What’s on your Mind? – Vinny DePonto in MindPlay

Apr 21, 2025 by Two Sues On the Aisle

By Two Sues on the Aisle, Susie Rosenbluth and Sue Weston

MindPlay, a one-man show by Vinny DePonto, will leave you amazed. DePonto is a mentalist, illusionist, and theatre artist (from New York) who combines psychological tricks and immersive storytelling to keep the audience mesmerized. He explains, ‘My work is all about carving out spaces for good mysteries and reigniting our human need for wonder.’ Co-written by DePonto and Josh Koeningsberg, MindPlay exposes our innermost thoughts and fragmented memories. The show, which is dedicated to DePonto’s grandparents, personalizes the power and frailty of the mind and leaves you wondering if you can trust the voice inside your head.

MindPlay will be at the Greenwich House Theater through May 11.

The Performance

Upon entering the theater, there is a stark stage with tables holding fishbowl on either side and a desk in the center stage with a rotary phone, a lamp, and a plant. “What’s on your mind?”  is written on the curtain. This question is connected to instructions asking the audience to share one answer in a sealed envelope (with name and seat number written on the front) and place it into the fishbowl on the stage.

During the 90-minute performance, DePonto randomly selects envelopes, delighting the audience by accurately revealing the word, phrase, or event.

The performance is heavily interactive. After the lights dim, the rotary phone rings, and an arrow appears saying ‘Answer Me.’ Finally, an audience member, in our show Adam, came onto the stage to answer it. Following instructions, he introduces himself, then throws a wadded-up piece of paper over his shoulder into the audience, but stops when he is asked to smash a paper bag selected by someone in the audience. Two identical paper bags (labeled A and B) are on a table. One paper bag is safe, with a block of wood below it, but the other is dangerous, hiding a broken glass bottle. DePonto joins Adam on the stage, and he correctly predicts the audience member’s favorite color, which matches what is on the paper (blue). Then shields Adam’s hand and smashes the bag, revealing the wooden block. Amazing. The audience was captivated.

Amazing Performance

The show begins with DePonto demonstrating his mind-reading ability. He shares random information, including an audience member’s favorite food and the name of a recent president. What made this reveal impressive is that the answers were written on slips of paper enclosed in balloons in the audience. During these segments, he guessed what participants had written in their sealed envelopes, which included a fear of cockroaches and concern that another person had not fed their pet. Each revelation was as amazing and unexpected as the last.

We heard the man sitting behind us marvel, ‘How’d he do that?’

DePonto is a storyteller who segways from mind-reading to explain how memories are shared. He uses the example of a cat and mouse, then creates the image of a mouse by shining a light on a cactus. In another aside, he explains the technique of creating a mind palace, a way to retain large amounts of information by creating associations with a familiar space, and retrieving images by mentally walking through the space. He uses this technique to recall and recite passages from Shakespeare when given only a page number.

DePonto is a talented performer. Each interaction left the audience clueless, awed by his abilities, and amazed.

Two Themes Combined

The performance was segmented into two themes: first, mind reading, and later, revealing the inner sanctum of his mind. When he explores his mind, the set changes to reveal rows of vault-like boxes, each containing props and memories. The tempo accelerates, and the sound level increases, as a way to share his personal history and discuss his grandparents’ losing their ability to remember. This segment was too chaotic and less satisfying as he went through memories and nostalgia.

Throughout the performance, he amazed us with his ability to guess information in the sealed envelopes or select the correct cassette tape or slide  – each trick was well executed, leaving us and the audience participants in awe.

Full Disclosure

Up front, DePonto clarifies that there are no plants (actors in the audience) and that he doesn’t have an earpiece feeding him information. He tells us that he is a performer, an illusionist. His low-key confidence amplified our sense of wonder. We would have liked to have seen what the audience participants had written on their cards, but instead trusted DePonto and the participants’ reactions. We never doubted his credibility and waited to see what was next.

DePonto’s performance celebrates the power of the mind and creates a human connection, like when he materializes in the middle of the audience, leading the applause.  A collective smile spread through the audience. This was a simple but powerful illusion.

For those who want to avoid being called on, just don’t put an envelope in the fishbowl or catch a balloon.  Mindplay provides family-friendly entertainment (recommended for ages 13 and up).

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Two Sues on the Aisle bases its ratings on how many challahs (1-5) it pays to buy (rather than make) to see the play, show, film, book, or exhibit being reviewed.

MINDPLAY received 3 Challahs