Derren Brown: Secret NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (128)
See it if You enjoy magic shows and/or are interested in body language, and psychology.
Don't see it if It's not a play or a musical, and there's no story or plot of any kind.
See it if you have any doubts about the mystics of psychics. This guy will leave you dumb-founded. Plus he's charming.
Don't see it if you don't like to me mystified or refuse to believe what actually takes place before your eyes. Heck, go see it!
See it if you're willing to let go a bit and experience some pretty cool mental manipulations of the audience.
Don't see it if you're looking for a play or musical. It's more a mind reading with some magic thrown in. You have a phobia of audience participation.
See it if you enjoy shows that are mind bending, literally. It's part mentalism, part illusion, part WTF!
Don't see it if don't like one man shows that are small, intimate and designed to leave you gobsmacked.
See it if you enjoy magicians & mentalists with clever & challenging routines, spending time with an amiable personality, like to be wowed
Don't see it if you're looking for a show with a plot or through line, have no interest in magic or "mind-reading," don't like being fooled or perplexed
See it if You want to be repeatedly stunned into disbelief (and possibly even hypnotized) at off-Broadway prices.
Don't see it if You live in terror of mind readers or audience participation.
See it if Just go see it.
Don't see it if you don't like magicians, don't like psychics, don't believe in magic and don't believe in hocus pocus ;)
See it if you want to see a world-class mentalist and consummate entertainer demonstrate his art.
Don't see it if you don't like audience participation or need to know the secrets behind the performance or if you are expecting a traditional play. Read more
Critic Reviews (23)
"A hilarious and thrilling evening of mind reading and psychological illusion...The show completely blew my mind...I remain stunned...However Brown pulls off his wonders, the experience is bewildering and spellbinding. My attention never waned once. But more than that, Brown is hilarious...He manages to lampoon his participants without showing them an ounce of unkindness or disrespect."
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“First and foremost, Brown is an entertainer. He clearly loves being in the spotlight and makes you feel like he belongs there…He’s an enigma, and his persona is so deeply imbued into what he does that actor and act reinforce each other, creating an air of mystery and impenetrability that’s intriguing yet also the tiniest bit off-putting in that you can’t get close to him…The result is refreshingly direct, and the audience members who participate seem to enjoy themselves.”
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"If you like your brains scrambled, or over easy, or poached, or any way other than the way you usually carry them around, Derren Brown is the fella for you. This one is a geez Louise of the highest order...Brown is first and foremost a storyteller...He has created a compelling narrative...There is a heightened vibration in the room from the minute the lights come up...He takes the magic that is theatre and kicks it into the stratosphere."
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"'Secret' is an intoxicating dream...Funny, bewildering, almost frightening, and even sometimes poignant, Brown redesigns what one should expect from a magic show. With a casual, funny, and unassuming surface that conceals a bewildering depth of complexity and unaccountable skill he charms his audience down a mesmerizing road...'Secret' right now is undoubtedly one of the coolest things to be seen on the stages of New York City."
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“Derren Brown…offers two hours and 40 minutes of mind-boggling mental mischief…All you can think of is "How'd he do it?"...During Act One you sometimes feel there's too much talk in proportion to the actual tricks...I suspect, though, it's all carefully planned to make the show increasingly dramatic in Act Two, when the tension grows with each routine, leading to the grand finale. And, while you're still scratching your head over it, an even more surprising surprise awaits you.”
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“A diverting evening dotted with more than enough jaw-droppers to offset some familiar bits and a slight tendency to mumbo jumbo. Brown is a trained magician and obviously a whiz with sleight of hand, but his best work isn’t a matter of trickery or prestidigitation. The draw: his ability to read audience members and accurately predict their choices and actions…He’s a terrific hypnotist, too…It was a treat to feel baffled and bamboozled.”
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“One of the most entertaining nights in a theatre was had this week watching ‘Derren Brown: Secret’…Mr. Brown truly knows how to manipulate and bend an entire audience and it is amazing…All I can say is this guy is the real deal…The show is witty and enlightening...Mr. Brown is personable, chatty and intriguing…This is a show you should not miss as it will definitely make you think about how easily we are all subconsciously connected."
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“Brown goes way beyond the usual brand of magic here…He performs very few stunts, and occasionally you may find yourself not paying attention, which is when all the magic happens...Brown is great at setting you up to believe that so much more will be revealed…Brown’s showmanship is never more apparent than in the second act when he reveals that we’ll be treated to a short film. It turns out to be not much of a film…No doubt about it: Brown is the William Castle of illusionists.”
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