Andre Grove, also known as Andre the Hilarious Hypnotist, will return to Durban, the city where he was born, this month.
Grove, now a resident of the UK, last performed in Durban in 2018.
His show will be staged at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre from September 27 to October 9.
Grove, 52, a full-time stage hypnotist, said for as long as he could remember, he wanted to be a famous magician.
“I loved David Copperfield and I had an interest in doing what he was doing. During my defence force days, where I did magic for troops during the Angolan War, I stumbled across hypnotist Max Collie and I loved his show. I knew on the spot that this was going to be the career I was going to follow.”
Grove said these days people were able to pursue courses in hypnosis and start hypnotising in a few months. But he came from a different school.
“When I started hypnosis, I was forced to be trained by a mentor. I must have spent a good year or longer working with Max Collie to learn the ins and outs of hypnosis and, of course, stage hypnosis.”
But can anyone be hypnotised and made to do something they don’t want to?
“We all get hypnotised several times during the day, but we tend to not refer to that as hypnosis. If I said to you now ‘don’t think of a pink elephant’, the first thing you will think of is a pink elephant.
“That is in essence hypnosis explained in the most simplistic way. We cannot all be hypnotised to the extent that we see on stage, but we can all be or are influenced to a certain degree of behaviour modification without our knowledge.
“What you would and would not do under hypnosis has been open for debate for as many years as hypnosis has existed. In theory, a hypnotised person would not do anything that he or she considers against their morals and values.
“But the old question of just what your values and morals are is what comes into play. I have found that most people would not cross the line between being comfortable and against their morals. The volunteers on stage know they are taking part in a show and don’t exceed or go against their moral values.
“Because we are onstage and because the volunteers perform in front of the public, they are less likely to do anything that is considered against their moral value.”
Grove said hypnosis was nothing to fear.
“If I drop down dead the volunteers will wake themselves up. The same applies if I gave someone a suggestion that conflicted against their morals and values. They would wake up and ignore the suggestion. You cannot do any form of damage or harm to a hypnotised person because the person remains in control.
“Even though it looks like the person has no control over his behaviour, he does at all times. There are no ethics that guide hypnotism, but a stage hypnotist earning a career from doing the show is not going to cross the line, just like a therapist won’t cross the line. Even if they were to try, it would still greatly depend on the volunteers’ own morals to allow behaviour which is questionable or out of character.”
Grove said his show was the same show that most people have gotten to know.
“I would love to reinvent the show, but there are going to be suggestions that will always be part of the show. I do, however, have a new bunch of routines and props which form part of the new show. At the end of the day, no matter how many times you see the show, no two nights are the same and that is where the fun begins.”
Tickets are on sale via Computicket from R100 to R150.
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