Despite a fussy set-up where audience members are enlisted as jury, judge and accused, Tomas McCabe offers an old-school display of mind-reading with gentle humour. Uniformly accurate in his predictions, he rolls out trickery with numbers, secret messages and hidden replies, with the emphasis on his abilities which reach towards the uncanny.

He reveals the foundation of his mind-reading in the close observation of natural human tics and twitches, but is less concerned with deconstructing than with impressing the audience. The courtroom drama is a flimsy conceit that promises more than it delivers; it’s his sharp and slick delivery that keeps the action moving. Since McCabe has now trained as a barrister, this show should act as a warning to those whom he faces in court, if his attention to detail in the law is as formidable as it is up on stage. 

Tomas McCabe: 1 Murder: The Mind-Reading Lawyer, TheSpaceTriplex, until 17 August, 5.20pm; theSpace @ Surgeon’s Hall, 19–24 August, 8.10pm.