I entered The Albany with curiosity, anticipation and a fair amount of scepticism. When we think of hypnosis, we usually think of a man in a shiny suit with a top hat and a pair of gloves; a mysterious stage with smoke and mirrors; and the horrifying possibility of audience participation. However, Christopher Green’s show is no ordinary stage hypnotism. In fact, I’m not sure it is hypnotism at all.

Green enters in a suit and a hat, sure, but instead of starting off with a miraculous routine, he sings. Accompanied by a single piano and vivid, purple lights, he encourages his audience to sing along with him. With every song he gets rid of his accessories, the hat, the jacket, until he becomes an ordinary performer. This progressive shedding of the theatrical demonstrates what his mission truly is: to change the stigma and give the power of hypnosis to the audience, not the hypnotist. And the focus is, in fact, on the audience; we are asked to sing, blow up balloons, and even hypnotise our neighbours.

Green’s original songs are catchy and funny, as they make fun of the cliche’s of hypnotism quite overtly. He has a strong voice and a good sense of showmanship; however, after a while the melodies become repetitive, the message of the piece does not develop anywhere further and remains to hit the same note. Green points out the problematic areas of hypnosis, and promises to return to them in detail later on in the show, but we never quite tackle these issues. And although The Singing Hypnotist is a self-aware and comical piece, the attempted hypnotic routines don’t seem to work and so they fail to entertain.

After the show we are invited to a Q&A, and this is where Green’s work finally becomes clear. He is very interested in mindfulness and clinical hypnotherapy, and he constructs his shows based on thorough research. His performance aims to present a contemporary hypnotism that can heal and also entertain.

The Singing Hypnotist spent a lot of time telling us what hypnotism is not; I just can’t help but feel that it failed to explain what it is. It has a positive message, but unfortunately lacked the clarity and focus to deliver it to us. The Q&A ended on a very positive and promising note as he encourages us to take control over our own minds and make our goals possible. I just wish this message was more developed in the show itself.

The Singing Hypnotist played at The Albany. For more information, see The Albany website.