Burton Taylor, Tuesday 17th November – Saturday 21st November, 9.30p.m.

“Bashful attempt at bravado which falls flat: Although the show begins well with a neatly crafted and potentially gruesome sequence involving staple guns, by the closing scene some forty minutes later the tension so perfectly generated at the start has totally dissipated.” Review by Joss Waller ★★★★★

“Interspersed with the mind tricks were choreographed physical tricks such as the hammering of a nail into his nose (I’m not kidding). For me, these were slightly unnecessary and appeared to be out of context of the psychological trickery.” Review by Madeleine Woolgar ★★★★★

S1L3NC3 ★★★★★

Review by Joss Waller

S1L3NC3, currently showing at the Burton Taylor Studio, comprises of eight episodes – four mind games separated by three acts of supposed self harm and a conclusion.

Although the show begins well with a neatly crafted and potentially gruesome sequence involving staple guns, by the closing scene some forty minutes later the tension so perfectly generated at the start has totally dissipated.

Despite the fact that the mind games as a rule had well-grounded foundations – one of them made a direct reference to the Monty Hall Problem – most of them fell flat due to poor delivery. Although the interaction with the audience was impressive, S1L3NC3 constantly fluctuated between an overly relaxed style and a ridiculously heightened, almost try-hard effort at drama, highly reminiscent of an under-par school production of Shakespeare. Perhaps this shouldn’t be a surprise given that S1L3NC3, with his pale and at times worried face and his thin adolescent frame looks at least two years away from a school-finishing age.

Music was used effectively throughout the production to counterbalance the effect of silence during the scenes of self-harm and sometimes it did help to restore the atmosphere of tension and anticipation disrupted by S1L3NC3’s stage immaturity. Moreover the use of props in the very sparse, intimate environment was skilfully managed and S1L3NC3 at times endeared himself to the audience through moments of impromptu humour.

A recursive theme of 100 days of silence caused by a car crash gave a pleasing flow to the performance and made for a dramatic if slightly pretentious conclusion, and some of the self-harm sequences (in particular when razor blades were swallowed!) showcased S1L3NC3’s bold showmanship as well as his potential to become a very impressive performer.

But what is lacking all the way through is conviction and maturity. S1L3NC3 never completely draws the audience in because it is too easy to see through to act, to perceive behind the magician and behind the bravado the over-awed boy struggling to succeed in a grown-up’s game. Give S1L3NC3 a few years however, and it could be a different story entirely.

For me disappointment rather than fascination was the overriding feeling on leaving the Burton Taylor Studio, so unless it is a special interest in watching the development of young talent that draws you to this production, I would not recommend it.

S1L3NC3 ★★★★★

Review by Madeleine Woolgar

“You believe these are free choices. They are in fact the choices I want you to make.” Although unclear from the show’s marketing, S1L3NC3 is a show of psychological trickery meant to illustrate the extent to which our communications can be interpreted and choices manipulated. The show consists of a single performer taking the audience through a series of demonstrations that expose how little we know about the capabilities of the human mind. The performer manages, for example, to write the word that a chosen member of the audience was projecting by thought onto the page before him. Psychological tricksters such as this seem to reveal the great distance between what they know about human communication and what scientists are yet to prove. These tricks are reminiscent of Derren Brown who plants the word in the participants mind through subliminal messaging prior to the trick itself. Yet having guessed the wrong word for one of the participants, it was revealed that another participant on stage had been thinking the same word implying that the thought was somehow floating, tangible in the air for him to seize upon. The effect of this revelation however caused an uproar of appreciation from the packed audience at the Burton Taylor. His audience appeared not to question the logic of his trickery.

Throughout his performance, he claims that everything on stage is in direct consequence of a childhood accident that caused him to lose his hearing for three months. This resulted in his appreciating, listening and hearing more. It is hard to trace this theme in his demonstrations. Is the implication that as the participant silently thought the word in their mind that he projected his thoughts subconsciously in an oral way that is undetectable to anyone other than his trained ear? It is unclear.

It is an interesting claim that gives his act an unusual edge, but it promises a cohesiveness to his tricks that never comes to fruition. Does his questioning a volunteer about his preference for chocolate somehow reveal to him his choice of envelope in order for him to manipulate that choice? It seemed to me that the words of the performer were more important than the participant’s in manipulating his choice which negates his professed power of listening. I would have liked the performer to have revealed some of his methods but this would have detracted from the carefully constructed mood of the performance.

Interspersed with the mind tricks were choreographed physical tricks such as the hammering of a nail into his nose (I’m not kidding). For me, these were slightly unnecessary and appeared to be out of context of the psychological trickery. The musical score that accompanied these episodes built up credible tension within the audience and had grown men recoiling. The intimate space in the Burton Taylor complemented these acts making the audience noticeably squirm.

These episodes brought an edge of menace to the performance that in combination with the music built up tension that benefited the psychological explorations. I would have preferred the performer to have explored the mind trickery more and explained how listening enabled him to remember twenty photographs flashed momentarily before his eyes. The tricks were impressive, if not altogether cohesive. The performer has credible showmanship and his underlying menace gives him a striking characteristic that could mark him out among other such performers. This is definitely one to watch.