Award-winning hypnotist Tony Lee, also known as the XXX hypnotist, made an appearance in the Ob on Jan. 24 to once again show Algonquin how to have a good time with hypnosis.
A regular popular and repeating act at Algonquin since 1993, Lee enlisted students and faculty who each had a part to play in his comedic act, including Sophie Govedavis, Darien Brass, Tracy Gagnon, Miranda Rico, Meggie Gilmar, Roger Perreault, Dexter Hughson, Zachary Adams, Sarah Fokhergill and Dawit Tucker.
At one point, each believed they were in the arctic cold, the hot beach and driving a luxury car.
Some of the group who were affected obeyed Lee’s every command, but there were others who pretended but wanted the crowd to enjoy the spirit of the entertainment. One by one most of the participants were sent back to their seats, while others stayed on stage to participate until the end of the show.
Lee, a hypnotist since 1985, said he became interested in the practice by mistake.
“I accidentally hypnotized my girlfriend.”
He then thought he should explore what he could do with that apparent talent. The next thing he knew he has done 10,000 shows and over 15,000 hours on stage.
Before becoming a hypnotist, however, he admitted he wasn’t interested in it.
“I just thought that it was corny; I didn’t really believe in something like that.”
Over the years, using his hypnotic voice, Lee demonstrated how he could take control of the sub-conscious mind, and used it to play around with his participants like a puppet master. He even found time for appearances on shows like the Trailer Park Boys, alongside Randy and Mr. Lahey, in 2008 to 2009.
He has been preforming at Algonquin for quite a while and first made an appearance in 1993.
Lee has always loved Algonquin.
“it’s where my friends study, and it has always been like a second home to me.”
A fallout of his many performances has been that he has received many international rewards from colleges and universities across Canada and the United Kingdom.
The way he comes up with his routines are not complicated — they’re just creative ideas to make people laugh.
“If I’m having fun everyone should too,” said Lee.
As the show was coming to an end, he mentioned he was giving away comics he created with his partner and told the crowd he will return as a special guest for a new show happening at the Observatory.