Magic and humour merge in this spiritual show erasing the boundaries between our world and the afterlife. Guillermo Nazara shares his thoughts on this new production set to go on tour this summer, to let us know if this either a heavenly montage or the spectre at the feast.
What would you say to a lost loved one if you had the chance to? “Don’t look” would probably be my answer. Seriously, thank goodness I wasn’t picked by the underworld to summon Stuart Michael’s alleged clairvoyant powers – we may have needed an exorcist there… for the ghosts. Though a convinced skeptic myself (years of unfulfilled McDonald’s promises have withered my faith), the opportunity of experiencing a live, interactive show dealing with the spirit realm has always triggered my interest. Could it be there’s actually an afterlife? Or at least, could they make you believe there is?
I was genuinely gripped by those questions just a few minutes after the performance started. A spark of suspense ignites the alluring eeriness of its atmosphere. Just a few opening words before the forces from the other round get down to business. For a moment, you would buy that’s what’s truly happening. Before the conjuring begins, we are reminded not to record anything that takes place during the evening – whatever may occur tonight, must stay in here. I’ll just say it’s my duty as a journalist to report so I can do whatever I want.
One first visitant seems to have been caught into the medium’s spiritual radar. It is a man. Not an old one, but definitely someone with a long history behind his path. A tale of love, but also of grief. Probably a fun friend within his circle, maybe a proud son to his parents, and certainly, a beloved brother to his sister – the same one sitting in the audience that night. Our jaws can literally drop at that moment. The accuracy of the personal details Michael has given about her relative is almost beyond astonishing. It’s too factual to be deemed as vague guesses. That earns him a well-deserved first applause. But how many times can he do it again?
Maybe it’s because the playful spooks were not feeling it much that night. Maybe it’s because they’ve merely never been there. But sadly, that initial boost of shivers gradually goes down as the gig progresses. There are some interesting assumptions (even my plus one was more or less surprised to hear things he did not even remember about his grandfather). But that doesn’t prevent the energy from constantly declining into a less than unsatisfactory ending. We’re not offered a grand finale. Instead, it seems as if the spectral world has grown bored of showing up, and there’s no other option but to call it an (insufficient) night.
You may have faith in these things. You may think it’s plain bollocks. But what cannot be argued is that when you attend an event of this sort, you need to be given the tools to trust that, at least, there’s a possibility. Wistfully, that subtle early vibe only wears out, as you commence to wonder if the first interaction was simply staged, You never get to witness another testimony just as astonishingly precise – let alone experience the same degree of awe and bewilderment. The overall repetitive style of the performance, added to its excessive length for the kind of production that it is, may also be the primary contributors to its final flawed image.
Stuart Michael does have the ability to carry out a much better, even brilliant concept. His charming personality and warm interacting skills guarantee so. But even when a montage consists of basically displaying one rare talent, there’s still some common rules to be followed. When it comes to the theatre, storytelling is its ultimate essence. And though there’s been many backgrounds we heard of, there’s not been much of a cohesive narrative all in all. Bring back the spectacle to the fantasy, and then we will be able to dream.
The Psychic Medium will start its UK tour in July. Tickets and dates are available on the following link.