COMEDY
***
Mind Reading for Breakfast
Sweet Grassmarket

Rob Bailey returns to the fest for another year, with his very own brand of early morning high spirits.  Building suspense from the outset, the audience are invited to write a secret on a piece of card; seal it inside an envelope and put it into a locked box.  This creates an anticipation of a greatness which isn’t quite delivered, but then Bailey never professes to be a ‘genuine’ mind-reader.  A puzzle of a performance, where we decide whether ESP, Reiki and Freud are ‘mumbo jumbo’or fact.  Although Bailey admits to having no psychic powers, in this one hour show he does pull off some impressive tricks that demonstrate his intimate knowledge of human behaviour, and his mastery at the art of suggestion in influencing/manipulating behaviours.

This is a heady combination of slapstick comedy, word-play and creepy dad-style sexual innuendo.  Lots of sex-based puns which will definitely go over the heads of the young in the audience; however mostly these are just cringeworthy which is very definitely Bailey’s intention.  There’s a transparency to many of Bailey’s illusions – though just when you think it’s all got a bit too farcical Bailey pulls it all back with something wonderful like the ‘Secrets Box Reveal’.

A chaotic yet cool hour of tomfoolery, served up with coffeee and delectable pain au chocolat. Definitely worth a visit.