Comedy hypnotist Matt Hale returns to the region he used to call home with his show Bonkers

Comedy hypnotist Matt Hale is making his way back through the region his family is so closely connected with to bring his award-winning show to halls across the Great Southern. Spending a large part of the past 17 years with his wife and family in Cranbrook, Mr Hale is bringing his Fringe World “Bonkers” show to Katanning, Hyden, Newdegate, Borden, Jerramungup and more, to spread his passion for comedy and hypnosis. Mr Hale is an international performer known for what he says is his modern brand of “hypno-laughs that turns the traditional hypnosis show on its head”. “After such a crazy year and a half with the pandemic I think everyone needs a chance where they can get together, laugh, forget everything and feel fantastic for an hour,” Hale said. He said his approach took the embarrassment out of being hypnotised so everyone could feel good about the show. “When I saw these (other) shows I always felt there was an air of they were funny but you were probably sat in the audience thinking ‘wow, that’s really funny but I’m glad that is not me up there’,” he said. “I just thought that was completely the wrong way to approach it — surely you want it to be funny and you also want everyone in the audience at the end thinking ‘I wish that had been me up there in the end’.” Mr Hale is the winner of three national comedy awards and prior to the pandemic regularly travelled abroad with his show. The self-taught hypnotist transformed his career after teaching himself the art by speaking to hypnotists as a hobby. “I like to take the mystery out of hypnosis and show people how and why it works, and even let them experience it themselves,” he said. Matt Hale will be performing at Katanning Town Hall on July 24. Visit bit.ly/3xwY5Yx.