“The two-hour show, directed by Hannah Sharkey, is too long for its good. 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.”
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“That’s not to say that some of the acts don’t impress. One involving a guillotine is a real jaw-dropper. But in the end, Lewis seems less interested in wowing us with his skills of illusion and uncanny perception than in getting us to laugh — and he does, big time. That’s the real magic.”
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"If you've seen the other '...Goes Wrong' productions, there is little sense of surprise, and, before long, a feeling of sameness sets in; you can set the setups from a mile away. Two hours is far too long for this sort of mechanical gaggery; some ruthless editing would improve the show markedly."
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“ ‘Mind Mangler’ provides a fair amount of entertainment; and if you bring the kids, so much the better as it provides them with adult 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.”
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"Mind Mangler: A Night of Tragic Illusion," starring the genial, but daffy, Henry Lewis, is part of the “gone wrong” franchise by Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields: "Peter Pan Goes Wrong" and "The Play that Goes Wrong," the latter of which is still playing in the same theater complex as "Mind Mangler." Like its sister shows, this is a goofy, but intelligent mix of silliness and sophistication.
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“All of the ‘illusions’ were well-known, but the audience’s willingness to play along created the craic (fun). Some of the biggest laughs were from attendees’ responses. Mr. Lewis masterfully worked the audience interactions, which were infinitely more entertaining than the tricks.”
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“Though the audience was full of children on the afternoon I attended, the play is marginally family-friendly, and Lewis often seemed more bothered than amused at having to deal with the kids, especially when a precocious fourteen-year-old played havoc with one of the audience’s participatory bits.”
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“With only two characters and one basic plot line in ‘Mind Mangler,’ the joke felt like it was the same. Although some of the illusions actually worked, they are overshadowed by the planned screw-ups. However, if you were actively involved and perhaps even one of the group of 40 in the theater the day I attended, you probably loved ‘Mind Mangler’.”
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