Review: MIND MANGLER, The Pleasance - Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Photo credit: Anna Gibbs
The Fringe is famed not only for classical theatre and stand up comedy but also as a home for variety and over the years, many great magicians and mentalists have made a name for themselves in Edinburgh, paving their way to fame and fortune.
Sadly things haven’t worked out so well for one of the Fringe’s newest magic acts, The Mind Mangler.
Mischief Theatre could easily be considered one of the greatest Edinburgh Fringe success stories, having launched flagship shows The Play That Goes Wrong and Mischief Movie Night (known then as Lights Camera Improvise) in the city. Now, years later, they are back with three shows, including Mind Mangler: Member of the Tragic Circle, a spin-off of their popular production Magic Goes Wrong.
He’s had enough of performing in motorway service stations and with a generous donation of Bob Cojack, talent agent for Capital Cruises, he’s finally made it to the Fringe, performing in the Pleasance Beyond, aka a badly disguised school gymnasium (his words, not ours!) He’s here to wow the crowds with his highly powerful senses, exposing secrets, reading minds and performing feats of daring do, but is he really all talk and no trousers?
Famed and loved for his performances as Robert Grove in the Goes Wrong show multiverse, here Henry Lewis (founding member of Mischief Theatre) plays The Mind Mangler, dreaming and boasting about a future performing for Capital Cruises in the Irish Sea. Returning to the role after two West End runs, Lewis proves himself to be a master of improvisation, bouncing off the audience’s responses and taking great talent in finding humour in the every day, and sometimes vague, jobs of the audience.
Fellow Mischief founder Jonathan Sayer also returns to the Magic Goes Wrong role he originated, the stooge; someone who definitely does not know the Mind Mangler and definitely doesn’t attempt to help throughout. It is clear that the pair have worked together for many years, effortlessly performing sketches and improvised moments in a comedy double act not to be messed with. In this new spin-off, the stooge is given more to do, creating more of a story that adds friendship and heart to the show.
With a mixture of segments lifted from Magic Goes Wrong, combined with new tricks and additional plot points, Member of the Tragic Circle bulks out the character, giving the Mind Mangler not only a starring role but his own believable story of failed relationships and career aspirations.
Sold as a comedy with its strong ties to the Goes Wrong world, The Mind Mangler is a comedy of mishaps and accidents, but hidden under the laughter and disaster are some magic tricks that go perfectly as planned, leaving the audience scratching their heads and wondering how on earth they did it.
Mind Mangler: Member of the Tragic Circle is a laugh-a-minute triumph, giving the much loved Magic Goes Wrong characters of the Mind Mangler and the stooge a new lease of life and delighting the audience from start to finish.
***** Five stars
Reviewed by: Rebecca Wallis
Mind Mangler plays at the Pleasance until 28 August, with tickets available here.
