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Hypnotism is a difficult thing to judge. There are several factors involved in successfully doing so: whether the hypnosis is real, whether the hypnotist is entertaining, and whether or not anybody really cares.
Hypnotists get lumped into the same category as magicians; they’re cut from the same cloth. Whether they’re real is always questionable, and usually when they’re trying to be funny they fail miserably.
Michael C. Anthony performed at the University of Maine last Friday, and it was a fairly standard hypnotist. There was nothing truly original about Anthony’s show. It seemed as though he has done this show many times over, and just recycles it whenever necessary.
A lot of the things he had the people do onstage while under hypnosis were just unimpressive. He had people do things like howl at the moon, see a belt as a snake, feel like they’ve been pinched, make out with a mop and, of course, raised the temperature in the room for all those under hypnosis.
None of these were as entertaining as they could have been. Anthony needed to add just a little bit more flavor to separate himself from the rest of the hypnotists and magicians out there.
Whether or not the hypnosis that Anthony performs is genuine, he has an undeniable stage presence. Anthony has a made-for-radio voice, and he has a way of getting the entire crowd involved. But that is something that should come with any decent performer. He was fairly funny, and made sly references and quick jokes whenever he got the chance.
He’s charismatic, and has just enough ego to make his routine work. It takes a certain type of performer to make a hypnotist or magic routine work, and Anthony is that type of performer.
CA Magazine, a Toronto-based publication, named Anthony the 2005 entertainer of the year. This is questionable, to say the least. Although Anthony is a pretty good performer, his act leaves a little to be desired. There are several other entertainers out there who probably could have taken CA Magazine’s crown of entertainer of the year, and one has to wonder why they gave it to him.
It was fun, quick and painless, and was probably worth $3. But at the end of the day, one has to look back and think, “There was probably a better way I could have spent my Friday night.” If you have never seen Anthony before, it might be worth it to check him out next time he’s in town. But if you’ve seen him, then you know that there’s no reason to go back.
