Master hypnotist Asad Mecci and Colin Mochrie from “Whose Line It is Anyway?” come from different ends of the entertainment spectrum, but their styles meld for “HYPROV: Improv Under Hypnosis.”
They bring an interactive, comedic experience that makes audiences laugh and question whether what they saw was an illusion.
The show will visit Rialto Theatre on Saturday, Jan. 11, as part of its “Yes, It’s Real” North American tour.
“Yes, It’s Real” starts with Mecci asking for 20 volunteers. Those who are most receptive to hypnosis then go on to improvise with Mochrie for the remainder of the show.
Mecci said that many people have misconceptions about hypnosis.
“It’s a very normal, natural state,” Mecci said.
“I think that people associate hypnosis with magic or illusion. It’s not that. The best way to describe hypnosis would be getting so caught up in what you’re watching that you’re moved to a physiological response. So, the best way to describe a hypnotic trance state would be when you watch a horror movie, and you jump in your chair in a scary moment, or you watch a tearjerker, and you get so caught up in what you're watching that you start to cry. That describes perfectly what occurs up on stage because for that moment in time, the people who come up onstage fully immerse themselves in the experience, and then they experience all of the suggestions that I give to them.”
Mochrie said they try to keep the instructions simple during the improv games.
“There are things like, “You're going to fall in love with Colin” or ‘You're a super hero with a strange power,’” Mochrie said.
Another game is set up like a film noir radio play.
“As he's trying to solve a murder mystery from the 1940s, the person who is hypnotized is changing and morphing into all the different characters that he comes into contact with,” Mecci said.
They also have another improv game where Colin sings duets with volunteers.
During the show, Mecci takes on more of a director role.
“I'm throwing in obstacles at times to mess with Colin onstage, to make things more difficult for him as he improvises with them,” Mecci said.
“He’s a master improviser. It's amazing to watch him. Even the volunteers will paint him into a corner. He always manages to get out of it and make it absolutely hilarious.”
Mecci said he doesn’t have a problem recruiting volunteers who want to participate.
“They rush the stage. We’ve got to beat them back with the broomstick,” Mecci said.
“I personally don't understand it. I would be the last one to ever volunteer for something like that,” Mochrie added.
Volunteers come from a variety of backgrounds, including a naval officer who worked on a submarine and a duck farmer.
Mecci said the volunteers bring their history and experiences, and they often surprise Mochrie with their responses.
“These people are not theater trained,” Mecci said.
“These are not actors. They have no improv background. They're not students of drama. It’s at times jarring in a very funny way for the audience because Colin didn't see it coming. I didn't see it coming. The audience didn't see it coming. And then even the hypnotized volunteer didn't pre-plan it. It just came out. So, it makes for some very funny scenes.”
Mochrie said they are often surprised by the volunteers who have the strongest stage presence.
“Sometimes, they are shy,” Mochrie said.
“You'll see them onstage doing the most outlandish things, and then afterward, they’re quite unassuming and just thankful that they had this experience.”
Mecci said the experience really impacts some individuals.
“One woman who volunteered said that she had crippling social anxiety. She came up and volunteered, but then she was the star of the show,” Mecci said.
“We always find somebody who’s a standout…They keep up with Colin, and they improvise with him. She said afterward, ‘That is the most relaxed I’ve felt. I felt really confident up there… I'm going to go and check out improv classes because I think this is something that I could get into.”
“People come to the show with a healthy bit of skepticism, both with the improv and with the hypnosis. They see what happens when people get out of their own way, just stop thinking about the ways that things can go wrong and do it. They end up unlocking their comedic potential, their storytelling potential,” Mochrie added.
The two started working together after Mecci reached out to Mochrie through his website. The first show was in 2016 at the Second City Toronto.
“Colin was kind enough to give it a shot onstage at the Second City,” Mecci said.
“We ended up performing, and it was really well received. From there, we ended up developing the show, and the rest is history.”
They took the show to Just for Laughs London, Just for Laughs Montreal and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe before heading out on a 100-city tour from 2019 to 2023.
“It’s been really exciting to see how the show has grown, how it's evolved, how other improvisers come in, and they bring their own style to the show, Mecci said.
“It’s been incredible to be on this wild ride. I never thought when we started this that the show would take on a life of its own like this.”
HYPROV: Improv Under Hypnosis
WHEN: 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11
WHERE: Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress Street, Tucson
PRICE: Tickets start at $46.50
INFO: 520-740-1000,
rialtotheatre.com
