Award-winning showman Derren Brown brings his latest offering, Only Human, to the Midlands this month, promising a mind-blowing and thought-provoking experience that combines mind-reading, psychological illusion and ‘breathtaking’ storytelling. After making his name on TV with the series Mind Control, his stage performances continue to amaze audiences, even if live productions bring their fair share of surprises - as Derren here explains...

It is pretty extraordinary that in the social-media age, where it’s virtually impossible to keep any information under wraps, Derren Brown’s stage shows remain entirely unspoiled. The great illusionist, who is currently touring the UK with new offering Only Human, has an insight into why...

“People are incredibly good at keeping the secrets. In the first show I ever did, I asked people to keep it quiet, and I was amazed and touched that they did. That was pre-social media, but audiences still respect the secrecy - I think it’s part of the fun.”

It’s also testament to the thoughtfully crafted shows which have made Derren such a popular figure. This isn’t just well-performed magic; it’s a deep-dive into human behaviour, and even a source of salient life lessons - albeit with plenty of entertaining showmanship and some jaw-dropping stunts thrown in.
Derren was always interested in this added dimension, even in the early stages of his career. Born in Croydon, he was studying law and German at Bristol University when he saw a hypnotist, Martin Taylor, doing a show. 

“I was utterly captivated. I wasn’t much interested in law, so I devoted all my time to learning close-up magic - it was easier to get work doing that than as a hypnotist. But the psychology aspect, and the relationship between the performer and the audience, really fascinated me.”

Derren notes that there weren’t many people doing mentalism at that stage, but he was inspired by performers like Polish mentalist Chan Canasta. 

“He was a very charming, masterful, magnetic character - I remember thinking how much weight his act carried. I wanted to create shows that might affect people beyond just making something disappear or getting a card to appear on top of the deck.”

Derren became a household name at the beginning of the millennium thanks to the Channel Four series Mind Control and follow-ups shows Trick Of The Mind and Derren Brown: The Events. He’s also a prolific stage performer, having presented shows including Evening Of Wonders, Enigma, Infamous, Miracle and Showman. But even now, he hesitates to pin down what exactly it is that he does: “It’s quite nice not having a label. It gives you permission to do so many things. I opened a ghost-train ride at Thorpe Park the same year I published a book [Happy: Why More Or Less Everything Is Absolutely Fine] drawing on Ancient Greek philosophy.”

In his live shows, there’s an element of surprise for Derren as well as his audience - they often revolve around bringing a member of the general public out on stage. Although live theatre is, by its nature, always changing, that phenomenon is amplified in a production like this. Doesn’t Derren find it nerve-wracking? 
“Not really - it keeps it feeling fresh every night. Having different people coming up keeps me in the moment. There are always parts where there isn’t a script, so I’m essentially having to improvise, and it’s just lovely. It makes the show so varied: it can become more funny, or serious. or spooky.”

Meanwhile, for the audience, just seeing one of their number up there changes how they engage with the show. 

“Everyone has a vicarious relationship with the person on stage, thinking ‘That could be me!’ Sometimes, the person will talk in a way that’s very vulnerable and open, and it creates this warm, connective feeling in the audience - we’re all naturally empathetic. It’s different to more traditional magic acts, where the volunteer is basically a prop.”

Derren selects his volunteers carefully, using a few tried-and-tested methods. 

“There are things I can do in the show to see who is more responsive, and filter out people who aren’t. I do choose some people at random too, by throwing out frisbees. But I should make it clear that you absolutely don’t have to come on stage - you can always hand the frisbee to the person next to you.

“It’s actually helpful if I get someone, at random, who’s more sceptical, more antagonistic and trying to catch me out, because it makes them more predictable. For example, if I ask someone to think of a letter of the alphabet, and they’re trying to throw me, they’ll probably go for either Q or Z.” 

Derren explains he doesn’t worry about going off track, since it makes the live shows more interesting and authentic. “The whole show is basically going to be a series of little things going wrong. I once struggled to get a lid off a marker pen, but oddly that made it feel more human and added to the jeopardy - it’s like a juggler dropping a ball. 

“In one show, I had a running gag about pretending to be a bad psychic and trying to get someone’s phone number. The big climax involved people shouting out long numbers, and then I’m multiplying them, and magically I get it right. Well, one night it went completely wrong - and worse, we had pyrotechnics and a confetti cannon going off! I felt terrible, but people still had a good time. I’ve learnt that when stuff goes wrong, you just park it, find a solution and carry on. It’s something I try to apply in the rest of my life, too.”

Only Human differs from Derren’s previous live endeavours in terms of both its aesthetics and a number of key production elements.

“It looks more modern, instead of having that faded grandeur vintage feel. We’ve got a fantastic video & lighting team doing amazing things. I hope it’s moving and surprising, and takes people to places they’re not expecting. Audiences so far have been fantastic. I feel like every night I’m going on a ride with them.”

The Only Human tour continues around the country until August, stopping off in the Midlands this very month.

“I love touring. It’s great discovering how the audience in each place thinks, and how they express themselves.” 

Derren also gets to know these different locations through their coffee shops: “One of the big appeals of touring is this gift of spending my days doing what I like - so I often head to a coffee shop and write. Then, each night, I get to be on stage.

“[With] Only Human, we want to give you something unique that you can’t get from a magic show or another sort of show. It should give you an emotional ride, food for thought, and a real sense of wonder.”

Derren Brown: Only Human runs at Birmingham Hippodrome from Tuesday 2 to Saturday 13 June. The production then returns to the region at the end of the month, showing at the Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent, from Tuesday 30 June to Saturday 4 July.