On Stage: Hypnosis meets improve at The Colonial

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times 

The last time Colin Mochrie and Asad Mecci performed in this area was at Xcite Center at Parx Casino with a new show called “HYPROV: Improv under Hypnosis.”

Now, they are coming back with the same show in a new version — the highly successful, “Yes, It’s Real” Tour.

With new dates announced and fresh from visiting over 60 North American cities since October 2024, the show is consistently stunning audiences, making them ask, “Is this real?”

The tour will touch down locally with a show at the Colonial Theatre (227 Bridge Street, Phoenixville, thecolonialtheatre.com/events).

Scottish-born Mochrie is one of the most prolific improvisers on both sides of the pond today. He found his first line of work as a member of the Vancouver TheatreSports League where he met fellow improviser Ryan Stiles.

He toured with The Second City comedy troupe until Stiles recommended that he audition for a brand-new British TV show, “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”

After failing in his first attempt to get on the show, Mochrie spent eight years as a regular until it ended in 1998. He then joined the U.S. version on ABC, appearing in every episode, and continues with the current revival on the CW Network.

Asad Mecci’s jaw dropping performances have captivated audiences worldwide. He has performed in front of more than 1.5 million people on stage and millions more through mass media. Mecci’s resume includes performances on Entertainment Tonight, MTV, Maxim Online, HGTV, and YTV.

When he is not performing on stage, Mecci uses hypnosis to help people lose weight, reduce stress and achieve peak performance. From a consulting perspective, Mecci has collaborated with legendary figure skating coach Brian Orser to produce a visualization figure skating app, which would eventually help Yuzuru Hanyu win the gold medal in the 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics.

“HYPROV” (pronounced hip-rawv) isn’t just a show — it’s part mind experiment, part comedy lab, and 100 percent entertainment.

Twenty audience volunteers take the stage — completely voluntarily.

Within minutes, Mecci guides them into a state of fearless creativity.

The most receptive “Hyprovisors” then join Mochrie to perform a completely improvised comedy show — while hypnotized.

There is no script and no safety net — just raw imagination and real laughter unfolding live.

With improvised music driving the rhythm, every performance is a one-of-a-kind high-wire act of comedy, chaos, and connection.

“HYPROV” isn’t just a show — it’s part mind experiment, part comedy lab, and 100 percent entertainment.

“We get 20 volunteers who get hypnotized on stage by Asad,” said Mochrie, during a recent phone interview from his home in Toronto, Ontario.

“Then, we narrow it to 10 and then narrow it down again to five of the best. These five, while still hypnotized, do improv scenes with me.”

The act had a strange beginning,

“Asad was taking improv classes at Second City,” said Mochrie “He realized the similarities in both hypnotism and improv.”

Mecci said, “I reached out to Colin via e-mail and talked about mixing hypnotism with improv on stage. We put on a show at Second City and it worked.

“We really started to work on it at Second City’s John Candy Theater. From there, we took it on the road in 2016. Now, we’ve done 200 cities in North America, Off-Broadway, Las Vegas and a television special.”

Before taking it to the stage, they were unsure whether it would actually work in that environment.

“I didn’t meet Asad until he reached out to my agent,” said Mochrie. “Asad is an amazing hypnotist who has worked with Canadian Olympic teams.

“When we were putting this show together, I thought – this is scary. But the part I like about improv is to be out of the comfort zone.”

Any doubts they had were soon erased.

Mecci said, “In the beginning, it was very raw. Now, one segment features a radio detective with the hypnotist playing all the characters –including the chief of police and a femme fatale.”

The show changes every night.

“It was nerve-wracking the first time we did it,” said Mochrie. “We did it and it worked amazingly well.

“We have sort of a game list, but it can change on the fly. One segment is a 1940s radio show with all wrong sound effects.

“Our show is a fast-paced show with no intermission. It’s 75 minutes straight of funny improv.”

Mecci said, “We learned a lot about staging, mic control and lighting.

