The Mentalist

Gerry McCambridge hasn't yet exhausted his powers of mental acuity. If he had, it's probable he may have joined the league of past-it hypnotists now making a name for themselves exposing psychic frauds. For that to happen, people would first have to cease flocking to his hit Vegas show “The Mentalist” and stop believing. Not likely!

Belief in the unthinkable is a prerequisite of Gerry McCambridge's craft and even if you're prone to warming a post on the skeptic's fence, he'll effortlessly blow your mind. The Merlin Award winner is a dab hand at the power of suggestion and counts Lisa Kudrow, Lance Burton and Carrie Fisher among his better known 'mind conquests'. Now in its 5th year on the Strip, “The Mentalist” has garnered a warm affection with Vegas natives for being everything the illusion shows are not. Accommodated within Planet Hollywood Resort's futuristic 'V' Theatre, “The Mentalist” forgoes outrageous lighting effects and indoor fireworks, relying solely upon one-man mind-bender Gerry McCambridge to set the pace and tone of the show.

Quick-witted and always impeccably turned out, McCambridge is an affable stand-up comedian with few qualms about incorporating self-deprecating humor into his act. Aside from the chirpy banter and old-hat charisma, Gerry McCambridge is a man obviously intent on disproving theorists. He preys upon the non-believers, weeding out skeptics by calling out the initials of names whilst blind-folded. A mere glimpse of the shock etched onto the faces of some victims confirms these are not suspicious plants, but real people. And yes, that means even you could be a contender for the prediction board! In perhaps one of his best loved introductory acts to date, McCambridge starts a mad dash for mobile phones in what has inadvertently become known as the “cell phone race”. In some apparent feat of long distance, radio wave frequency telepathy, a lone ring tone suddenly sounds out in the audience causing its owner to scrabble around in embarrassment. Ordered down from the stalls, said victim becomes a mere on-stage extra as McCambridge enlists the help of the caller for his next “number in an envelope” trick.

Interactivity plays a vital role in the pace of The Mentalist and like many a seasoned psychic, Gerry McCambridge is always primed for the naysayers seeking to catch him off guard. Their blatant negativity is commonly rewarded with an invitation to join him on stage and participate in yet another trick involving the prediction board. His victims are invariably spooked when the host informs them “I knew you were coming tonight”. Producing an envelope, McCambridge prompts the volunteer to see for himself and with bated breath, the audience watches as he reads out his initials, t-shirt color and date of birth from a sheet of card. How did he do it? Showmen never give away their secrets!