The Comedy Palace, at Grill 93 in Andover, seems a far cry from the Viennese drawing rooms where hypnotists once mesmerized crowds more than a century ago. But each Saturday, "R-rated" hypnotist Joe DeVito, a former male dancer who hung up his G-string in 1992, invokes this proud tradition with an unconventional twist, performing "Erotic Hypnotic," a show of risqué hypnotic stunts that would have stood Freud's hair on end, had he not been mostly bald.

The show begins with standard routines. DeVito first lulls audience volunteers with space-age music and voice relaxation, weeding out the un-hypnotized (those giggling and elbowing their buddies) before selecting the subjects for his gauntlet of bawdy stunts. The hypnotist then requests the standard catalepsy (arms held up in awkward positions) before subjecting initiates to a series of increasingly ribald suggestions. "When I snap my fingers, you will be making love to a beautiful woman," he says to a volunteer, who instantly drops to his belly. "Now when I snap my fingers you will be lying in a puddle of shit." Not surprisingly, the show culminates in a few no-holds-barred, kootchie-koo dance a thon.

Behind all the smoke and mirrors, though, lies a chilling revelation. "All hypnosis is self-hypnosis," DeVito claims, adding that "the subjects are actually hypnotising themselves," and folks generally won't do anything under hypnosis they wouldn't do normally. So never mind Oedipus or your inner child - what apparently lurks deep in even the most taciturn soul is a psyche chomping at the bit to make an ass out of itself at a nightclub. Just hope DeVito helps you lose that ass on the way out.

Andrew Neiland
Boston Magazine
September 1998

If you are interested in the best hypnotic show today,
contact Joe DeVito DIRECTLY by calling 617-389-5231
request information online OR email directly to joedevito@joedevitohypnotist.com

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