“The show progresses based in the information the hypnotized give us. That’s what I love about it. The people are truly living what they say.

“One night, I called the chief of police a thief and told him he was the primary suspect – a real red herring suspect.”

Mochrie said, “With this show, it’s different in that the hypnotized give full eye contact the whole time – totally unblinking. And they immediately say whatever is on their mind.”

So, if you like improv acts, hypnotist performers, spontaneity or just plain humor, this is a show that you’ll definitely like – and you’re not alone.

“We just announced an Australian tour,” said Mecci. “This show has taken on a life of its own and we’re really excited about that.”

Video link for Colin Mochrie and Asad Mecci —  https://youtu.be/NDwSTUKjiZ8

The show at the Colonial Theatre’s 1903 Theatre will start at 8 p.m. on December 19.

Ticket prices start at $39.50.

Other upcoming shows at the venue are “Joe DeRosa: Home for the Holidays” in the 1903 Theatre on December 20, and “A Charlie Brown Christmas with the Eric Mintel Quartet” in the White Rabbit Theatre on December 20.

On December 24, it will be time for “Festa dei sette pesci” – the Italian Christmas Eve dinner known as the “Feast of Seven Fishes.”

On December 19, the focus will be on just one fish – not seven.

On that date, Samantha Fish will perform at the Keswick Theater (291 North Keswick Avenue, Glenside, www.keswicktheatre.com) as part of the “Shake ‘Em On Down Tour” with Cedric Burnside and Jon Spencer.

Fish is a veteran musician, a talented singer and an adept songwriter. She’s a guitarist with roots in rock, blues and Americana.

But, more than anything, she rocks loud and hard and gets audiences off their seats and shakin’ their asses.

One of the most formidable guitarists of her generation, Fish deals in her own unmatched brand of bravado, bringing both mind-blowing power and extraordinary emotionality to everything she creates.

Since first introducing the world to her larger-than-life talent, the multi-award-winning festival headliner has built a triumphant career whose latest milestones include earning a Grammy nomination for “Death Wish Blues” (her 2023 collaboration with rocker Jesse Dayton) and opening for The Rolling Stones on their final 2024 U.S. tour date.

Fish is touring in support of her latest album, “Paper Doll,” which was released on April 25, 2025 via Rounder Records.

On “Paper Doll,” Fish delivers nine powerhouse songs that hit with an unstoppable force, each delivered with an exquisite dose of illuminating insight, soul-soothing empathy, and—above all—newly heightened clarity of vision.

“I worked on the album last summer,” said Fish, during a phone interview last week from her home in New Orleans. “I started recording and finished by November.

“I had done the ‘Death Wish Blues’ album with Jesse in 2023. Then, I went on tour last year. It was the first time I went on the road without an album to promote.

“I recorded a lot of ‘Paper Doll’ when I was on tour. I did some recording at The Orb (Orb Recording Studio in Austin, Texas) and some at Savannah Studios in Los Angeles. I went back and forth.”

Now, Fish is touring with her band and a new album to promote.

“I definitely want to focus on the new record,” said Fish, a native of Kansas City and a devout Chiefs’ fan (who must be in mourning after her team was eliminated from NFL playoff contention last weekend.)

“I recorded the album with my band which has Micky Finn on Keyboards. We also have bassist Ron Johnson who joined right after COVID, and drummer Jamie Douglas, who joined in April 2023.

“I started writing in March 2024 and then wrote from March to August. The songs on the album were all new except for two old ones – ‘Off in the Blue’ and ‘I’m Done Running.’

“We recorded 13 songs and used nine on the record. I just released a ‘Deluxe Edition’ with two additional songs – ‘Dead Armadillo’ and ‘Don’t Let It Bring You Down.’

“The way I approach songs is identifying a clear hook and building a song around it. They’re based on personal experiences.

“As far as the content, it’s really about telling a story. I co-wrote a lot of songs with Bobby Harlow, who produced the album. I also wrote songs with Katie Pearlman, Jim McCormick and Anders Osborne.”

