Adelaide Fringe

Fringe Review: Colin Cloud: Kills

As a master of deduction, Colin Cloud uses seemingly impossible powers of observation to reveal the most extraordinary thoughts in our mind. Fun & fascinating!

Presented by Lee Martin for Gag Reflex
Reviewed 13 February 2016

Colin Cloud does exactly what the hype suggests – he can tell you what you’re thinking and even what you had for lunch.

He bills himself as a ‘deductionist’ and, to our great fascination, he openly deduces the mysteries of our mind and life through smell, body language and tone of voice. He talks us through a lot of the process but, even then, the results are extraordinary. Blindfolded, how can anyone possibly conclude that a tube is fluorescent green or that a husky man is thinking of the good old days when he was in a ballroom dance final in the year 1981? How about revealing the phone number of a friend you’re thinking of?

This is gob-smacking guess work and all of the audience get to participant in one way or another. Many excited, albeit nervous punters are called to the stage. As one embarrassed teen found out though, your secrets will be revealed so don’t think about the time you and your girlfriend broke the bed. Cloud doesn’t set out to embarrass anyone, but you choose your own thoughts, so be warned!

He’s a funny guy who knows how to entertain as much as surprise his audience. The pace is quick and the mystery is high. When all is said and done though, the name of the show lives up to its title. Through hypnotism, the performance culminates in a heart-stopping moment not to be tried at home.

Seeing and observing are two different sets of skills, as is the difference between hearing and listening. Colin Cloud takes what psychics have been doing for hundreds of years and has become an absolute master of observation, noticing the tiniest of twitches, the flick of a glance, a suppressed reaction or a barely perceptible odour. He doesn’t profess to be a magician so even the greatest of sceptics must concede: Colin Cloud’s powers of deduction surpass even those of Sherlock Holmes.

Be amazed.

Reviewed by Rod Lewis
Twitter: @StrtegicRetweet

Rating (out of 5):  5

Venue: The Factory, Garden of Unearthly Delights, cnr Rundle Street & East Tce, Adelaide
Season: 13 – 28 February 2016
Duration: 1 hour
Tickets: $22 – $33
Bookings: Book through FringeTix online or at a FringeTix box office (booking fees apply)

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