Ian D. Montfort - Unbelievable

Those already familiar with Tom Binns' Ian D. Montfort character will know exactly what to expect from Unbelievable, his third outing as a 'spirit comedium.' Looking the part in a ludicrous white kurta and flip flops, the platinum-haired performer spends much of the hour cold reading the audience with a surprising degree of success. He correctly guesses first names and even those of our pets, before having one reluctant participant manifest a song of her choice onto a blank CD. This being comedy, there are moments in which Montfort is made to appear an inept fraud, but the success of the concept rests on Binns' real life abilities as a charlatan spiritualist.

Unbelievable contains several confounding set pieces—and provides a great deal of laughter throughout—but it's telling that the only differences between this show and last year's relate to the tricks that Montfort performs. Still the official spokesman for pseudo sciences and a firm believer in the law of attraction, the character hasn't developed and nor does he need to, for it's his alleged psychic abilities that have attracted repeat customers this evening. In many respects, the comedy that we are presented with is little more than a way of legitimising Binns' skills, as though magic can only amuse when performed under the guise of satire. Montfort may be unique and frequently funny, but is ultimately ill-served by his creator's muddled intentions.