Derren Brown's Unbelievable - a review

[CraigMitchell]

Derren Brown’s latest show is titled “Unbelievable” … and a peculiar one as Derren doesn’t star in it. Instead, Unbelievable is “created, written and directed by UK stage and screen phenomenon Derren Brown” along with Andy Nyman and Andrew O’Connor.

The show promises “the best of theatre” with “jaw dropping illusions” and a “company of multi-talented performers who will bring to life, live on stage, an evening of bewildering trickery, from the imagination of Derren Brown.”

The poster promises “to have your mind blown” …

I’m unsure what Derren and Andy have been imagining – or what theatre they have seen recently, but Unbelievable is certainly not.

It is mundane at best and banal at worst.

What Derren has attempted to do is produce a magic show without magicians ( with the exception of one, Simon Lipkin, who is the only performer in the cast who can present an effect ) Or rather hire some interchangeable actors and musicians – attempt to teach them some magic – spending the least amount of money possible, in the naïve hope that the show can tour the world whilst the royalty cheques come flowing in.

The result is a predictable low budget mess that should have never reached fruition. Unless a miracle happens – I will be amazed if the London press don’t crucify this show ahead of its arrival in the West End.

The very basis of any good piece of theatre are the characters, the performers, the people … Nothing is more critical in magic. A truly good performer understands it is not just what you do, but who you are that truly counts. Your personality and persona are half the battle.

Audiences go see Derren Brown not just to be amazed, but because they develop a connection with the performer on stage. Audiences may not know the lead in Les Misérables – but they certainly fall in love with the character and develop an emotional connection to what they are seeing.

Strip that away and I am presented with a handful of nameless ensemble members – mere actors and musicians – with ( for the most part ) non-existent magic abilities presenting mediocre presentations. Add to that the audience’s subtext that the magic they are about to see cannot possibly require ‘much skill’ if a musician/actor learnt this mere weeks ago. And why exactly would I as an audience member want to see a musician perform magic? I don’t ask the opera singer to paint or have a band member play Hamlet.

The very concept of the show itself is fatally flawed and what is truly unbelievable is that neither Andy nor Derren foresaw this … or knew exactly what they were doing and didn’t care. I don’t know which is the lesser of two evils. Just a few weeks of rehearsal is all you need – and you, too, West End musician can be a magician. We get the two confused so often, anyway.

On with the show. And for those who prefer to avoid spoilers – read no further.

Act 1 – The Promise of the Impossible

The performance begins with a mobile “New York Subway” band on stage – trumpet, drums, saxophone – with an excruciatingly long 6 minute piece. Yes … the first 6 minutes of the show is nothing but a music jazz number. Eventually the curtains part to reveal a lone theatre chair on stage – with a ‘neon’ sign inviting someone from the audience to take ‘the best seat in the house’ … after a nervous wait, the sign proclaims “the show cannot start until someone comes up” … eventually a brave soul takes to the stage, straps on their seat belt and off we go!

The flimsiest of threads that run through the show is the ideal that everyone is performing a magic trick. The parts they want you to see is the ‘effect’ – and the parts they wish to keep hidden is the ‘method’.

Cabinet Appearance

A giant cabinet is wheeled on stage with the effect performed for the ‘benefit’ of the seated spectator. Doors are opened – cabinet is shown empty – and one of the band members is produced. Magic!

The secret of the illusion is then revealed showing how the cast member was hanging onto the side of the door all along – effectively out of view as the doors opened and closed. As the method is explained further - more cast members are produced – quite literally walking on stage into the cabinet out of view of the spectator.

As the cast members are ‘produced’ – they take a seat on the side of the stage. For the grand finale – the chairs on which they have been seated vanish – only to reappear inside the empty cabinet. The vanishing chairs are a nice touch but the only problem with the minor miracle of their reappearance is the very obvious arrival of a strange “frame” carried from the wings to the cabinet of mystery by what I can only assume are meant to be invisible backstage crew. Audiences are not blind and suspicious activity behind the cabinet mere moments before an appearance is not exactly magic.

And so ends the first piece in ‘Unbelievable’.

“Jaw dropping illusions never before seen in the West End”
Not yet.