Fish’s album prior to “Death Wish Blues” was “Faster,” which was released on September 10, 2021.

“Faster” is the sixth album by Fish and her sophomore release for Rounder Records. Her Rounder debut was 2019’s “Kill or Be Kind.”

“Faster” debuted in the Billboard Blues Charts at Number 1. It also debuted at Number 2 in the Folk Americana Charts and Number 10 in the Rock Albums Charts.

Guitar World named Fish as “One of the 30 best guitarists in the world.” She came in at Number 7 behind Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Joe Bonamassa.

“‘Faster’ is a pandemic album,” said Fish. “I started working on it during the pandemic. I told myself – go inside yourself and be creative.”

“Faster” was produced by Martin Kierszenbaum.

“Martin reached out in 2020,” said Fish. “We had a Kansas City connection. We met and meshed really well.

“Martin had a different approach to production. He played all the keyboards, and I did all the guitar work. The album has a heartbeat. It’s very human. I recorded most of the songs live – meat and potatoes.

“I’m always into exploring. Every record I make is different from the last. You’ve got to be open to change to grow. You have to listen to your heart.”

Fish has music in her DNA.

“My dad played, and my mom sang in church,” said Fish. “My dad’s friends all played music. They’d come over to our house and play.

“It was a social thing. My uncles played metal with heavy guitar. My dad’s friends played country-and-western and blues.

“I started with drums and did that for a couple years. I’m glad I did because it gave me the rhythmic foundation.

“When I picked up guitar – that’s when I started singing. Not long after, I started writing songs.

“Songwriting is something you have to work on if you want to learn how to write good songs. I still play songs today that I wrote when I was 20. My songs are rock, country and soul – all bluesy even though I’ve never written a standard blues song.”

Musical diversity has always been crucial for Fish – listening and playing.

“I listened to a lot of soul music — people like Otis Redding and Ray Charles,” said Fish. “I was also influenced by blues acts — especially North Mississippi blues — people like R.L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough.”

The “Shake ‘Em On Down Tour” also features Cedric Burnside and Jon Spencer.

Burnside is an American electric blues guitarist, drummer, singer and songwriter. He is the son of blues drummer Calvin Jackson and grandson of blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist R. L. Burnside.

Burnside has played drums, either live or on record, with R. L. Burnside, Jimmy Buffett, T-Model Ford, Widespread Panic, Jessie Mae Hemphill and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion.

Jon Spencer attended Brown University  where he was part of the noise rock band Shithaus, with Tod Ashley (Cop Shoot Cop, Firewater). Spencer moved to Washington, D.C. in 1985, where he formed the band Pussy Galore with Julia Cafritz.

The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion is an American three-piece rock band from New York City, formed in 1991. The group’s musical style is largely rooted in rock and roll.

Video link for Samantha Fish — https://youtu.be/3rhUFAdfEjA.

The “Shake ‘Em On Down Tour” at the Keswick Theater will start at 8 p.m.

Tickets are $48.41.

Another upcoming show at the Keswick Theater this weekend is “An American Celtic Christmas” on December 20.

“Can’t Get It Out of My Head” is the latest album by Mary Fahl.

It is also the description of what happens after someone hears her voice in song.

Mary Fahl has a very distinctive voice.

If you’ve ever heard her sing, you have her voice etched permanently into your memory bank.

From that point on, if you hear a song by Fahl, you immediately know who is singing.

If you want to hear holiday music with a difference, head to Upper Bucks County this weekend.

When Fahl performs her annual Christmas shows, which she has been doing for more than a decade, those in the audience hear holiday music in a whole new way.

On December 21, Fahl is returning to the Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808, www.st94.com) with “Mary Fahl: Wintersongs.”

“Nothing much has changed in the last year,” said Fahl, during a phone interview from her home in Upper Bucks County. “There is nothing new coming down the pike.

“There is the Christmas show. It’s a spectacular show.

