Mind Reader

Reviewed by Brian Morton 

The vibe of the show is magical!

Mentalist Steven Nicholas comes to Hamilton from Cleveland, Ohio. He is part of the community of Fringe artists who have performed at multiple festivals across North America.

As anyone who has watched the television series "Penn & Teller: Fool Us" can attest, the art of amazing an audience, with sleight of hand and tests of memory recall, is an experience not to be missed.   

This early performance at Mills Hardware was well attended, and Nicholas engaged with multiple members of the audience in pulling off his feats of mental dexterity. A succession of them wandered up onto the stage during the show. A lot of the structure of the piece was familiar, with card tricks, and the ability to figure out what people were thinking from their reactions. 

But still, there is that wonderful moment of "the prestige" in the show when people genuinely are mind-boggled and astonished by what they have just witnessed.  Was it real? Well, that's open to interpretation. At the end of the day, does it matter? I certainly enjoyed the show, and given the multiplicity of shows on offer in The Fringe Festival this year, that's no small thing.

I can report that the audience was absolutely flabbergasted by some of the illusions that were presented. Clearly, Hamilton loves magic! I'm a huge fan of illusionists, mostly due to the influence of Nick Wallace, who has been presenting shows at the Hamilton Fringe for the past 15 years. 

Steven Nicholas certainly knows his stuff. He is charming and engaging, adding something very different to this year's edition of the festival. I expect that his performances will sell out quickly, so best to book early if you want to catch the show.

Event Details

Age Suitability: Parental Guidance (ages 13+)

Genre: Magic, Storytelling/Solo Show

Run Time: 60 mins

Performer

Steven Nicholas

Warnings

Coarse Language