Stettler Showcase closed its 2024/25 season on April 13 when globe-trotting mentalist Jeff Newman took to the stage at the Performing Arts Centre.
Newman, a Calgary-based, award-winning mentalist who has performed in over 25 countries, performed for just under two hours, including a 20-minute intermission, in a show that featured heavy audience involvement.
The mentalist left the audience in awe as he seemingly read the minds of the audience with one trick after another.
Early in the show, Newman placed a notepad on an easel marked "this" and had audience member Jenn keep an eye on it for the duration of the show. She was under instructions that if he got too close to it, she was to call him out.
Newman then picked several people at random to play a live-action version of "Guess Who" against Sara, one of the audience members. In short order, he seemingly read her mind and guessed who she was thinking of, without her uttering a word, leaving the audience stunned.
Another game Newman played with three new audience members had a set of keys, a phone, and a wallet in three separate boxes.
Newman had one of the audience members on stage blindfold him, and then, with his back to the boxes, had the boxes mixed up, and he was still able to figure out which box had which item in it.
The show continued in this manner, up until he correctly guessed the serial number of a $20 bill that an audience member had placed in a sealed envelope.
Towards the end of the show, Newman recovered the "this" notepad and flipped through it, wowing the audience with the predictions of everything that would occur during the performance.
At one point in the show, Newman had an audience member pick one of three books, and then had them choose a word from a page in the book. Prior to the show, he took a selfie from the venue, with the word the person would pick, which he displayed again to the audience's amazement and applause.
With the 2024-25 season in the books, the volunteers of Stettler Showcase look ahead to the 2025/26 season.
Jack Semple Plays Lightfoot will open the season with a dinner show on Nov. 1.
Blues, Reggae, and Country singers Kinjo and Young will be performing on Dec. 13 and 14. Unlike most shows where there is an afternoon and an evening show on the same day, the evening show will take place Dec. 13, and the afternoon performance will take place Dec. 14.
January's group is the Edmonton-based a cappella group 6 Minute Warning on Jan. 18, 2025.
In February, guitarist Sue Foley will come to town on Feb. 22.
To close the season, ventriloquist and puppeteer Michael Harrison will come to town.
Tickets are available at stettlershowcase.com.
