Review Roundup: MIND MANGLER Opens Off-Broadway

Mind Mangler: A Night of Tragic Illusion officially opened on Sunday, November 19 at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street) for a limited 16-week engagement through March 3, 2024. 

Mind Mangler: A Night of Tragic Illusion stars original company members Henry Lewis and Jonathan Sayer and is based on a character originally created in Magic Goes Wrong by Penn Jillette, Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, Henry Shields and Teller. The company also includes Bartley Booz, Brandon James Ellis, and Tom Wainwright.

From the minds that brought The Play That Goes Wrong and Peter Pan Goes Wrong to Broadway comes the hilarious new comedy by Mischief. Join the “Mind Mangler” as he returns to the stage following a disappointing two-night run at the Scranton, PA Holiday Inn Conference Center, suite 2B. His new two-man show solo spectacular is predicted to spiral into chaos as he attempts to read your MIND…

Photo Credit: Pamela Raith Photography

Allison Considine, New York Theatre Guide: Some of the best parts of Mind Mangler involve breaking set pieces. When trying to bend a spoon, the mentalist’s efforts instead cause a microphone stand to curve, and a lighting rig to descend. (The spoon, however, remains intact). Another standout moment is when he tries — and fails — an escapology trick, leading to his decapitation not once, but twice. The two-hour show, directed by Hannah Sharkey, is too long for its good. (At the start of Act 2, the Mind Mangler says he’s been told intermission is a highlight of the show.) The eventual payoff of the mentalist’s tricks takes too long to be satisfying. And where other Mischief shows are family-friendly, this one features too many off-the-cuff curse words for kids. It might be best enjoyed by a stag party or friend group after a round or two of drinks

Joey Sims, Theatrely: Lewis himself is so enjoyably goofy that his delightful presence helps cover for a lot of these hiccups. Sure, he and Sayer give basically the same performance in every Mischief show. But there is something comfortably familiar about the pair’s endless bickering and inevitable making up. One does feel in safe hands. Where the pair truly excel is in their interplay with the audience. By establishing upfront that the Mangler is a dolt, Mangler unlocks a particularly unhinged mania in its audience interaction. My crowd was heckling the Mangler one moment, then confessing dark secrets to him the next. Lewis controls these interactions expertly, and knows exactly where to tease out a bit and when to move on.

Steven Suskin, New York Stage Review: Mind Mangler provides a fair amount of entertainment; and if you bring the kids, so much the better as it provides them with adult (as opposed to juvenile) entertainment they can howl at and feel quite sophisticated. While this is not a kid’s show, the performance attended had a fair amount of the 6-to-19 set, who were not only altogether delighted but in some cases just about standing on their seats with joy. And you gotta love a show in which they bring out a ouija board and somehow call it a Luigi board.

Average Rating: 60.0%

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