Review of The Mind Mangler at Milton Keynes Theatre

Mischief Theatre has been creating havoc in theatres across the world now for ten years with shows like The Play That Goes Wrong and Peter Pan Goes Wrong regularly doing the rounds. Their latest incarnation, reaching Milton Keynes Theatre this week on a UK tour, is The Mind Mangler, a two-man solo show (with some audience participation) offering more chaos, this time around mind-bending-mind-reading.

The Mind Mangler is played by Mischief Theatre co-founder Henry Lewis with a mixture of menace, danger, and cuddliness, a devastating combination. For anyone who has seen Lewis on stage before, you will be well aware of his tremendous stage presence, a booming voice full of the greatest of enunciation and perhaps, with The Mind Mangler he has one of his greatest creations to use these skills.

It is beyond the stage presence however that this character delves, into one of self-mocking in the extreme, the ability to try to smooth his suit out as his self-importance fails as his mind-reading ability does. Self-deprecation is often one of the funniest sources of jokes, and with Lewis, and the genius Mischief Theatre writers, there is some remarkably funny material here.

Alongside Lewis as "Audience Member" is another Mischief founder, Jonathan Sayer and he becomes the perfect foil and annoyance to The Mind Magler, over-eager to get involved and also key to the evolving storyline. Here Sayer plays a character much like he has elsewhere with Mischief, but sometimes familiarity is all an audience needs and they lap it up, and you can tell often that there are many Mischief fans in the crowd by their reactions (I confess here that I am one of them).

Presentation and delivery is key with this show and the speed of the piece is remarkable, rarely getting bogged down in any trick segment, or describing them as they really are, sketches, and the only time the pace drops in with the interaction with the audience where it becomes sometimes more chatty. However, because of the skill of Lewis and Sayer, the deftness with which they handle these audience moments never bores, in fact sometimes this mines some of the funniest aspects of the show.

Also, for anyone fearful of the mere prospect of audience participation, you need not be with the The Mind Mangler as this is so well handled to never deliberately embarrass or frighten audience members. The only time that you could consider it embarrassing to someone from the audience, is through the self-infliction of filling in a secret card offered during the filtering in of the audience. There is no compunction to do so, and if you do, you only have yourself to blame (or, admittedly your mother in the performance I saw).

While many could say The Mind Mangler is a one-trick pony of failed mind-reading, the depth of characterisation, story-telling and just simply great presentation and stage presence makes Lewis and Sayer a tragical evening of entertainment like no other and should be top of your theatre shopping list if this travels near to you on its tour to Liverpool and Bath.

With the power of my Small Mind, I compel you to see The Mind Mangler.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Performance reviewed: Monday 3rd June 2024 at the Milton Keynes Theatre.

The Mind Mangler runs at Milton Keynes Theatre until Wednesday 5th June 2024 before continuing its tour.

For further details about Mischief Theatre see their website at mischiefcomedy.com

For further details about Milton Keynes see their website at http://www.atgtickets.com/venues/milton-keynes-theatre/

Production photos: Craig Sugden

Review of Cruel Intentions: The '90s Musical at Royal & Derngate (Derngate), Northampton

Cruel Intentions , released in the final year of the nineties, is a fondly regarded classic from the era, rammed with a collection of young and up-and-coming stars. Based on the classic Les Liaisons dangereuses , Roger Kumble's nineties update was clever and current; however, a quarter of a century later and now playing at Royal & Derngate, does it still work, and more importantly, does it work as a musical? The quick answer to the latter is no, but theatre persists, so what about the story? Kumble's adaptation tells of two wealthy step-siblings, Sebastian Valmont and Kathryn Merteul, sex-obsessed, constantly warring, and attracted to one another. When they begin a bet for Sebastian to deflower the new headmaster's daughter, Annette Hargrove, before the start of term, events spiral quickly out of control. Following in the footsteps of the well-remembered performers from the film does weigh on the cast. Will Callan, playing Sebastian, and Nic Myers, as Kathryn, are fine ...

Review of Annie at Milton Keynes Theatre

Annie was first performed now a remarkable fifty years ago at Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut, and since then, the tale based on a 1920s comic strip and adapted for the stage by Thomas Meehan on book, with music by Charles Strouse, and lyrics provided by Martin Charnin, has become a perennial favourite across the world. Indeed, this version, directed by Nikolai Foster, last appeared at Milton Keynes Theatre in 2023. So, after all these years, does Annie still have that appeal? Set in 1930s New York during the Great Depression, Annie follows the life of an orphan abandoned to the care of its evil matron, Miss Hannigan. Annie seeks escape, and after one failed attempt, she finds herself the chosen Christmas guest of billionaire Oliver Warbucks, and things slowly, hopefully begin to improve for the little but fiercely strong Annie. Leading the adult cast for this tour now as the cruel Miss Hannigan is Claire Sweeney. Sweeney clearly revels in the chance to embr...

Review of Lord of the Dance at Milton Keynes Theatre

On what was so far the hottest day of the year, and the highest in many a record book, it feels a tad evil to watch as a group of extremely talented performers bring to the stage one of the most famous and most energetic dance shows to tour. However, arriving now at Milton Keynes Theatre, as part of what is now the still rather immodestly titled 30 Years of Standing Ovations tour, Lord of the Dance remains full of energy even on the hottest of evenings in Milton Keynes. I last and first saw Lord of the Dance as part of the 25 Years of Standing Ovations tour, four years ago (yes, the sums don’t quite work), and it was every bit as spectacular as you could imagine this world-famous dance show is. Born into the world from Michael Flatley and the Riverdance spectacular that preceded it, Lord of the Dance is a simple but effective battle between good and evil and the resolution of it through dance rather than fighting. The dancing here is, as expected, exceptional, led by the Lord of the...

A Small Mind At The Theatre

Search This Blog