Alex McAleer is an internationally famous magician. You’ve seen him on ‘Champions of Magic’. You’ve seen him on BBC. Now, he’s on the most famous platform of them all: FringeReview. Our resident interviewer (and no less magical) Dr.Pants interviews McAleer ahead of his Colchester Fringe show to find out if really can read our minds… and if he’ll regret reading Dr.Pants’ thoughts. Alex McAleer: MIND READER is on Sat 31 October 2:30pm and Sun 1 November 1:30pm during Colchester Fringe.
NAP: Hello Alex! And welcome to the most magical website around: FringeReview. Who are you and what is your show?
AM: I’m Alex McAleer, and I read minds, but not in a mystical, crystal-ball, speak-to-the-dead sort of way. It’s an interactive hour of mind reading, psychological illusion, comedy, and the occasional moment where you’ll wonder quite how the hell I knew that.
Technically, the show is about mind reading but in reality, it’s about people.
I’ve spent nearly 20 years studying how people behave, make decisions, communicate and, occasionally, give away far more than they realise. The show takes all of that and turns it into a live experience. And there are quite a few laughs along the way, because I’m not sure anyone really wants to spend an hour being clinically (or cynically) analysed.
NAP: So are you actually reading people, or is that just what you want us to think?
AM: That’s the question.
I’m happy to explain some of the psychology and techniques behind what I do, but I’m also a sort-of-magician, so there are certain things I’m probably going to keep to myself. What I find interesting is that people tend to assume there must be one big secret behind everything but in reality, it’s usually a combination of observation, psychology, technique, misdirection, and experience.
NAP: What makes your show stand out amongst other magic shows, or even other fringe shows?
AM: Hopefully, quite a few things. But the biggest is that the audience genuinely matters.
This isn’t a show where I stand on stage and demonstrate things to people. The people in the room are the material. Their decisions, thoughts, and reactions create what happens next, so every performance is slightly different.
Also, I’m not pretending to be psychic. There are no spirits, supernatural powers. I’m interested in something much stranger: human beings.
NAP: Yeah, there’s nothing more strange and unpredictable than people. You can never fully prepare for what they might do. Do you ever struggle with audiences for your act, especially since knowing what they might do is so integral to what you do?
AM: The biggest challenge with mentalism is that I’m working with actual human beings. They don’t always behave exactly the way you expect. They change their minds, misunderstand instructions, panic, lie, forget things. The good news is that the unpredictable elements make for great for live theatre.
NAP: You’ve performed this kind of show all over the world. Does that make it harder for audiences to surprise you?
It probably should, but audiences have the remarkable ability to keep you on your toes.
The structure of the show is rehearsed, obviously, but the people aren’t. Someone will make an unexpected choice, say something completely bizarre, or react in a way I’ve never seen before, and suddenly you’ve got a moment that didn’t exist the last time you did the show. That’s one of the reasons I still enjoy performing it. I know what I’m going to do but I don’t always know what everyone else is going to do.
NAP: So how are you hopeful audiences react to your work?
AM: I’d like them to leave feeling entertained and having had a good time. But also curious. Curious about the things they saw and took part in.
I don’t want people walking out thinking they’ve been given a lecture about psychology or human behaviour. I want them talking about what happened and arguing about how they think it could have worked.
NAP: What if magic shows are not really my thing? How would you convince me to come anyway?
AM: If you’re thinking, “I don’t really like magic shows”, that’s probably the best reason to come.
There’s no rabbit out of a hat, no assistant being sawn in half, or even making people pretend to be a chicken. It’s much closer to comedy and theatre, except occasionally I know what you’re thinking.
NAP: Now you’ve toured the whole of the UK doing your act and have been on television. You spoke with us today because we’re the best fringe website in the world. But what brought you to Colchester Fringe?
AM: I’ve been touring the show around the UK, and I like the idea of putting it into a Fringe environment where people are actively looking for things they haven’t seen before.
There’s also something particularly nice about doing a one-hour show at a Fringe. It means I can throw the audience straight into it, do the interesting stuff and get out before anyone starts checking the time. And I’ve got two performances, so if something goes spectacularly wrong on Saturday, audiences can come again on the Sunday to check if it’s actually all just part of the act.
Alex McAleer: MIND READER is on Sat 31 October 2:30pm and Sun 1 November 1:30pm during Colchester Fringe. We at FringeReview can read your mind too and can tell you want to hear more about Colchester Fringe. We can tell you’re thinking about STUFF. Or maybe HER NAME? No, you got a Eurovision song stuck in your head. Oh, wait, yes… I’m sensing it now. You’re thinking about having (a play in a) DARK ROOM with Fringe Review’s Dr.Pants… maybe keep that one to yourself, ay?
