The Gilded Balloon
Cabaret
2-12, 14-27 Aug, 7:00pm-8:00pm 

Amiable mind-reader Doug Segal certainly influenced people at last year’s Fringe.  His debut run in Edinburgh played to packed houses, with his mind-reading trickery earning him a whole load of thoroughly bamboozled new fans.  Back now in a much larger venue, Segal’s style of mental magic invites comparison to Derren Brown, but there’s none of Brown’s portentous self-importance; instead, expect chipper patter, and a warming dose of happy-go-lucky charm.

We dropped in on Segal’s show at last year’s Brighton Fringe, and enjoyed both his easy humour and his intelligent chicanery.  Joshing kindly with his willing volunteers, Segal plucked words from sealed envelopes and pictures from unseen pages – and even, in his signature trick, helped some of his audience read each other’s minds.  According to Segal, it’s all made possible by his keen eye for body language, and his former career in the dark arts of advertising.  Using trigger words and subliminal images, he claims, he can lead us along without our knowing it… heading straight for the answers he’d always planned.

That’s not quite the whole truth, of course – but a showman as skilful as Segal is entitled to a little overstatement of his own powers.  Despite the changed title, we understand a lot of the material is the same as last year, though return customers will still see a few new tricks together with a general makeover.  In any case, we think you’ll leave with a smile on your face – and, if you pay attention, at least one trick you can use to confound your friends.