Hypnotist Matt Hale: Top Fun! 80’s Spectacular – Remix… Well, I mean, the show is everything on the box, what more can I say? His name is Matt Hale, he is a hypnotist, and the show is a super fun 80s spectacular. That’s pretty simple, and it really sells itself.
Entering The Peacock at Gluttony, I noticed three rows of chairs on the stage, about 30 all up, for Matt’s keen and willing participants. As we took our seats and settled in, 80’s hits played over the speakers to get the juices flowing.
Just before the show kicked off, a screen above the stage flickered on, showing a “Dressing Room Cam” of Matt Hale in a shirt and no pants giving a Risky Business inspired dance, again another nod to the 80s and a fun little way to set the mood for the show. I felt this was an ‘I’ve embarrassed myself, so don’t feel scared to get involved’ kind of video and it helped to create a more relaxed environment.
Once Matt hit the stage, the crowd went wild. Dressed in a green jumpsuit and with ‘Danger Zone’ blaring, the show got underway after a quick costume change to white shorts and long pink socks. Matt gave the audience a run-down on what hypnotherapy is and how it works. From the get-go, Matt Hale had the Adelaide audience in the palm of his hand, following his every command. As a playlist of classic 80s songs blasted through venue, patrons were singing at the top of their lungs and jiving in their seats. The atmosphere was electric!
After some fun, Matt took the opportunity to invite any keen crowd members up on stage to participate in the show, and surprisingly, there were heaps of volunteers! So many, he could have done the show twice over but instead he had to turn some away. As Matt focused on getting his willing participants into a hypnotic state, maybe 4 or 5 weren’t able be hypnotised and were sent back to their seats but the majority were soon slumped in the chairs on stage, ready to obey his commands!
What remains is utterly hilarious and fun for all ages! Matt gave the hypnotised participants group commands that had them dancing, singing and acting out on stage. A select few were also given individual cues, such as playing the best saxophone that they’ve ever heard or becoming a passionate security guard that would tell off anyone who laughed. But my favourite was ‘Wrong Jovi’ where the hypnotised patrons would sing ‘Living on a Prayer’ but replacing prayer with a vegetable and believing it was dead serious. This had the Adelaide crowd (myself included) in raptures!
I loved how high energy the show was and how Matt just lapped it up, feeding off the audience and pushing the limits of his puppets. If I could have just a teaspoon of his energy, I’d be a whole different man! Words truly can’t describe how great this show is. You’ve just got to experience it for yourself and you won’t be disappointed!
Hypnotist Matt Hale: Top Fun! 80’s Spectacular – Remix is currently playing at Adelaide Fringe 2024 on until March 17 at The Peacock at Gluttony.
For more information and ticketing, visit:
https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/hypnotist-matt-hale-top-fun-80-s-spectacular-remix-af2024
https://matthale.co
https://www.instagram.com/hypnohale
Photography by Chloe Morris.