KINGFIELD – “Get Hypnotized” featuring master hypnotist Peter Gross lands at Kingfield Elementary School on Saturday, April 11. This event is a fundraiser for the Kingfield Bicentennial.
A spaghetti dinner begins at 5:30 p.m. and includes spaghetti, salad, bread, dessert, beverages and coffee. The show begins at 7 p.m, bringing high-energy comedy and amazing stage hypnosis to the stage.
“With so much funny stuff on TV and the internet, people want to see a truly live comedy experience — Get Hypnotized lifts audience members out of their seats and plops them center stage,” says Gross, who spends much of the year performing in theaters, comedy clubs and on cruise ships.
“At my shows, every audience member participates, either from the stage or from the safety of their seats and the show they will see is completely fresh every night; there is nothing ‘canned’ or rehearsed, because the volunteers are the show.”
Yet some things are constants; audience members forgetting their names and how to count, dancing and singing like American Idol wanna-bes and screaming at the crowd like an overzealous high school coaches.
“It’s amazing what comes out of people if you remove their inhibitions. I guess we’re all just waiting for an opportunity to shine,” Gross said. “Hypnosis enables average people to tap into the spontaneity and stage presence usually displayed only by professional entertainers. If the show gets a little crazy, it’s only because the people who decide to volunteer want to take it in that direction, which is almost always.”
Gross started his career in Boston 25 years ago, performing interactive comedy on the streets of Boston andCambridge. He was a regular fixture at Faneuil Hall, holding court at the center of crowds of tourists.
“Street performing teaches you to listen to a crowd and be responsive and improvisational. On the streets, if you lose the crowd, they don’t just get quiet; they just leave!”
Soon enough he “graduated” comedy festivals, clubs and theaters. The move to cruise ships gave him a chance to work globally visiting Japan, Korea, China and Russia’s Pacific coast.
Tickets are $15 and are available in advance at Longfellow’s Restaurant and Jordan Lumber Co.
For more details, contact Kim Jordan at 491-0730.
