Russell Howard, Bill Bailey, Marcus Brigstocke, Simon Pegg… the list of major-league comics with ties to Bristol is a long and illustrious one. And it’s just about to get longer, we’d wager, with the addition of the name Chris Cox.
Raised in Backwell just outside town, Cox is a magician and comedian who uses a mix of quick wit, magic, psychology, body language and, well, lying to make you think he knows what you’re thinking. In fact he is (as his stage sub-moniker “The Mind Reader Who Can’t Read Minds” indicates) not a true mind-reader – but he’s terrifically talented and very funny to boot, as a 2011 Top Comedy award from our colleagues at venue.co.uk bears witness. He’s also got a growing army of celeb fans including Jonathan Ross and Ricky Gervais.
In his new show, Fatal Distraction, Cox re-evaluates love and rejection. “On the surface, Fatal Distraction is a mind-reading and magic show, but in reality it’s so much more than that,” Cox tells us. “It’s actually a piece of proper theatre, with highs and lows, jokes and emotions all wrapped together with tricks that have never before been seen by the world.
“You can expect some audience interaction (don’t worry, there’s nothing to fear), and you will also be able to control what you see me do by thoughts alone. You can also expect to laugh and to be amazed – but most importantly you can expect a very entertaining time.”
