Road rage builder thinks he’s James Bond and accuses me of being KGB agent… thanks to hypnotist Andrew Newton’s Spalding show

Purple tomatoes, a six legged chair, the ability to talk to cats and a builder who believed I wasn't a reporter from LincsOnline but a KGB secret agent, were the mind-altering inventions from 12 willing volunteers placed under the spell of a hypnotist.

Andrew Newton The Hypnotist Live! was an extraordinary show at the South Holland Centre in Spalding last Friday night where audience members rushed to the stage to be put to sleep by the showman.

Under his spell the chosen 12 were at his mercy – becoming inventors, statues, musicians, animals – and the results were hilarious.

Holbeach builder Nigel Morris stole the show at times – pretending to be a washing machine and driving a car while suffering road rage– and believing I was not there to review the show but I was a KGB agent.

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Andrew, a master of his craft, who had never performed in Spalding until Friday, said: “Every show is different and every audience is different.

“It was a great response tonight.”

The 12 lucky chair holders perhaps showed susceptibility to having their minds controlled for the duration of the show and stayed on stage throughout.

They all did a number of entertaining things such as Matt who believed that Nigel was the most attractive man he had ever seen – however Mr Morris was hypnotised to be glued to his seat – and could not escape Matt’s amorous advances.

Now I am a sceptical person when it comes to this and I kept an open mind as I've never seen a live hypnosis show.

I was tempted to go up on stage but in order to review the show I thought it best not to on this occasion.

The volunteers were at one point told they had a magic power and shared it with the theatre.

Nigel believed that his ‘magic power’ was to see people for who they really are – and not only that the woman he had spoken to from the Spalding Guardian was a KGB agent but that she was also a plant.

Let me explain.

The 12 had been told by Andrew just before the interval that they would return to their seats but after the interval once they were sitting again comfortably they would hear the James Bond theme and they would need to get back onto the stage as stealthily as 007 himself.

During the interval I had chatted to Nigel and his wife Miranda in order to find out how he was feeling so that I could include him in my review.

Even though he felt a little 'embarrassed' - pretending as I said to be a washing machine and using his shoe as an oxygen mask, there was more to come in Act II.

Nigel (60) who owns his company Nigel Morris Builders, said: “I was sceptical about it and I remember some things like driving a car and being a washing machine.

“I knew he (Matt) was coming on to me but I couldn’t move.”

“Everyone has had a good time – on me.”

It was truly mesmerising, after we'd had our interval refreshments and took our seats for the second half.

Scott the techie hit the Bond music and all of them tried to get back on stage, crawling through the auditorium, climbing over seats, hiding in the wings with their pretend guns - it was hilarious.

Meanwhile, Andrew just casually weaved around the stage like a genius puppet master.

It was one of the best openings to a second act of a theatre show that I have seen – and because of Nigel I did leave my scepticism behind and believed that he was in a trance-like state.

When Andrew asked the lady whose invention was purple tomatoes why they were purple she responded: “Because I don’t like red ones.”

I absolutely loved the show – and I will be booking when Andrew returns to the South Holland Centre and getting up on that stage – even if it means howling like a wolf, behaving like a sea lion or being stuck to the chair.

Well done to all the people who bravely went up onstage that night.

My only disappointment was that as promised the volunteers didn't do a stand up comedy routine – though it was hilarious enough in itself.

But otherwise this is a show that could literally blow your mind.

Not to be missed.

Visit www.southhollandcentre.co.uk for further information.