Colin Cloud: Kills
An enjoyable journey into Cloud's world of forensic mind reading
Colin Cloud wowed Fringe audiences with his skills of deduction last year. He returns with a show that sees the forensic mind reader predict audience behaviour, reveal people's unusual memories and, supposedly, get away with murder.
Despite a shaky start, in which Cloud incorrectly guesses the name of one audience member's friend, he quickly begins to draw gasps from the crowd by deducing everything from mundane facts about where people are from to, more impressively, full mobile phone numbers to, incredibly, the time one girl nearly died on a kayaking trip. By using almost a third of his audience in the show, some of whom the other spectators actually help pick, he makes it hard for the non-believers to dismiss his accurate guesswork.
Cloud's confidence increases as the show goes on, with his funny quips generating laughs-a-plenty from the audience. The finale that everyone is waiting for, the answer as to whether he could really commit the perfect murder, is thrilling.
All in all, Cloud's unusual talents are worth witnessing and he provides a well-rounded, entertaining hour at the Fringe that will leave everyone asking themselves, 'How did he do that?'
Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, until 30 Aug, 6.20pm, £9–£10.50 (£8–£9.50).