Linking Finger Rings

Next up, we are told that our pianist is remarkably an engineer. How lucky for us as three finger rings from the audience impossibly link. A cookie-cutter performance delivered with limited flair by the next ensemble member in our anonymous rotating cast. Yes, the rings linked. But we’re given no reason to care. And why should we?

Think-a-Drink

Fear not – singing magician, Simon Lipkin, will rescue all in our homage to “Prohibition”. Picture Hugh Jackman in Music Man as a singing snake-oil salesman ( complete with cart and backdrop ) doing think-a-drink. It’s as cringeworthy as it sounds. And goes on forever. And ever. And ever. It’s also not particularly mystifying to an audience when the performer is utilizing multiple steel cocktail shakers which are never inspected post-performance. The very power of think-a-drink is when the container can be handed out at the end or in the box carton version, ripped to shreds to show that all is ‘fair’.

Color Vision Box

If Hugh Jackman didn’t do it – an overweight James Corden lookalike complete with local grating accent, lisp and such eloquent sayings as “alright mate” and “I’ll tell ya what” will surely lift the spirits with a 5 spectator color vision box on stage. Yes – that color vision box … which is available for sale in the interval (!) Our Corden lookalike happily proclaims that “Derren Brown taught me how to do this” as a giant prediction is revealed with printed photos of the spectators and their chosen colours. I don’t know what’s more mystifying. That someone thought that five tiny color vision boxes on stage was a good idea … or that the audience now knows you have a giant A2 color printer backstage.

“Jaw dropping illusions never before seen in the West End”
Not quite.

Squeezer
To end the first half – our singing female assistant in sequins laments the plight of the magician’s assistant – and in recognition of “150 years of extraordinary magicians assistants” she is covered in cardboard boxes by our two newly promoted ‘magicians’ ( ‘Jackman’ and ‘Corden’ ) and visibly squashed leaving just her head visible as the curtains bring to a close Act 1.

Bizarre and disjointed. Absolutely.

What is most telling though is that a 14 year old seated across from me – left the show during interval – electing to rather wait in the car for his parents than watch the second half of the show. Ouch!

Act 2 – Holding out for a Hero

Cups & Balls x 6

Our musicians are back – this time with a 6 person line-up of “percussion meets cups & balls” all happening simultaneously. Picture Gaston’s cup banging sequence from Beauty & the Beast and you get the idea. Cups are banged, balls vanish, balls reappear – ending with an explosion of sponge balls. It’s a nice sequence but a little too confusing to follow exactly what’s happening.

Balloon on Thread

The next hint of Derren comes in our message of ‘stop comparing ourselves to others’ and rather ‘focus on gratitude’ The messaging is somewhat forced as our next anonymous ‘magician’ blows up a balloon by mouth and then mysteriously causes it to float around the stage. However, if you are going to make something float – you do need to disprove the use of threads. Which no one thought to do in Unbelievable ( Audiences are intelligent beings after all ) So rather than a magical floating balloon we must logically ( rightly or wrongly ) have a balloon on thread.

“Jaw dropping illusions never before seen in the West End”
Still searching.

Musical Telepathy

Our pianist turned linking finger ring engineer is back with James Corden at the helm (“there ya go mate” ) with another incredible skill. She not only links finger rings but has the gift of musical telepathy.

A number of audience members have been asked to think of a song – but rather than just have them do so in front of the audience – they all mysteriously had to leave the theatre only to be brought back later as they lined up to have their ‘musical minds read’

Am I the only one who thinks this is suspicious? No … the entire audience does.

Ms Finger Ring Engineer-cum-pianist magically picks up the vibrations and begins to play their “thought” of song. Each. And. Every. Song. The routine goes on for absolute ages. A recurring theme.

Panto Séance

For our grand finale – the Davenport Spirit Cabinet complete with cheesy garden set and illuminated moon meets British comedy pantomime ( intentionally it would seem )… as Davenport’s man servant ( the irritating Corden lookalike ) attempts to travel the astral planes causing a yellow ball to jump into a wine glass, incorrectly reading the name of a spectators loved one and flying through the atmosphere – counting the change in an audience’s members pocket ( thanks swami ) If it sounds ridiculous, it is.

