Matt Hale – Serving Suggestions @ Fringe World
Thursday, February 9, 2017
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little hesitant seeing a comedy hypnosis show.
My mind had conjured up images of people clucking like chickens and all the cliche things you associate with hypnotists. Matt Hale is so far from cliche it will astound you.
Sitting in the Central Tafe auditorium that has been artfully repurposed into Noodle Palace’s Soba Stadium, you could feel the anticipation in the ample crowd. Impressively ample considering it was a wet and rainy Thursday evening.
“Will I have to be hypnotised?”
“Will he hypnotise all of us?”
“Would we even know?!”
But, Hale allays all those fears right at the top of the show telling the crowd, “this is a stage of fun and happiness.” He arrives onstage with seemingly boundless energy. In the first 5 minutes he has performed a rap, a magic trick and completed a Rubix Cube! Certainly not what I was expecting.
He then asks for volunteers to be hypnotised and a flood of brave souls rush to the stage while explaining the basic idea behind hypnosis and trance states, all of which are naturally occurring phenomenon. After a brief time spent “putting them under” and inviting some to return to their seats (very nicely, explaining hey might enjoy the show more from the audience), we go from 15 volunteers to the final 9 and he begins to “suggest” their actions to them.
I don’t want to give away to many details of the show, but I will say there was some smashing catwalk performances and also that I’ve never been so entertained by knock-knock jokes.
Things got interesting when one of the volunteers (while under) passionately proclaimed one of the others “had not been slapped enough as a child”. Hale quickly put her to “sleep” before she got any more animated.
One thing that really stuck with me was the numerous times the highly skilled performer reminded the people onstage that they can think back to this experience and use it positively. He suggested that for people feeling down or perhaps just lost in their day to day lives, that they can use the state of mind to help achieve their dreams. An unexpected, yet powerful message wrapped up in an hilarious and highly entertaining show.
If you ever meet someone who has had the pleasure of being onstage with Matt Hale, they are likely to proclaim to you that “he’s the man”.
Matt Hale – Serving Suggestions is at 7:50pm every day (except Mondays) at Soba Stadium, Noodle Palace. His show ‘Clubnosis’ has its final night (17th Feb) at the Laksa Lounge from 10pm.
SIAN CHOYCE
