Marc Salem's Mind Games on Broadway

In his new show, a Monday night gig at the Lyceum Theatre, Marc Salem once again baffles audiences by reading their minds. It's an impressive, entertaining display. If you've seen him before, though, his latest Mind Games may seem like old hat, since he performs the same mental feats he did in his off-Broadway show at the Duke a few years ago. On the other hand, diehard fans are likely to return to the show to see if they can figure out how he plies his unusual trade.

Salem tells us that there are no tricks involved and no "assistants, stooges or plants." To prove this, he throws a crumpled piece of paper--what he calls a "randomizer"--into the audience to select audience participants. Those audience members in turn throw the paper ball to others in the audience, so the volunteers are definitely selected at random.

As in his show at the Duke, Salem begins with "calisthenics" or a "mental warm-up." He has audience members choose numbers and quickly writes them on a board. Somehow they all add up in every possible direction. If nothing else, the stunt proves that Salem is a quick thinker.

He's also quick on his feet when he banters with audience members. And his relaxed, humorous delivery helps make the 90 minutes fly by. He's no stand-up comic, but he does come up with a lot of funny remarks along the way.

Salem's real talent, however, is reading people's minds. He has graduate degrees in psychology, has taught at various universities and is an authority of nonverbal communication. Throughout the show, he demonstrates how one's body language often speaks louder than what one says. Salem says he has been fine-tuning his mind-reading techniques for 30 years. By now, he clearly has it down to a science.

For instance, Salem has a woman visualize a vase on a table. He asks her to think of a color for the vase and how much it costs. He then writes down what she's thinking on a notepad. She reveals that she was thinking of a beige vase that cost $35, and sure enough that's what Salem had written down.

He has another woman choose between three colored envelopes and bets that he can make her choose the one that doesn't have any money in it. And indeed, she picks the one he wants her to.

Salem then shows his prowess at interpreting nonverbal communication. He has five audience members draw pictures and has one of them shuffle them. He then shows them one picture at a time and asks all of them to deny that they drew it. From their body language, tone of voice, and other clues, he's able to deduce which person drew each picture. That's a stunt that ordinary people could probably do with a lot of training. But when Salem guesses what word someone is looking at in a book, it's impossible to figure out how he does it.

If there's any trickery involved in Mind Games, it's awfully well disguised. And if there's no trickery involved, then Salem is one heck of a mind reader. He's also a showman, a kind of intellectual vaudevillian, who easily holds the audience's attention while performing his mental gymnastics.

Since he undoubtedly gets a lot of repeat business, however, Salem should come up with new stunts to keep his show fresh. And he might want to invent another catchphrase besides "We're just warming up here," which he says after every stunt. Lastly, since his fans are now paying Broadway prices, Salem should spring for a more attractive set. The bookcase, chair, desk, and wallpapered wall were adequate for off-Broadway, but they just look cheap on a big Broadway stage.

Nonetheless, Mind Games is a diverting evening that will leave audiences mystified as to how Salem works his mental magic.

Marc Salem's Mind Games on Broadway
Lyceum Theatre