And then after this bizarre comedy by play – the most incongruent moment of all – the spectator on stage is asked to think of their loved one, tell them how much they love them … and in a poor nod to Derek Delgaudio ( or Copperfield depending which way you lean ) – the spectators daughter magically appears in the Davenport Spirit Cabinet.

To recap - we’ve effectively had a goofball clown on stage for the last 10 minutes dressed in top hat and tails doing panto – making woowoo sounds whilst swimming in the astral plains - pretending to be Davenport’s actual man servant … and now we are supposed to incredibly switch gears and reach the inner recesses of our emotions – feeling the love ( and impossibility ) of this heartwarming reunion.

It's just not happening.

And if you are still not sure – our Subway band is back to close us out. Complete with the show theme song imploring us to sing the lyrics ‘that’s Unbelievable’

Sadly nothing could be further from the truth.

[CraigMitchell]

Some audience members are not impressed

“ Massive disappointment Derren. I was up on the stage pretending to be ‘astounded’ at a pianist reading my mind. ( I was given the song by a stage hand )
Five pretty lame magic tricks for a two hour show and lots of music.
Unbelievable is right.”

https://twitter.com/annaberu/status/169 ... E8afm0kADw

[Dustin Stinett]

One word: Yikes.

[El Mystico]

Judging from his previous reviews, I have a much higher opinion of Derren's shows that Craig does. That's OK.
His comments in his post on budgets - which surely are pure speculation - suggests his bias. That he quotes ONE tweet and says it represents 'some audience members' confirms that bias. It is the sort of gimmick the Daily Mail uses - pretend one social media post represents a much wider group.

I completely agree with Craig when he says, 'A truly good performer understands it is not just what you do, but who you are that truly counts. Your personality and persona are half the battle.' Pretty sure Derren would agree too, having read his latest book.

Derren said on Twitter (X, if you must) that it was a 'bumpy start'. Maybe the show isn't as bad as Craig paints. Maybe it will get a lot better after the experience of the previews. Or perhaps this show will serve to disprove the Robert-Houdin adage, '"The magician is an actor playing the part of a magician."

But I'd like the views of others than Craig before even beginning to form a conclusion.

[Tom Moore]

It would be fair to say that the show as currently presented is quite some distance from the show originally intended/announced. It is also fair to say that the reviews thus far are decidedly 50:50 - a few people rave about it, a few absolutely hate it, a lot in the middle are "it was kinda ok I guess for a regional show I suppose". It is still technically in its try-outs / preview period so it will be interesting to see what changes are made before it hits the west end.

[Tarotist]

I am not sure if I am understand thing correctly. Is Derren not actually in the show himself? Was his role just a production role? If so, I am not surprised at the mixed response. I can't see it working unless he is actually in the show itself. I don't like his work on TV but he is very good with a live audience except when he uses disgraceful profanity. His absence in the show seems to me to be a mistake.

[Leo Garet]

"...........But I'd like the views of others than Craig before even beginning to form a conclusion.

Me too, I think. Because, of course, the only way to form a conclusion is to go and see the show. Then like Craig and everybody else who's seen it, we can form our own opinions and draw our own conclusions.

For me, and I suspect many, going to see the show is not possible. So I'll read the reports and reviews and accept that it's other people's opinions, that may or may not be encouraging.

[jwjmcd]

My family and i are back from watching the show in Manchester.

All of those around me had a great time including me!

I found the show to be entertaining and enjoyable. The music was fabulous.

My experience were many of the audience were eager to take part including a young girl included in the think a drink routine. Finale was clever and brave.

Go and see ..

[Richard Kaufman]

Derren is not in the show. There are NO magicians in the show. All the performers are actors who've been hired and trained.

[CraigMitchell]

@Richard - there is one magician in the show, Simon Lipkin ( who is also a West End actor )

More word of mouth:

https://www.facebook.com/RobChapmanHypn ... 6217396792

"...It was entertaining, did not really deliver on its promises. The people in front agreed that if it had been a show at butlins you would have been happy with it following the bingo. Which tells you all you need to know.
Definitely not magic like you have never seen before. Definitely nothing new, more like new dressing on the usual.
Unbelievable not at all.
Average, Definitely
Had some great food though."

