Mischief Theatre, the company that brought us, among other things, the all-conquering The Play That Goes Wrong and the not-quite-as-good The Comedy About a Bank Robbery, is back this week at the Cambridge Arts Theatre with Mind Mangler, a two-man show that mixes visual comedy, improvisation, stand-up and magic.
Join the Mind Mangler (the excellent Henry Lewis) as he attempts a spectacular return with his acclaimed show, which also features the equally talented Jonathan Sayer as ‘The Stooge’, who pops up in all sorts of places.
Witness hilarious feats of mentalism spiral into chaos as the Mind Mangler attempts to read your mind, mind, mind.
It turns out that he does a lot more than just read our minds as audience members were asked to participate in various tasks and challenges designed to show off the Mind Mangler’s many talents.
“This is not my only skill,” he would often say, hilariously, after having demonstrated a particular ‘talent’.
There was more audience participation than I had imagined, which included bringing people up on stage, audience members shouting things out, and getting people to reveal their deepest, darkest secrets through the power of the Mind Mangler’s ‘mind-reading’ techniques.
With different audience members shouting things out and revealing different things each night, it means that no two shows are ever the same - although I did wonder if some of the audience members might have been ‘plants’. Still, the fact that we’ll never know adds to the enjoyment and the intrigue!
There was some great, stand-up-style improvisation and ‘crowd work’ and the scripted part of the show also worked really well - as did the physical comedy and slapstick.
The fast-paced action continued in the second half as more and more outlandish physical elements were introduced, and there were also some very impressive magic tricks performed, which left one asking “How did they do that?!”
Although I wasn’t left ‘gasping for breath’ as it says in the synopsis, I did laugh out loud on a number of occasions and would certainly consider myself ‘fully entertained’.
The audience, which included adults and children, also looked to be having a very good time.
To sum up, not quite as good as the still-fantastic The Play That Goes Wrong \- which actor and co-founder of Mischief Theatre Jonathan Sayer noted at the end has been running now for more than 10 years - but it’s definitely up there.
[Read more: *[*The Play That Goes Wrong provides plenty of raucous laughter at the Cambridge Arts Theatre*](https://premium.cambridgeindependent.co.uk/whats-on/the-play-that-goes-wrong-provides-plenty-of-raucous-laughter-at-the-cambridge-arts-theatre-9052050/), Review: A packed Cambridge Arts Theatre sees The Comedy About A Bank Robbery]*
Come and witness the power of the Mind Mangler at Cambridge Arts Theatre until Saturday (25 May). The show starts at 7.30pm each day, with a matinee performance today (Thursday) and on Saturday at 2.30pm.
Tickets, priced £20-£39, are available from cambridgeartstheatre.com. For more on the amazing Mischief Theatre, go to mischiefcomedy.com.
