Robert Kennzington.com Reviews2

March 1999 - Atlantic City Insider’s Guide

"Hypnomenon"
Mesmerizing at the Sands

By David J. Spatz, Review editor

ATLANTIC CITY – Every show needs a superlative, something that sets it apart from all the other shows: "The biggest," "the most colorful," "the most entertaining," "the best music," "the best choreography," and so on.

That being the case, let the record reflect that "Hypnomenon," which is at the Sands through May 3, is hands down the strangest and most unusual show of the 6,ooo or so I've seen in Atlantic City in the 21 years since the casinos came to town. It also might be on of the most entertaining, although that might depend on your definition of "entertainment."

"Hypnomenon," which takes the art of hypnosis out of the realm of lounge entertainment and plunks it down center stage in the Copa Room, is built on the amazing talents of hypnosis expert Robert Kennzington. The reason the show is called "Hypnomenon" is because it would be a much harder sell if the producers had called it by its real name, which is probably "Oh my God, What's He Doing To Those People?"

With large, piercing blue eyes that are so mesmerizing in and of themselves that they're insured for $2 million – coupled with a pleasant, gentle and relaxing voice that's a cross between a dream and a sin-song – Kennzington creates a different show each night.
This is an easy thing for him to do, because while he's the centerpiece of the show, it's the audience that are the stars, particularly the ones who volunteer to join him on stage and agree to try and be place under his spell.

After a smolderingly sexy techno-pop song and dance number opens the show, Kennzington takes the stage, explains his premise – no one who goes under will be made
to do anything foolish or embarrassing, morally wrong or against their will – and then calls for volunteers to join him on stage. After approximately 40 people climb on stage, Kennzington – do we call him the star or them?

Therapist? – performs a series of experiments designed to determine which of those volunteers
are the most susceptible to hypnosis and which ones should return to their seats.
After whittling the "cast" down to a dozen or so willing volunteers, Kennzington uses his eyes and a flashing strove light to induce a hypnotic state. From that state, he plants a series of powerful suggestions into the minds of his subjects. When he says the word "red" for instance, the subjects will smell an unbelievably foul odor. The opposite is true for "green" which will trigger the equivalent of an olfactory orgasm.

Sure enough, when he brings the sleeping subjects around and says the magic words, it really appears the people on stage are alternately smelling something horrible and then something pleasant.
For the better part of 90 minutes – with his segments enhanced by choreographer Gina Cappecci’s sensuous dancers – Kennzington plants on hypnotic suggestion after another. In no particular order, the subjects are made to feel hot and cold; to speak in a gibberish they believe is a Far Eastern language; to recreate a scene form the movie "Rocky."

With a delivery that's a cross between a televangelist and an infomercial salesman – is there a difference? – Kennzington establishes a report with both the audience and, most important to the success of the sow, with his subjects. He refers to his unusual powers – and the powers of the human mind – as the best drug anyone's ever had and claims, after the sow, his subjects will feel as refreshed as if they'd had eight to ten hours sleep.

Although the show is extremely entertaining, it also requires a modicum of concentration on the part of the audience to keep up with the activity on stage. Once the audience accepts this piece of interactive behavior, the show has the potential to be one of the more entertaining shows anyone will see during a visit to Atlantic City.
Not to mention one of the strangest and most unusual.

Spatzy