"Sarah Donnelly: I agree. We were at Manchester tonight. We were very disappointed. An average show at best"

Another one with expletives:

https://www.facebook.com/violetbrator/p ... 0862135413

"Majority of the show has cheap parlour tricks... Seen better "Magic" on BGT by children Shame!
Wait for the reviews from the West End critics... Better still wait for it's West End run to be cut short x"

There was a positive post:

https://www.facebook.com/kellilouise.bo ... 1995442357

"I’m going to be bold and say THE best production value I’ve experienced in recent years. "

But turns out the person is connected to a cast member ( and can't have seen much theatre if they were raving about the production value which is minimal relative to what is happening in the industry in 2023 )

For the show to succeed beyond those who initially bought tickets on the strength of Derren's name - it needs positive word of mouth. Initial sense says it isn't looking good. Time will tell ...

[jwjmcd]

Well i will be recommending …and have several friends going to Manchester tomorrow.

Have just come back from London having seen Play that goes wrong, Harry Potter 1 and 2 and Les Mis.

The show is still developing but will not be out of place in the west end despite no Derren . It breaks the mould and the musical talent is incredible. Honestly , go see it… if you like theatre and want to see a new version of Will , the witch and the wardrobe you will too. i think its an incredibly creative show.

[CraigMitchell]

Audience feedback in Manchester ( with the show now being up and running for close on 6 weeks ) - and its not looking pretty.

https://www.facebook.com/stephen.smitho ... 2835914884

Stphn Smth: "if you’ve got tickets for Derren Brown’ Unbelievable show. It isn’t. It’s awful.You’d see better at the end of Blackpool pier."

"Helen Brearley: Just seen Vee, she was equally scathing. "

Top ticket prices for London are 81 GBP ( a similar stalls seat for Back to the Future is available for 88 GBP as a point of reference. Harry Potter Part 1 for 75 GBP. There is zero comparison in production value )

The run is optimistically scheduled to play from 19th Sept to 7 April 2024 at the Criterion. If the current trend continues - word of mouth will certainly sink this show and cause it to close early ( almost guaranteed if the London critics pan it )

Unless something drastic happens, Derren will sadly have damaged his brand with this experiment ... and will certainly see ticket buyers not rush for presales for his next solo tour - having been burnt with Unbelievable.

[Richard Kaufman]

I don't think that any shows with Derren in them will be hurt by this experiment.

[Tarotist]

I am not sure word of mouth will sink it. I remember some time ago there was a Shakespearian play in London (I think MacBeth) that got terrible reviews and because of the bad reviews the theatre was packed every night because people wanted to see if the play was as bad as it was reputed to be. I vaguely remember Quentin Reynold's sister had a part in the play!

I also remember the late Herb Morrissey telling me that if a magic book got a bad review in a magic magazine it would actually help sales! I have my doubts about that but all I can say is that is exactly what Herb told me!

Oh, and talking about Herb and going off topic for a brief moment I saw on sale in his magic shop a little booklet by Ken De Courcey on how to do Everywhere and Nowhere with a svengali deck. I decided to buy it but there was no price marked on it. I showed it to Herb and asked the price. Suddenly he looked very annoyed, opened the cash register in an irritable manner, slammed it shut and handed me 50 cents! I was quite confused by this and asked him what was going on. He snorted, "You see that red dot sticker on there? That means the book is such a slow seller that I have to pay YOU to take it away!"

[Richard Kaufman]

I can tell you with certainty that a bad review for a magic book does not help sales.

[Tarotist]

I can tell you with certainty that a bad review for a magic book does not help sales.

I wouldn't have thought so either. I can only tell you what Herb told me. Perhaps he was referring to a trick rather than a book but I still think it was the latter rather than the former. And even if it was a trick I still don't see how it could work. I will say that I have seen bad reviews of certain books but they turn out to be quite good! I suspect half the time the reviewers haven't read them properly!

[Tarotist]

I did a search for other non-magician reviews and was amused to find them quite positive!

