I recently went to see the show. I really enjoyed it. He's a great showman and storyteller.

You're not alone, ed wood.

"Due to popular demand, Derren Brown: Secret is now playing through June 25!" (From theater website.)

ROTFLMAO...

Spent a wonderful afternoon at the Matinee of SECRET at the Atlantic Theatre. Having been familiar with some of Darren's work from seeing clips on the internet, I had expectations set as to what I might see. Guy Hollingsworth was in the audience and I greeted him at intermission and thanked him for his fabulous ERDNASE show at Magic Live a few years back.
I must admit I wasn't able to completely play layman and I spotted a few methods, but I would also admit this is one of the better, most entertaining 'magic' events I've seen in NYC. Many of the audience were plain a-gag at what was occurring before them. Brown is a powerful performer and has weaved a marvelous show that will no doubt sell out as soon as the reviews have hit the stands on Tuesday. By the end of the afternoon, I got caught up in his excitement and enthusiasm and I did indeed want more. The UK sensation is indeed a success in the US and I hope that this is only his first stop.

For the doubters, here's the review of "Secret" from the chief theater critic of the NY Times:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/16/theat......ionfront

Looking to make the trip up to NYC to see this show. Have been a HUGE fan of DB!

I would love to go see Derren live! I'm drooling at everyone who's had the opportunity to see the show!

I thought the Jamy Ian Swiss review, for better or for worse, raised some really fascinating questions...

I think that Jamy doesn't understand mentalism or
mental magic.
As many said before, he is a very good writer.
He is a card magicians that trys to apply
card magic principles to mentalism.
This is not a good approach in my opinion.
His opinions are very good in magic conventions
when you do a 4 ace trick and you use a blue deck
and not a red deck.
I had a very bad experience when I first saw
him in Imams bar in NYC. He was very rude
to me and to my friends and to other magicians.

Lior

Nevertheless, in this review he compares and contrasts Brown and DelGaudio in a very interesting way. He's getting at the heart of authenticity and depth in performance and weighing it against polish and surface. It's really a thoughtful observation, and pretty important with regards to the mental magic / mentalism debate. Brown and DelGaudio are both masters with different styles. No one's challenging that. So, it makes for a thoughtful piece.

http://www.magicana.com/news/blog/few-nights-magic

I always prefer to listen to my audience, to my clients
to directors and to very few mentalists.
I never listen to magicians.

So true!

Felt like Derren was revisiting the essence of his Tricks of the Mind era stuff, live, and without the help of any clever editing. Gutsy. All the ways he pulls taught and then releases tension in the theatre, quite the ride. Pace and flow were both ace.

Remarkably attractive audience too.

Pinball and a beer down the way at Pioneers Bar after was the move. Ommegang Witte and Pirates of the Caribbean if you must know.

Really do hope Mr. Brown gets proper traction and finds his place amidst American culture in some significant way. Dude was massively impactful upon my life, and there's no doubt in my mind others would be better off for the exposure to his work. SECRET is a great place for anyone to start. Definitely rooting for DB. Make it happen man.

Saw Derren's Secrets show this last Sunday. Flew out from Phoenix just to experience this intimate show with our art's leading trailblazer and innovator.

Without going into details, the 2.5 hour show exceeded all expectations. To see Derren up close in a 200 seat theater was a once in a lifetime bucket list event.

So intimate.

The maestro tied together many of his best symphonies in an escalating crescendo of entertainment that will have you thinking long past the final curtain call.

This is a greatest hits show, but with new surprises too.

Kudos to Collabortors Andy Nyman and the rest of his talented crew.

The show was devoid of extraneous fluff - it concentrated on the human and the individual shadings of the performer and participants.

I recommend that any serious performer try to grab a seat to this wonderful production.

A master class and master piece.

I am literally going to be doing the same thing Brett. Flying out from LA, see the show and turn around and fly back. I can't think of many performers I would do that for. It's going to be a very quick and tiring trip. But I am sure it will be worth it.

You are going to have quite an unforgettable evening Scott. Grab a bite at the nearby Chelsea Market perhaps.

P.S.
Get there early (45 min) to catch the little nuances.

Thanks Brett. I am confirmed. Got the tickets. Looking forward top it!

Sbays and Brett you've inspired me! I just booked flights from SLC, Utah to NYC for June 10th - and to make the most of it I'll be attending the matinee and the evening show.

I saw Svengali back in 2012 in London and thought that would be the only opportunity I'd likely have to see him live - SUPER EXCITED!

Best,

Drew

I saw DB's show on May 20, the matinee. It was exhilarating. He is a masterful showman, filled with charm and energy. Clearly much of the audience thought so as well, for he received two standing ovations. I believe that, as to be expected, the audience was mixed: I knew some very knowledgeable and famous magicians there, and there were plenty of lay folks as well. It was a memorable show and I am very glad to have experienced it.

With time and the inevitable ebb of adrenaline, I have developed second thoughts. I will briefly describe them. There will be no spoilers in what follows. But if you want to see the show with completely fresh eyes, read no further.

So, upon reflection, here are the things that did not agree with me:

- The effect that leads to the marvelous painting scene seemed problematic to me. For I simply could not recall what the selection procedure was for the famous names. I asked a fellow magician at intermission and he also confessed it went by him. Perhaps we both missed it. But absent a clear and seemingly fair selection procedure from audience-supplied names, the effect seems less mysterious.

- DB's version of Koran's Medallion: sappy.

- The Oracle act. I was with some lay people and while they enjoyed the performance, they wondered why the method wasn't transparent: they immediately asked, weren't the envelopes collected by stagehands prior to the performance, etc.?

- And finally, the finale. Part of the finale involved a confabulation-type prediction. They seem to be all the rage: many mentalist shows I've recently seen have ended with them. An envelope or box that's been apparently in plain view all evening is now opened and shown to contain a detailed (to the point of numbing) prediction of everything that has happened in the show. In my view, that is an example of the too-perfect effect. (And perhaps the Koran Medallion also falls here.) Many of the things DB did I'm sure left the audience wondering how he did them, oscillating uncertainly between imputing strange powers to him and suspecting shenanigans. The too-perfect effect does not elicit that response of uncertainty. Everyone knows with certainty that this is the product of a trick and their minds immediately switch into problem-solving mode. They might not know how the trick was effected but they know it was a trick - we are in the realm of magic, not mentalism.

The other parts of the finale involved a chair test of sorts, endless matchings, impossible coincidences, ... In fact, that was the problem: there was so much going on it was a blur. I venture to say that most people would not be able to narrate the events of the finale some time after the show - and I don't mean what really happened, but what they were supposed to think was happening. Vernon said confusion is not magic. Well, I will add that confusion is not mentalism. The layering of effects and matches was so thick and rapid in the over-the-top finale that indeed it made one giddy. But it was a giddiness born from an exciting muddle.

Again, I enjoyed the show enormously and DB has my great respect, of which these thoughts are a small manifestation.

Alexander