He
has been described as the next Derren Brown - but forensic mind reader Colin Cloud says he is more like Sherlock Holmes. However you wish to describe him,
one word springs to mind – genius.
He
reads minds. He can read your mind. He reads it just like the imaginary book
you just made up. The press release for his show said Uri Geller described him
as "one of the greatest thought readers of all time". Against that,
it also said Ant and Dec screamed in disbelief at his act although, to be fair,
the Geordie duo scream in disbelief most Saturday evenings. Most impressive,
though, was that Cloud once left Jonathan Ross speechless, something than
endeared me to Cloud even before I went to see his show in Edinburgh on
Saturday. Having now witnessed the man from Harthill in action, I suspect
Jonathan Ross wasn’t the only person to be left speechless.
The
pre-show press release described him as entertaining and endearing and that’s
exactly how I felt watching Cloud in action.
In
the rather intimate atmosphere of Dynamic Earth, in the shadow of the Scottish
Parliament building, Cloud astonished his audience with a mesmerising
performance that really was mind-boggling. Some mind-readers can be rather
serious about their profession which is understandable given it can be quite a
serious subject. However, seconds after taking the stage, Cloud immediately
struck a rapport with his audience with humourous quips which set the tone for
a hugely entertaining evening. Naturally, this kind of show involves audience
participation and, inevitably, there were some in Saturday evening’s audience
who were hoping Cloud didn’t select them as part of his act. However, Cloud’s
humour and affable approach set those he did select at ease and, unlike some
other performers of his ilk, he didn’t make fun of them; rather he laughed with
them and they with him.
Now,
I won’t go into detail about the contents of the show for obvious reasons.
Nonetheless, I guarantee anyone going to see the great man will be truly amazed
by what they have witnessed. How he managed to read people’s minds the way he
did was quite incredible to witness and brought gasps of astonishment from some
in the hugely appreciative audience. At the end, just as Cloud was declaring
his thanks to those who came along and the audience eased into their coats to head home, the great
man delivered a piece de resistance
which nearly took my breath away.
On
a Saturday evening when millions of people are slouched on the sofa watching
Britain’s Got Talent on the small box, Colin Cloud proved without question that
Scotland not only has talent – it has a gifted performer. Cloud will be
appearing in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe from 31 July and throughout August.
I urge you to go and see him – you literally won’t believe your eyes.