[Bob Baker]

The show is in “out-of-town tryouts.” This is when the creators find out what’s working and what’s not. They tweak the show after every performance, rewriting, re-ordering, adding, eliminating.

Many are the Broadway musicals that were panned out of town and with work and revision landed on Broadway as smash hits.

Patience with the creators, please. They have a record of successes that few can match.

[El Mystico]

Two other reviews of the show...

https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/237 ... end-stint/

https://littlemissedenrose.com/home/unb ... agic-show/

[Tarotist]

There are reviews and there are press releases. I am getting a psychic vibe those two above are press releases. They are too full of hyperbole and praise to be anything else. On the other hand I do think as Bob Baker just pointed out it is too early to be nitpicking. Let us see how it develops.

[CraigMitchell]

Embarrassingly the show is using "Little Miss Eden Rose's" triumphant comment as a lead for their social marketing.

"Emma, an Essex parent and lifestyle blogger ... I am a busy mum juggling work, home life, school runs, days out, the gym and everything in between."

They really are scraping the bottom of the barrel. Give someone a free ticket and they'll recite the press release any which way you want

[Jack Shalom]

"Unless something drastic happens, Derren will sadly have damaged his brand with this experiment"

On the contrary--it gives him a boost. "See, it's not the same without Derren!"

Elvis impersonator vs. Elvis.

[Brad Henderson]

I wish I could find the essay-article I’m stealing from. But it’s completely on point

The ‘brandification’ of art is contrary to art

If artists can’t be free to try new things and fail, art is doomed.

By condemning an attempt at something new - warning people that their brands can be damaged if everything they do isn’t a blockbuster, we discourage innovation.

It is only from our failures that we grow.

Playing to the judges/Critics/fans and giving them only what they like is how you win FISM. It’s not how you become an artist.

[Tarotist]

I think I agree with Brad. Give it a bit more time I think.

[CraigMitchell]

"By condemning an attempt at something new - warning people that their brands can be damaged if everything they do isn’t a blockbuster, we discourage innovation."

The jury is still out whether there ever was anything innovative taking place or whether the motivation and driving force was solely financial ( I'm leaning firmly towards the latter ) ... replacing magicians with musicians and low cost actors may not be something that should be encouraged in the first place ?

[Brad Henderson]

If a musician can do what we do, then revealing that says something, yes?

And I don’t think that’s what’s novel in the production. (Because it’s not novel. Mark Wilson and countless theme parks have mounted magic shows using non magicians.)

Maybe if we didn’t have an industry that kept telling us that all it takes is to buy the newest toy and success will be ensured we wouldn’t even consider the choice you find so abhorrent.

Now excuse me - I have a fism contest act to work on. Where is my black art table, matrix with objects that aren’t coins, and laptop that I pointlessly interact with.

#interchangeablemagi

[Ted M]

And now see also...

Penn & Teller present: The Foolers

The Foolers brings to stage an evening of jaw-dropping illusions curated and endorsed by Penn & Teller. Celebrating television’s trickiest magicians, this interactive and irreverent evening presents best-in-class magicians who share the distinction of being among the few who have impressed the impressive pair with mystifying mind magic and hilarious comedic routines.

In addition to bringing Vegas-caliber modern magic to cities across the US, master magicians Alex Ramon, Jessica Jane, Matt Donnelly and Vinny Grosso, collectively known as “The Foolers” pay homage to the classic magic of Penn & Teller. Don’t miss this chance to see TV’s trickiest magicians!

Please note: Penn & Teller will not be present at this event.

https://www.foolerslive.com/

[CraigMitchell]

NYTimes does a feature:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/19/arts ... vable.html

"“Unbelievable” is a magic show without professional magicians, and some of the seven-person cast are making their West End debuts. The result is what Brown called a production without ego. There is no lead role.

Musicians are used to rehearsing and repeating, which helps when learning magic tricks. In general, because most of the cast members did not have a background in magic, they approached the material with an open mind and did not have to unlearn habits, the show creators said.

“I was worried that if you saw people you knew weren’t professional magicians, would you not buy into them?” Brown said. But he found the opposite to be true, saying that it showed the humanity and vulnerability of the performers.

