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Flip Orley

Performances through Sunday

The Pittsburgh Improv

(412) 462-5233

A man in a… Flip Orley

Performances through Sunday

The Pittsburgh Improv

(412) 462-5233

A man in a turban stands before a line of people, their mouths agape. He waves an antique pocketwatch in front of their faces until they all begin to flap their arms and cluck like chickens.

If this is your idea of a hypnotist, then perhaps it is time that you met Flip Orley.

Orley has performed across the nation in front of live audiences and appeared as a guest on shows such as “The Today Show,” “Ricki Lake” and “Maury Povich.” Blending comedy with hypnotism, Orley puts on a one-man show that is never the same twice.

“Every show is different,” Orley said. “With stand-up you know the show is the same from day-to-day but [with hypnotism] each night you get a new group of people volunteering.” Because of that, you never know what to expect at a Flip Orley show.

Even though each show is different, one thing you can be sure you won’t find at the show is anyone traipsing about the stage like a puppet under the Orley’s command. He doesn’t believe in embarrassing or humiliating his audience and only hypnotizes people who volunteer and truly want to do it.

“I think you can have fun without being mean,” Orley said. “If you are going to [volunteer to] get up on stage, why would I embarrass you?”

Of course, whether or not it makes them laugh, some people refuse to believe in hypnotism.

When asked about people who don’t believe, Orley responded, “I used to fight with them [and] tried to show them my point, but now I think if you can watch a two-hour show and still walk away [thinking hypnotism is fake] there isn’t much more I can do?” It isn’t likely, though, that any of Orley’s volunteers are too skeptical after the show, as Orley said, “They remember everything.”

The key is that Orley works with his volunteers, rather than having them work for him, letting them realize what they can do themselves. When scouting volunteers, Orley looks for “someone who is cooperative, someone who is opinionated, someone who is creative, [and] anyone who can just get up and volunteer.”

Orley said he originally thought of combining his comedic talents with his skills at hypnosis after an old roommate suggested it. “I just thought this was something I could do,” he said.

But Orley isn’t just a comedian who has picked up a few tricks by reading a book or two on hypnosis to spice up his act. He studied clinical psychology at the University of Arizona and has used his skills both off-stage and on to help people coping with stress, compulsive disorders and troubled relationships. He has even assisted anesthesia allergic patients through surgery, allowing them to undergo the procedure without any pain.

This weekend, Flip Orley will be mesmerizing the audience at the Pittsburgh Improv if anyone is looking for a chance to get up and see what spark of creativity they have hidden in the back of their brain. Don’t worry – you won’t be turned into a chicken … unless you want to be.