By Ruvesen Naidoo
Brendon Peel’s phrase is to be treated literally, especially if you are going to see his one-man show, Shenanigans of the Mind, nestled between illusion, ‘magic of the mind’ mentalism, or just some good old magic.
Peel’s opening show at the Rehearsal Room, located at the Monument, drew eager volunteers from the audience to participate in various demonstrations and illusions. The show certainly sets a mood of both mystery and suspense, and did well to keep the audience enthralled throughout its hour-long duration – “Wow, that’s amazing!” came the murmurings from the audience.
A standard black curtained, and eerily lit, stage is home to various objects. These aid the mentalist’s craft throughout the show, paired well with Peel’s ability to deliver old school illusions making use of playing cards, coins, and slight of hand. He reveals that these first inspired his interest in magic at 10 years old.
While the show features a great assortment of everything that will leave you asking yourself “How did he do that?”, it is refreshing to see a charismatic individual have diligence in his craft of magic, and in the same breath, be able to maintain an interactive show, delivering timeous humour.
It certainly isn’t a mystery why Shenanigans of the Mind is back at the Festival for its third time consecutively.
Shenanigans of the Mind is on at the Rehearsal Room until 29 June.