People who go to a performance want to connect with another person, Brown said: “What you’re there for is not what it says on the bill.”
“Sharing in their struggles is part of that,” he added."

...

"“I love theater,” Nyman said. “It’s essential to me that what an audience comes away with on a Derren show and on ‘Unbelievable’ is a properly crafted piece of theater that takes them on a full journey.”

[CraigMitchell]

An eagle-eyed viewer points out that Unbelievable shares an amazing visual similarity to American Utopia which played Broadway at the exact same time as Derren's show was in NYC. An uncanny coincidence



https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/wj6757p1 ... x57hw&dl=0

[CraigMitchell]

Reviews are starting to filter in ... ignoring some of the usual PR fluff - some interesting comments:

All that Dazzles - 3 stars
"Where the show falters somewhat is in its structure. One segment follows another with seemingly no correlation. While they are decent enough as standalone scenes, you would expect a common thread to tie them all together. There are repeated references to comparing your insides to other people’s outsides but this repeated usage of the phrase doesn’t appear naturally and doesn’t always relate to the show itself. Perhaps I expected something else due to the overwhelming and emotional payoff the true purpose of Derren Brown’s Showman revealed in its closing moments, but the lack of this cohesive structure let the production down slightly ... However, it did seem like a more powerful theme was being attempted but sadly didn’t translate as effectively as had been anticipated.

The direction from Derren Brown, Andy Nyman and Andrew O’Connor was a bit of a mixed affair. While it led to some great moments, there was a bit of a pacing problem throughout others and a real overwhelming lack of consistency across the entire show ... However, at times not all of these ideas paid off as seamlessly as hoped, leaving a show that can be wildly inconsistent. That’s not to say any element of Unbelievable isn’t enjoyable, it’s just underwhelming in certain moments."

[CraigMitchell]

BroadwayWorld - 3 stars

"Does it work? Mainly yes and sometimes no.

Sam Creasey channels a cheeky James Corden persona and is hugely likeable. However, there is a lingering feeling that something, or someone, is missing.

Perhaps the issue is that Derren Brown has set his own bar so high that expectations of his new material are unachievable. Brown and his team have painstakingly trained up this talented cast and the show provides some jaw-dropping moments, but the absense of Brown himself makes the production feel a bit disjointed and therefore lacks some of the wow-factor of his previous shows."

[CraigMitchell]

WhatsonStage - 3 stars

"Unbelievable lacks any conceivable structure and half-heartedly peddles the running theme that our collective downfall is comparing our internal lives with other people’s carefully curated outer ones ...

That audience participation is one of its greatest USPs but also, unfortunately, one of its biggest drawbacks. Presumably to prove that these members of the public aren’t ‘plants’, five or six of them have to be involved almost every time someone from the crowd is hauled up onstage to take part in a trick. This inevitably leads to a certain amount of repetition, boredom even, as the same ground is covered time and time again; one’s heart sinks a bit as the overlong evening draws on and somebody is picked from the middle of a row or one of the upper levels and it’s clear it’ll take them quite some time to even get to the stage. Similarly, the problem with a plethora of mind-reading gags, even the fairly gargantuan one that closes out the show, is that after a certain point, it’s only really that fascinating or astonishing if it’s YOUR mind being read, or your personal business being alluded to.

The lack of real substance would perhaps be less obvious if the whole thing was shorter and sharper, or if it wasn’t performed in a traditional proscenium arch theatre. However, there’s probably enough humour, glitz and moments of sheer wonder here to make audiences feel like they’ve got their money’s worth. "

[CraigMitchell]

The Stage - 3 stars

"mildy diverting but bland"

"But it was conceived by O’Connor, and Brown doesn’t appear. It feels as if he is there in spirit, at times – you hear the cadences of his speech in the performers’ patter, a hint of his blend of gentleness, teasing wit and mesmeric authority. Yet without him, the evening lacks unity, personality and tension.

It is all reasonably diverting; it’s also aimless, largely sidestepping the existential and emotional subtext of Brown’s best work, the acting forced and artificial, with little sense of mystique ...

But the stakes never feel high enough; less unbelievable, more underwhelming."

