Toledo Blade — Stage hypnotist says he just wants to have fun
( Article published February 22, 2002 )
In addition to his hypnosis tricks, Joe DeVito brings a boa constrictor onstage. Joe DeVito is a stage hypnotist, but he's not the star of the show; the audience is.
"There's a saying in this business that you have two choices: You can see the show or you can be the show," he said in an interview from his Boston home. "If you decide to be the show, I guarantee you'll have more fun."
Not everybody makes a good hypnosis subject, said DeVito, who performs tomorrow in the Hard Hat Cafe.
"I've had people on the stage as old as 80 and as young as 19. The best age is probably somewhere between 16 and 30. College students are always the best because they're ready to have a good time and they're ready to get high without drugs or alcohol."
In addition to the hypnosis tricks, DeVito does a fire-eating act and brings a live boa constrictor onstage. The hypnosis show usually starts slowly and builds to a frenzy, he said. |
