Indy Guide: Mind Tripping Show

Husband and I love a good night out at the theater. We’ve been season subscribers to the Indiana Repertory Theatre (IRT) for several years now (so thankful for student prices!) and are always up for a new local production. I was sharing our positive IRT experience with a friend the other day and was shocked to find their Trip Adviser listing come in as #2 under “Theater & Concerts” in Indianapolis and realized I had never even heard of #1: Mind Tripping Show.

So, I had to go.

“What is the Mind Tripping Show?”, you might ask? It’s a husband/wife duo performing a nightly act of comedy, magic tricks, and illusions. Husband LOVES magic shows (well, I guess he actually loves trying to figure out all the science behind them), so I thought this would definitely be the show for him. I’ve been out of town for the Winter Magic Festival for the last several years and thought this would be a good way to make up for it and still get our share of spectacle and wonder.

Here’s the funny part: the show takes place in a hotel. The downtown Hilton, to be precise. On the top floor. Every night. Sometimes, multiple times a night. So, you park at the hotel, check in at the front, and take the elevator to the show. A little odd, I guess, but I suppose it is probably a mutually beneficial plan for both parties involved. Once you arrive upstairs, you are seated in a small room with a colorful stage.

And then, the show starts! And Christian and Katalina open their mind-reading bag of tricks and elicit great laughs from the audience through active participation and (sometimes) funny jokes.

My take on it?

A bit bland. Maybe I’ve watched too much Penn & Teller or attended too many other awesome shows, but I found this show surprisedly amateurish, which is crazy since they bill themselves as the “Number #1 Comedy Mind Reading Show in the Nation”. Maybe there just aren’t that many comedy mind reading shows? They reminded me of a small town couple performing their last local show before heading to the Big City to attend professional magic school. Husband and I automatically knew the logic behind almost every trick and several of their jokes fell flat. The rest of the audience seemed pretty doubtful, as well, and continued to refrain from being ecstatically impressed.

I can see this passing in small towns, but am surprised that Christian and Katalina make their living doing this full time in Indianapolis. Maybe locals aren’t aware of their other options? Or maybe the show appeals mostly to tourists? It is in a hotel, after all.

Based on their good reviews, it looks like they won’t be going anywhere soon, but I think I’ll keep my 90 minutes and $25 and wait for the magic festival.

Overall Rating: 2/5