Kevin Lepine returns to Comedy Castle

EASTPOINTE/ROYAL OAK — Kevin Lepine is returning to his roots for one night only.

The talented comedian and magician is bringing his “Hypnosis Unleashed — The Vegas Hypnosis Show” to Mark Ridley’s Comedy Castle at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 18. The Comedy Castle is located at 310 S. Troy St. in Royal Oak.

Tickets cost $20 each, and the show is for ages 18 and older. Tickets are available at www.ComedyCastle.com. A portion of the proceeds from merchandise sales will benefit The Make-A-Wish Foundation. Comedian Kate Brindle will open the show.

“It’s been so long since I’ve been in Detroit,” said Lepine, who grew up in Dearborn and East Detroit, now Eastpointe. He is a 1993 graduate of East Detroit High School. He also lived in Warren, Ferndale, Hamtramck and New Orleans. He performed at the Comedy Castle when he was starting out.

Lepine performs  “Hypnosis Unleashed — The Vegas Hypnosis Show” regularly under the bright lights of Las Vegas at the Four Queens Hotel and Casino on Fremont Street.

“It’s amazing. It’s always evolving,” the entertainer said. “Comedy changes every five years. You always have to look at your audience.”

“He’s very animated and does a great job,” Comedy Castle General Manager Mary Coyle said. “He’s very high energy, and it’s very comedic.”

During the show, Lepine will take volunteers from the audience, bring them up onstage and put them under hypnosis. Lepine’s wife, Emily Lepine, performs alongside her husband in the show.

“She does all the hard work and makes sure all is safe. It’s fast-paced. I want the audience to feel good and have a good time up there. We make sure everyone is comfortable,” Lepine said. “You get to see people cutting loose. Some people want to have the experience. It’s all done in the spirit of fun.”

In one part of the act, Lepine makes napkins look like dollar bills to his onstage guests.

“It’s always funny to be grabbing those,” he said.

Another highlight is “turning big guys into showgirls or dancing like Britney Spears.”

“You’ve got so many different personalities up there. You get so many different things,” Lepine said. “One of my favorite moments onstage is when you have spouses interact in a loving way. When you’ve been together 20, 30 years, people think you hate each other, but you’re still going strong.”

Lepine has been performing since he was a kid. He performed in many school plays when at East Detroit High School. During his junior year, Lepine said he got to perform his favorite book and play.

“I got to be Ponyboy in ‘The Outsiders,’” he said. “That opportunity was just amazing.”

During the school’s production of “Fame,” Lepine was the student director, and he learned that “I never want to direct.”

In Las Vegas, he lives off the Vegas strip, where the temperatures sometimes reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit. He is always inspired by the scene.

“There are so many comics and performers I have always loved,” he said.

In Las Vegas, Lepine “has performed for people from all over the world. We’ve had people from every continent. I consider it a gift.”

Lepine began donating to the Make-A-Wish Foundation years ago after he and a friend dressed up as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and visited a child at a local hospital. The young boy perked up when the turtles arrived, which left an impression on Lepine.

“You can’t beat human capital,” he said. “The fact I can donate is an honor.”