Review: Derren Brown: Only Human (Apollo Theatre)

Review by Daz Gale

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There is always something inherently exciting about Derren Brown bringing one of his shows to the West End. The mentalist and illusionist has been thrilling and confusing audiences in equal measure on TV since 2000, and first hit the West End with his live show in 2004. He has been a regular fixture on stages in the years since, touring the UK with his shows as well as bringing them to the Capital. The last time London audiences saw him on stage was with the incredible Showman in 2023, a show that lived up to its title and left this baffled reviewer sure about only one thing - the show was a five-star success. Following a tour across the UK since last year, Brown is returning to the West End with his latest offering, Only Human, an ominous title that doesn’t offer much insight initially. Would it be able to live up to Brown’s impeccable usual standards or would this be a rare misstep in an otherwise impressive career? He is only human after all.

First, a disclaimer. In any review I write, I carefully ensure not to include any spoilers so as not to spoil the magic (pun intended) for anyone reading. People should be free to experience the same sense of wonder and surprise as I did when attending, and to essentially ruin that for them for the purpose of a review would be pretty careless on my part. Be it a play, musical or any stage show, every twist, turn and surprise is kept under wraps apart from the rarest of occasions where it is impossible to write without mentioning something. For Derren Brown’s shows, that is truer than most. Indeed, upon the show’s conclusion, Brown asks the audience to not reveal pretty much anything about the show, noting at this press night performance that there were reviewers in… but the same applies to them. With that in mind, I have been asked not to say anything about the intricacies of the show.

Thanks for reading everybody. That’s the end of the review.

Only kidding, but it does make it very tricky, albeit not impossible. Forgive the vagueness of parts of this review - I will allude to certain things, with some deliberate wording choices that should make sense once you have seen the show, but will go unnoticed if you haven’t. Rest assured, however, I will not be spoiling the magic.

As Derren Brown’s shows so often do, there is a recurring theme that emerges through Only Human, though it may not necessarily be what you expect. Of course, there is the question about what it means to be human but the artwork gave me the illusion this might have something to do with technology or AI perhaps - it isn’t a spoiler to say this is not the case, and a true example of why you should never judge a book by its cover. What I can say is Derren briefly talks about his dreams of what he wanted to be when he grew up, and prophecies are touched upon. The series of events that follows may feel seemingly random, but if you have ever been to one of his shows before, you will know that is likely not to be the case.

I’ll admit to finding the first Act slightly slower than in his previous show, but had the sense that patience would pay off and everything would make sense in the long run. It certainly did. The genius in Derren Brown’s shows is how he plants seeds early on where seemingly the most inconsequential of comments having some relation or impact later on, such as a throwaway line about Brown’s father in his previous show, Showman. If something appears to go wrong in a moment, you are left second guessing whether that was really meant to happen or if it is a double bluff that will have greater meaning later on - it is a genius touch to cover up the moments where things genuinely do go wrong, but this is a man so clever and precise in everything he does, it is hard to imagine a world where his shows don’t go exactly the way he plans. Another credit to Brown’s performance style is the unconventional way he masks some of the tricks, with a brilliant game show idea early on providing some of the biggest laughs of the night.

Act Two is where Only Human really starts to take shape, with one unexpected sequence taking the show in a drastically different direction. Of course, I can’t say what this sequence involves but it was suitably dramatic and remarkably tense. Brown has co-written this show with Stephen Long and Andrew O’Connor and the presence of each is felt in the story, with Long and O’Connor’s experience writing for television bringing a more dramatic structure to the narrative, giving the illusion that the stakes are somewhat higher than usual. This is matched through O’Connor’s direction, finding ways to heighten the intensity of the moment and ensure Brown always gets the response required, be it laughter, shock or awe. Special mention must also go to the stellar work by the design team, with Simon Higlett’s set design, Charlie Morgan Jones’ lighting and Simon Wainwright’s video design all coming together seamlessly to increase the sense of wonder, with a strong use of sound design by Beth Duke creating some fantastic effects throughout.

It is Derren Brown’s showmanship that makes any of his shows so utterly compelling to witness. Whether you can figure out how some of the tricks are done or can buy into the mystery immediately, it really makes no difference when it comes to the enjoyment of the show, as watching Brown on stage is joyous in itself. Through his cheeky one-liners or the way he responds to audience members who take a bit too long to get on with it, his stage presence is unrivalled with a knack for making even the smallest of ideas look so much grander than it otherwise could have been. In that respect, Brown is at the top of his game and Only Human is another example of his unparalleled genius. For all of the illusions on display, the greatest trick in this particular show is the ability to make the audience suspend their disbelief, immerse themselves into the escapism of the show and believe in magic with even the hardest of cynics somehow falling under Derren Brown’s spell. Appropriately enough, the result is theatre magic at its finest.

If you are someone who likes to know how everything is done and is dying to take a look at the man behind the curtain, you are likely to leave Only Human confused and annoyed by your inability to know how it all happens. Whether you can work anything out or not, the fun is in the journey to get there, and this show seriously impresses on that front. The careful and meticulous way everything is planned so that coincidences, prophecies and seemingly impossible events all become intertwined speaks volumes for the skill and craftsmanship that goes into a show such as this. The only logical solution I had to how it is all done is that Derren Brown must be some sort of alien or perhaps just a descendant of Nostradamus himself. Logically speaking, Derren Brown may not actually be an all-knowing higher being, but if he really is only human, what a human he is!

Derren Brown: Only Human plays at the Apollo Theatre until 30th January. Tickets from https://london.derrenbrown.co.uk/

Photos by Pamela Raith