[CraigMitchell]

The Times - 3 stars

"Derren Brown goes missing in his own magic show ... as a troupe of actors and musicians lead us through a series of routines that are agreeable enough but ultimately leave you feeling you have just watched a cruise show entertainment rather than a fully fledged West End spectacle.

As with much of the material, 99 per cent of your brain told you there was a perfectly simple explanation; the other 1 per cent still sat back and gawped. (From my seat, I didn’t have a clear view of what happened to the volunteers before they were led onto the stage.) There was, too, a clever finale involving a punter that presumably relies on the superhuman power of search engines rather than the supernatural.

Other routines were more run of the mill, and the sets and costumes were unremarkable. The music is a little ragged too. There’s a street band energy to the way the performers pick up a baritone sax or trumpet and begin jamming, but the randomness of the material was a little perplexing. "

[CraigMitchell]

TimeOut - 3 stars

"Seven actors try to pass themselves off as magicians in this uneven high-concept show ...Instead, the cast of seven plays instruments, does some magic and trots out vague patter about how we’re all actually magicians performing a trick by presenting to the world the person we want to be – polished outsides vs messy insides ... That’s the justification for the show’s biggest illusion, in that none of the seven-strong cast is actually a magician.

It’s an odd assortment. There are prop-heavy tricks that seem to come straight out of My First Magic Kit, there are bizarrely basic takes on old workhorses like the cup and ball trick, and there are Brown’s trademarks ...

It’s just that the illusion that these performers are magicians doesn’t always hold ... The rest don’t get much to do, though, and sometimes the cracks in the polish are too evident: nervousness in the execution, slight faltering when things go off-script.

Brown's familiar voice comes through strongly in the text, but what ‘Unbelievable’ really needs is a presence like his on stage; a ringmaster, someone with that overwhelming charisma to make us believe that what we’re seeing really is unbelievable.

You can count on Nyman ... and Brown’s longtime co-director and producer O’Connor to bring integrity and class to an evening of magic. But that’s what’s on the inside and, as the show keeps telling us, when it comes to magic, what matters is not the method, but the effect."

[CraigMitchell]

CityAM - 3 stars

"Good ideas, underpowered show. ... The problem is that Unbelievable never feels particularly special or surprising. Brown has a couple of good ideas that I’d love to see in a show with more teeth, bigger stunts and, most importantly, an appearance by the man himself."

[CraigMitchell]

Guardian - 3 stars

"I’m not sure the show is the bold leap forward for magic that its creators – Brown’s longtime collaborators Andrew O’Connor and Andy Nyman, and Colchester’s Mercury theatre – would have us believe.

He also has a relationship with his audience (whereas Unbelievable’s cast stay largely anonymous and undifferentiated) and a flair for upping the dramatic ante – whereas the emotional climax to tonight’s show doesn’t really fly.

If these aren’t the radical departure we’ve been promised, they’re still – for all that the cast learned them yesterday – pleasingly puzzling. Brown’s novel adventure in magic-by-proxy offers plenty to enjoy, then, even if it’s never quite as astounding as when he performs the tricks himself."

[CraigMitchell]

All in all - as predicted - the show is sadly a critical flop. Without Derren's name attached - reviews would have been even worse. Only a matter of time now until it closes and the chapter on this ill-conceived experiment to have a magic show without magicians comes to an end.

[Richard Kaufman]

"Critical Flop" is not the phrase I would use when a show is getting three our of four (or five) stars. "Critical flop" is one or two stars. None of the reviews you cite have given the show that low of a rating. "Fair to middling" is the expression I would use, and a more accurate one.

[CraigMitchell]

When you consider that many British press reviews are oh so polite and often extremely liberal with 4 and 5 stars ( and the majority of the blogosphere are more concerned about losing their free ticket invites ) … for every single major reviewer to give 3 stars out of 5 ( and no reputable outlier yet from a major publication ) I’d say the show is a flop review wise. Even more so when the promise was to “redefine magic” and create a “properly crafted piece of theater that takes them on a full journey”

I can’t recall any major publication of late giving any recent West End show a 1-2 star review. As such “Fair to middling” in British parlance is very much a critical hammering in the real world Complete with scones and cucumber sandwiches.