BWW Reviews: DERREN BROWN - SVENGALI, Shaftesbury Theatre, June 13 2011

Fourteen years ago, after years of bigger and bigger magic, culminating in David Copperfield vanishing the Statue of Liberty, David Blaine re-invented magic by turning the camera round so it focused on the reactions of the audience, up close and personal. Derren Brown's ride to extraordinary mainstream success grew from his decision to turn of the camera back on the magician, but also to keep the intimacy of Blaine's street magic. Since 1999, on stage and on television, the impish one has stunned audiences with mind-reading, illusions and stunts.

In his new show, Derren Brown - Svengali, there is plenty of audience participation, but, taking heed of Colonel Parker's advice to anyone working with Elvis - just make sure Elvis is front and central and that his voice is louder than any of instruments - Derren Brown knows the audience are there to see Derren Brown, and Derren Brown is what they get. Sure there are members of the great British public up there under the lights hoofing it like good 'uns, but there's only one man pulling the strings. 

Perhaps Derren was a student of Colonel Parker, because he certainly follows another of the old er... Svengali's dictums, "Don't try to explain it, just sell it." The audience get no explanation (though some of the illusions are very obvious) but they get an extraordinary hard sell from a showman who has mastered his working of a house over twelve years of seemingly non-stop work. The audience absolutely laps it up - and why not?

Not just the Press, but everyone at the shows are warned not to speak of what they see for fear of spoiling it for later houses, and that's fair enough. I know I'm not giving away much when I say that there are a lot of extarordinary numbers in the show, but one stands out for me. In recession-hit Britain, Derren Brown can pretty much sell out 1500 West End theatre seats night after night for six weeks at about £50 a pop and is on tour until deep into 2012. Now that really is magic.

Derren Brown - Svengali is at the Shaftesbury Theatre until 16 July and on tour. 

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