“It’s my annual holiday show. I do a lot of Christmas shows every year.”

The Christmas show focuses mainly of her holiday album “Winter Songs and Carols,” which was released in 2019.

“The Christmas record – I didn’t want to do it,” said Fahl. “My husband made me do it. Now, it’s become my favorite album.

“I made a Christmas record for people who don’t like Christmas with songs like Joni Mitchell’s ‘Urge for Going’ and a song by Sandy Denny.”

Some of the album’s other songs are ‘In the Bleak Mountains,” “Ave Maria,” “Wexford Carol,” “What Child Is This,” “Walking in the Air” and “Oh Holy Night/Silent Night.”

Fahl has honored her favorites by making an album of special tunes — a collection of songs that she calls “essential” to her development as an artist.

The album, which is titled, “Can’t Get It Out of My Head,” was released on July 22, 2022, on her own label, Rimar Records.

“I made it in Syracuse with my band and my producer Mark Doyle,” said Fahl, during a phone interview Tuesday afternoon while returning from a gig in Maine.

“We finished it in early 2022. We mixed and mastered it in March 2022 and then released it in July 2022.”

These are the album’s 10 tracks and the artists who made the original versions — “Can’t Get It Out Of My Head,” ELO; “Ruby Tuesday,” Rolling Stones; “Tuesday Afternoon,” Moody Blues; “River Man,” Nick Drake; “Got A Feeling,” Mamas and Papas; “Don’t Let It Bring You Down,” Neil Young; “Comfortably Numb,” Pink Floyd; “Since You’ve Asked,” Judy Collins; “Beware Of Darkness,” George Harrison; and “The Great Valerio,” Richard and Linda Thompson.

“These were such essential songs for me… like old friends… my musical home in many ways,” said Fahl.

“I fell in love with each of them at the quintessential coming-of-age moment when music goes straight into your heart with no filter and these songs became part of my musical DNA… I learned to play guitar with several of them – especially the early Neil Young songs.

“Most of these covers come from the first albums I ever bought using one of those Columbia House ‘get 12 free albums for a $1’ mail order programs. I played these records endlessly… and the lyrics on many of these songs still have a powerful resonance for me.”

Fahl knew exactly where she was going.

“I wanted to make a record that was special to me,” said Fahl. “I wanted to live in a place with all the music I grew up with. I learned guitar with Neil Young albums. I learned songwriting with Richard and Linda Thompson songs. Each song on this record has a very special meaning to me.

“I lost my mother and my older sister in the same year – lost a link to the past. I chose these songs because I still sing them and love them. They are part of my musical family. They got me out of a funk.”

The songs provide a comfort level for Fahl and her fans.

“The best compliment that I’ve been getting is that it brought people a lot of joy,” said Fahl.

“People really like my cover of ‘Tuesday Afternoon.’ That song gets the best audience response of anything I’ve done.”

In 2011, Fahl recorded her own version of one of rock’s all-time classics — Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon.” Fahl re-interpreted the songs on an album she titled “From the Dark Side of the Moon.

Fahl, who was a member of the October Project 20 years ago, went solo in 2001. Prior to this year, her recorded output as a solo artist has been slim — “Lenses of Contact” EP in 2001, “The Other Side of Time” album in 2003, “Classics for a New Century” in 2003 and “From the Dark Side of the Moon” in 2011.

Fahl’s solo releases include “Love and Gravity,” “Four Songs,” “Winter Songs and Carols,” and “Mary Fahl: Live from Mauch Chunk Opera House,” which is a project that included a live album, a performance DVD and a PBS special.

Many of Fahl’s fans have been with her ever since her time with October Project which lasted from 1993-1996.

For many artists, the task of re-inventing songs from an album as iconic as “Dark Side of the Moon” could have been too much of a challenge. Not so for Fahl who crafted a disc that honored its roots but established an identity all its own.

“After making the Sony classical album (“Classics for a New Century”), I wanted to do something that was fun,” said Fahl.

