World-renowned master mentalist Lior Suchard will be performing at the Sydney Opera House next week, and audiences should prepare to have their collective minds blown. Mind-reading, telekinesis, thought-influencing and predictions are all part of his celebrated repertoire, and he promises to give people a show they’ll never forget. But how does someone become a professional mentalist?

“So the legend says… no, I’m just kidding,” laughs the Israeli entertainer. “It started when I was six years old – I used to play games with my friends from school, like holding a stone or a coin behind your back or guessing a number from one to ten. I always knew where the coin was and what number people were thinking of. Being intuitive was just a game, but when I grew up a bit I started to explore it and study the amazement of the human mind and develop my skills and abilities like underground psychology, non-verbal communication and body language reading.”

Suchard not only developed his skills at a young age, but also his desire to perform and use those skills to entertain others. “I love to perform, do shows and get onstage. When I was 13 years old I did a performance for friends and they really liked it because it wasn’t just a demonstration, it was combined with comedy. I was a joker, super optimistic and liked to make people happy. The combination was amazing and I realised that this is something that I need to do.

“It’s not only entertainment, fun, wonder and amazement, it’s also very inspiring – because it isn’t illusion or magic tricks, this is intellectual stuff. People feel inspired because they can see the abilities of the human mind.”

Some of the people who have been inspired by these abilities are a part of Hollywood’s elite, which has earned Suchard entry into the worlds of celebrities and politicians.

“I was in a restaurant in Los Angeles and saw Barbra Streisand at the table next to me. Somebody from my table introduced me and I told her to make up a few lines of a song that doesn’t exist and I started to hum it! A few days later I got a call from her long-time agent saying that Barbra was having her 70th birthday party and that she would like me to come and perform.”

So what can audiences expect from a show by a master mentalist? “The show is going to be very interactive and all of the people are going to be participating,” says Suchard. “There are going to be a lot of jokes, a lot of funny things and people are going to be on the edge of their seats.

“This show is going to be crazy because I never know exactly what I’m going to do. I have some things that I always do, but between them I improvise – I don’t know what I’m going to choose or what’s going to come up. But I can promise you that people are going to be so freaked out that they will not forget this experience.”

Of course, there are always going to be sceptics out there, but that doesn’t bother Suchard in the slightest. “I call the sceptics my unpaid publicists because they keep talking about me! The show isn’t about converting or making someone believe, it’s about experiencing something unbelievable. It doesn’t matter if you believe or don’t believe; you’re just going to enjoy it and have a crazy experience that you’re going to talk about for a long, long time. And for the sceptics… please sit in the front row. I have something special just for you.”

MentalistLior Suchard appears at Sydney Opera House’s Playhouse Tuesday May 5 – Sunday May 10.

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