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The following article is reprinted from a Spring, 1997 issue of the Eagle-Tribune, a major Boston-area newspaper.
Entertainment
MIND OVER BODY
Erotic Hypnotic shows selling out in Andover
National acts Richard Anthony and Genie Trefz—The Erotic Hypnotics—keep volunteers in a trance and the audience in stitches each Saturday night at Grill 93 in Andover
By Steve Whipple
Eagle-Tribune Writer
The 20 men and women seated in black padded chairs gaze unblinkingly at the strobe light on the ceiling as hypnotist Richard Anthony gradually draws the volunteers into a deep hypnotic trance.
The "panel" is instructed to take deep breaths, hold them, then relax. Soft music envelopes the sold-out crowd of nearly 350 at the Grill 93 in Andover as Mr. Anthony slowly counts backwards from 10, all the while reminding the 20 how very sleepy they are.
And in approximately seven minutes, reality is altered for 16 of the 20 people. Mr. Anthony and Ms. Trefz politely thank the other four for trying and send them back to their seats. (Most, but not all, people can be hypnotized.)
However, the 16 people in semi-slumber with their chins upon their chests are under the control of Richard Anthony and Genie Trefz—the Erotic Hypnotics who have sold out the place for 11 of the past 13 weeks.
It's show time.
For the next 90 minutes these people will respond undpredictably to a wide range of situations. Some too racey for print. Others that border on madcap.
"The best thing about these shows is that people do the wackiest things," chuckles Mr. Anthony. "A couple of weeks ago when Genie said, 'Sexy outfit,' all the guys would get hot buns and they would have to cool them off—and the ladies have to help! One girl grabbed a pitcher of water off the table and dumped it on the guy's rear."
Tonight there will be no relief pitchers, but plenty of other fascinating scenarios.
The show is advertised as R-rated, but there is no nudity, and could get away with a PG-13 rating.
When Mr. Anthony's verbal command indicates that the air is frigid, the entranced participants shiver and huddle. When he suddenly declares that it is brutally hot, the same people fan themselves, and mop their brows. One deeply hypnotized man unbuttons his shirt to the waist.
Other situations presented to the cast of hypnotized include:
Suddenly feeling quite lustful
Being in kindergarten, complete with young children's toys
Being a rebellious, partygoing teenager in high school
;Being pregnant (men only)
Being the male or female contender for Playmate of the Year. The talent competition includes dancing that would never be mistaken for the waltz.
Being the spokesperson for the planet Remulon who must explain (in the Remolan language) the housing situation, then demonstrate their unique mating rituals.
One participant from Derry, N.H., named Christine is so entranced that she curls up to sleep on the gentelman to her right; then slinks to the floor to catch a few z's; carries on conversations with no one in particular; believes a stuffed dog is real; and is convinced her fiancee, Matt, is having an affair.
As the show winds down, the hypnotics present final situations to the panel before sending them to their seats (while still in a trance).
One woman believes she is Sharon Stone and even signs an autograph accordingly. The woman from Remulon bops a man in the audience over the head with a microphone after Mr. Anthony tells her the man has been leering at her all night.
Two women perform as Madonna, but one is an impersonator. One man is howling at the moon, while elsewhere in the crowd a fellow is shouting, "Beam me up, Scottie!"
Christine, who had stolen the show earlier, is strangely quiet.
We soon discover why. Per suggestion of Mr. Richard, she has slapped a lip-lock on Matt that won't be broken until she is drawn out of the hypnosis.
And Matt is in no hurry for that.
IF YOU GO:
What: The Erotic Hypnotics
When:
Saturdays at 10:30 p.m.
Where: Grill 93, River Road,
Andover
Price: $10 (includes stand-up comic)
About the hypnotists
You can't hypnotize someone who doesn't want to be hypnotized.
So says Richard Anthony shortly before he and his assistant/fiancee Genie Trefz dismiss four people from the stage who would or could not be hypnotized.
;"Hypnosis is all about being able to relax and focus. Anyone can be hypnotized, unless he has an IQ of less than 47," said Miss Trefz.
;Miss Trefz, 44, has been Richard's sidekick for two years. The two hypnotists, who met at a Star Trek convention, are engaged and live together in Hampton, N.H.
;"There's really no school for hypnosis," says Miss Trefz. "I took psychology in college and that's my basis. We're as equally surprised (as the audience) at what people will say or do. Richard has literally been on the floor laughing at something someone did."
Mr. Anthony, 49, has been hypnotizing people for 26 years. He was a guest of Johnny Carson, and performed the first televised pre-birth regression. He also taught hypnosis to pre-med students at UCLA and sold out 27 weeks at the now defunct Playboy Club.
While living on the West Coast, he was called in by police to assist in a rape case in which the woman could not remember her assailant. After being hypnotized by Mr. Anthony, the woman was able to provide a description, which led to the arrest of the rapist.
Billed as the "Erotic Hypnotics," the duo can hypnotize more than a dozen people simultaneously by dimming the lights, asking them to concentrate on an object or to close their eyes, and then allowing relaxation to flow from their feet to their legs, into the back and upwards into their entire body as Mr. Anthony counts backwards from 10.
Once in the deeply relaxed state, people act differently than they normally do to cues provided by the two of them.
"We set up a situation and let people respond to them. The responses are different every week."
The show is advertised as R-rated, but there is no nudity, and could get away with a PG-13 rating.
At the end of the show Mr. Anthony slowly brings the participants out of the hypnosis by telling them that upon hearing a cue they will be back to normal.
Insomniacs take notice: Mr. Anthony says one hour of hypnosis is the equivalent of eight hours of sleep. And the audience could use an hour to rest up from the 90 minutes of hilarity.
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