“An independent filmmaker I knew wanted to use me in a performance piece. I wanted to do something that I didn’t have the ability to write.

“That’s when I decided to do the ‘Dark Side’ recording. It’s like a classical piece of music. I did not intend to make a cover record. It’s my version and it doesn’t sound at all like Pink Floyd’s version. But a lot of die-hard Pink Floyd fans have responded well. They like the album — and my live versions of the songs.”

Fahl has written and performed songs for several major motion pictures, including the lead song (“Going Home”) for the Civil War epic “Gods and Generals.” Her music can also be found on the original soundtrack of the 2003 movie “The Guys.”

Fahl is a singer, a guitarist and a songwriter. More than anything, she is a performer.

“Performing is my primary form of self-expression,” said Fahl. “When I do a show, I want to take you on a complete journey. I want to transform you.

Video link for Mary Fahl – https://youtu.be/8AOaV5Af2ZM?list=OLAK5uy_lhTOW8-IiA3wOw4iwXFbd5OVj46vjfNEw.

The show at the Sellersville Theater on December 21 will start at 8 p.m.

Ticket prices range from $35-$66.50.

Other upcoming shows at the Sellersville Theater are Gary Puckett on December 19, “’Tis The Season with The Tisburys and Stella Ruze” on December 20, and “A Charlie Brown Christmas with the Eric Mintel Quartet” on December 23.

A big day in the life of the Humbleman Band was November 1 when the band performed a “Record Release Show” at the Black Squirrel Club in Philadelphia.

The band marked the official release of “Looking Up,” an album that was several years in the making.

Now, the band is ready to offer fans another dose of the new music in live form.

On December 20, the Humbleman Band will headline a show at the Mermaid Inn (7654 Winston Road, Philadelphia, themermaidinn.net).

There is a special attraction with Saturday’s show which is billed as a “Night of Two Kims.”.

The band’s old pal and former bandmate Kim Empson will be joining Kim Alexander and the band for the night.

Humbleman Band is one of the Philadelphia area’s longest-running rock bands — and a band which has been involved in projects all over the country.

Humbleman Band’s current line-up is Charlie Cooper – writer, vocals, guitar; Wain Ballard – lead guitar; Kim Alexander – vocals; Boz Heinly – bass; and Buck Buchannan – drums.

“We’ll be playing all the songs from the new album,” said “Cholly” Cooper, during a phone interview from his home in Germantown.

“There are 14 songs on the record, and this will be the first time we’ve played some of them live.”

There will also be an added attraction.

“We’re also going to be playing a new song that was just written and is not on the album,” said Cooper, one of several musicians to come from the Norristown area along with a pair of late jazz greats — bassist Jaco Pastorius and Hammond legend Jimmy Smith.

“The song is called ‘No Kings’ and was inspired by the recent ‘No Kings’ events.”

The band has been around for more than a quarter-century.

“Humbleman Band was formed in 1999,” said Cooper. “We get along really well musically and as friends. We have a lot of respect for each other.”

Humbleman Band is not very prolific when it comes to releasing albums.

“We seem to have a cycle of putting out an album every five years,” said Cooper.  “We put out an album a few years ago called ‘Least Bad of Humbleman 1984-2009.’ That album was a 25-year compilation starting with our days in 1984 as a punk band called The Proles.”

The band released its albums “Late Bloom” in fall 2014 and “Beautiful Day” in November 2018.

Humbleman Band, a rock band that is socially conscious, features songs that band members have written and arranged – songs with lyrics inspired by current events.

“We just finished wrapping up our next album, which has been two years in the making,” said Cooper. “We went into the studio a few months ago.

“We recorded the rhythm section in a big studio — Rittenhouse Soundworks in Germantown. Then we did the overdubs at our home studio, J-Street Studios.

“The last recordings happened in March. Then we sent it to Rittenhouse Sound for mixing and mastering.”

The LP, which has an up-tempo feel and an uplifting vibe, is the band’s best recording yet.

