All bets off on stage with Hilarious Hypnotist
Veteran performer heading to Gqeberha for some fun and mind games next month
When André The Hilarious Hypnotist introduces his craft, he gets mixed reactions — some find it incredibly interesting, while others think it’s very scary.
And with his quirky personality, it comes as no surprise that he first wanted to join the circus before finding himself in the defence force.
He has been involved in theatre for most his life.
“As a magician and juggler I wanted to join the circus,” he said.
“It was during my days in the defence force that I went to watch a performance by the late [hypnotist] Max Collie and I was instantly hooked.
“I nagged Max to become my mentor and watched nearly every performance he did.
“I was also privileged enough to meet other big names in the hypnosis industry during my career, and all of these people opened a door for me to perform.”
André was speaking to Weekender before his show, Sleep! With André The Hilarious Hypnotist, in Gqeberha next month.
He said the interactive show at the Savoy Theatre was well suited to families and groups keen to witness a very different side to themselves or their friends.
He also explained that falling under the spell of a comedian with hypnotic powers often evoked excitement, apprehension and curiosity in audiences and volunteers alike.
But André manages to blend his talent for persuasion with wacky comedy, a sense of the unexpected and a gentle likeability, leaving his audience truly entertained.
When in full swing, it can seem as if he has his subjects controlled on strings as he convinces them to abandon their inhibitions by impersonating sprinklers, speaking foreign languages or turning into dinosaurs.
But André denies having mystical magical powers.
“In reality, people actually hypnotise themselves,” he said.
“All I do is offer up crazy suggestions, and then logic and selfconsciousness fly out the window as participants convince themselves of the craziest notions — and the show is on!
“It really does depend on the individual though. Some are more susceptible to preposterous propositions than others,” he laughed.
“But every night we seem to unearth some extraordinarily colourful gems.”
Born in Durban and growing up in Johannesburg, he said he had been performing for the past 36 years and the industry had treated him well.
His trade has seen him perform in nearly every SA city and town, and as far afield as Namibia, Zimbabwe, Australia and England.
“A highlight was definitely performing for 5,000 people at a casino in Johannesburg.
“In the beginning years of my show I managed to break the attendance record for all theatres in SA,” he said.
Asked what had been his funniest onstage moment, he said there were simply too many from the nearly four decades to choose from.
But, he said he had written a book called I Can Juggle Now which highlighted just some of the many incidents that made his career so memorable.
So is he a hypnotist or a comedian first, or simply a perfect blend of the two?
“I am a perfect blend of both. I would not be able to do my shows if I had not fused the two together.
“Performing on stage requires experience in drama, comedy and hypnosis.”
When he is not on stage, you can probably find him exploring a cave somewhere.
“I have a passion for caves. I spend many of my days underground exploring the unseen world that lies beneath our feet.
“SA has a rich heritage of caves and I have been fortunate enough to visit a large percentage of these underground systems.”
Having performed in Nelson Mandela Bay multiple times in the past, he said he loved the city and was excited about returning.
“I started performing at the Opera House and more recently at the casino. I love Gqeberha. Not only are the volunteers great, but the support from the audience has always been wonderful.
“Gqeberha’s volunteers are unique to Gqeberha and vary greatly from other volunteers in the country. Every show is different because I have no idea of who will join me on stage.
“Even though the routines remain similar in nature, the ways in which people react to these routines differ greatly. Based on past experiences though, Gqeberha will provide hours of hilarious fun again.”
And if he manages some downtime, he said a visit to the Addo Elephant National Park was on his bucket list of things to do.
“As always, ticket sales for the show in Nelson Mandela Bay have been great. I rely on word of mouth to sell my tickets. It is the norm for sales to increase once I hit the city and complete my first performance.
“Sleep! is a show that will keep you wide-awake and laughing hysterically throughout — unless you volunteer, in which case all bets are off,” he joked.
*Catch the performance at 8pm nightly from May 7-10 at the Savoy. Tickets are available online via Webtickets.