doing the potential audience member a disservice. But I'll give it a shot...

The show is split into two distinct halves. The first half mainly comprising the type of mind-reading feats that has made him famous. It's all done with a slick showmanship and good humour. Some feats are more impressive than others - the reading of an audience member's childhood memory literally had her squealing with shock and delight at his accuracy. The second half comprises larger-scale stunts with a loose theme of Victorian techniques of spritualism before a big finale.

A lot of the Victorian-themed stuff relies on techniques of hypnotism (although Brown never calls it "hypnotism") which the British public are generally uneasy with. At the show I attended a member of the audience shouted out her disapproval more than once and left the auditorium.

I've never seen any of Derren Brown's previous shows but I'm familiar with, and a fan of, his TV shows. Sadly, the confines of a theatre seem to limit the scope of his act. While some magic acts seem more compelling and impressive up close and in the flesh, a West End theatre isn't exactly up-close and personal. A cameraman drifts on and off stage to relay footage to a large screen for the really close-up stuff, with only limited success.

The show's long, two and a half hours, and not without sagging - the audience members around me often fell into low conversation rather than being compelled by the throughout. The length of the show damaged the finale too. It was an impressive feat but complicated and difficult for the audience to follow when their attention was waning. Instead of ending with a dramatic conclusion, Enigma rushes to a confused denouement.

Many of the tricks in Enigma seem reminiscent of some of his earlier work but given the limitations of the setting that's perhaps understandable. Maybe over-familiarity of his work has dulled the sense of wonder that can be gleaned form it. The show does serve to highlight just how ambitious and daring Brown has been with some of his TV shows. There's another Channel 4 project due in September 2009 and Enigma has left me waiting in anticipation.