“The title track – “Looking Up” – showcases the group’s optimism with lyrics such as, “Not so bad, could be worse, could be surrounded by flowers in the back of some hearse” and “Things are looking more up, my friend, that’s how I’m feelin’ today.”

Humbleman Band has consistently delivered social commentary and positive messages, often with humor and a light touch, using spoken word lyrics, and generally delivered with dance beat arrangement.

Video link for Humbleman Band — https://youtu.be/01Clk69MaAU.

The show at the Mermaid Inn will start at 8 p.m.

Tickets are $10.

This year, People’s Light (39 Conestoga Road, Malvern, peopleslight.org) is presenting a production of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” now through January 4 on the Leonard C. Haas Stage.

But it’s not the Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” you’ve grown to know and love over the years.

With inventive and joyful staging by Producing Director Molly Rosa Houlahan, Producing Artistic Director Zak Berkman brings Dickens’ beloved classic to life through the eyes of a child.

In this surprising and whimsical adaptation, audiences follow Ebenezer Scrooge and a gathering of benevolent ghosts on a journey through time showing the redemptive power of kindness, hope, and love.

This imaginative retelling features traditional English carols woven with a Barrymore-nominated original score by

Berkman and arrangements by Mitch Chakour.

Berkman brought “A Christmas Carol” to life through the eyes of a child. It is set in the attic of a 10-year-old boy.

“In this version, the story is really told by a group of spirits who have visited this young boy in his attic,” said Berkman.

“Instead of Victorian England, we’re in this boy’s playroom. Through the story, we find out what is the connection between the young boy and the spirits.”

People’s Light remains committed to making theatre accessible and welcoming for all.

Open Captioning will be available during all performances from December 30-January 4, displaying dialogue on an

LED screen to support patrons with hearing impairments and English language learners.

Video link for People’s Light — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zICXuBNoPuY.

“A Christmas Carol” will run now through January 4 on the Leonard C. Haas Stage at People’s Light.

Ticket prices start at $35.

A great way to get into the holiday spirit is to visit the Candlelight Dinner Theatre (2208 Millers Road, Arden, Delaware, www.candlelighttheatredelaware.org).

The Candlelight’s 2025 holiday show, “Christmas by Candlelight,” is running now through December 21.

For a month-and-a-half, the Candlelight is treating audiences to its heartwarming celebration of the yuletide season, which is back by popular demand this year.

This year’s show features favorite seasonal and sacred tunes, as well as some new surprises, brought to life by some of the theater’s most popular cast and staff.

Candlelight’s fans’ favorites in the cast are Jared Calhoun, Maurene Cotellese, Tina Gabriella Delano, Erin Lunde, Tim Moudy, Cody Palmer, Samatha Ricchiuti, Tess Sinatra, Shawn Weaver, Shaun Yates, Tori Healy, Heather Healy, Dan Healy and Anthony Connell, a longtime actor who also has been Props Master for shows this year.

The songs range from a capella versions of famous songs to comedic numbers, upbeat holiday tunes and classic Christmas songs you may hear sung at church services.”

Some of the showcase songs are “Jingle Bells,” “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,” “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” “The Little Drummer Boy,” “Do You Hear What I Hear,” “Joy To The World,” “O Come All Ye Faithful” and, of course, “White Christmas.”

Tickets, which include dinner and show, are $77.50 for adults and $35 for children (ages 4-12). “Show Only” tickets, which have limited availability, cost $35.

Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295, http://www.kennettflash.org) is hosting the Lenape Brass Ensemble on December 21.

Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center (226 North High Street, West Chester, www.uptownwestchester.org) is presenting “Cinderella” now through December 28.

Jamey’s House of Music (32 South Lansdowne Avenue, Lansdowne, www.jameyshouseofmusic.com) will present Laura Cheadle Band’s “Christmas Show” on December 19, the Roger Girke Band and the Nick Kane Band on December 20 and Steve Shanahan’s Blues Muthas at a noon matinee on December 21.