Max Maven assistiu, pela 3ª vez, a NOTHING TO HIDE e deixou no Twitter a sua opinião, a qual, seguidamente, se reproduz.
quinta-feira, 28 de março de 2013
quinta-feira, 21 de março de 2013
NOTHING TO HIDE - Comentário de Tina Lenert
segunda-feira, 18 de março de 2013
Helder Guimarães na NOTÍCIAS MAGAZINE
A revista NOTÍCIAS MAGAZINE #1086 (incluída nas edições do Jornal de Notícias e do Diário de Notícias de 17 de Março de 2013) incluiu uma reportagem de duas páginas sobre Helder Guimarães intitulada A DAR CARTAS EM HOLLYWOOD. Tal peça jornalística pode ser lida em http://www.dn.pt/revistas/nm/interior.aspx?content_id=3113222.
Seguidamente transcrevo, com a devida vénia, o respectivo conteúdo.
Seguidamente transcrevo, com a devida vénia, o respectivo conteúdo.
A dar
cartas em Hollywood
por Rui Pedro Tendinha
Fotografia de Brad Fulton
No ano passado,
Hélder Guimarães venceu em Los Angeles o título de «Mágico de Salão do Ano».
Agora está novamente nomeado. Em menos de um ano, o jovem portuense conquistou
a América, mas por cá poucos sabem. O seu espetáculo, Nothing to Hide, em que
mistura comédia e magia, esgota constantemente a Geffen Playhouse, em
Hollywood, e pode ser visto até ao próximo sábado. O público rende-se. E as
celebridades de Hollywood também.
Há coincidências
difíceis de explicar. Ou se calhar é magia. No dia em que a Notícias
Magazine está em Los Angeles para ver o espetáculo Nothing to Hide ,
no prestigiado Geffen Playhouse, um ilustre membro da realeza do cinema
americano está esfuziante com o que acabou de ver e quer cumprimentar os
artistas. Steve Martin, comediante, músico e dramaturgo, tem um fraquinho por
ilusionismo. Também na fila para o beija-mão estão Benedita Pereira e Leonor
Seixas, atrizes portuguesas a residir em Los Angeles. Tudo por causa de Hélder
Guimarães, o ilusionista português que partilha o palco com Derek Delgaudio.
O espetáculo, que
alia truques de cartas e interatividade hilariante com o público, nasceu de um
número de magia no Magic Castle, o templo da magia em Hollywood, uma espécie de
loucura mediática em Los Angeles. A brilhante encenação de Neil Patrick Harris
- o mítico ator da série O Menino Doutor , que entretanto cresceu e
agora encanta várias gerações em Foi Assim Que Aconteceu ( How I Met
Your Mother ) - também ajuda. Casas esgotadas, crítica de imprensa
tremendamente positiva («Derek e Hélder conseguem elevar a magia a um patamar
de arte», lia-se na LA Weekly ) e celebridades loucas com os truques de
Guimarães, desde Ryan Gosling a Eva Mendes, passando por Maria Sharapova ou
mesmo Barbra Streisand. Todos querem ver ao vivo aquela hora e meia de magia
encenada com muito humor, onde Hélder faz de Hélder, ou seja, uma persona
de si próprio que brinca com orgulho com as origens portuguesas.
Com um cenário
discreto, a peça, a performance ou o show , o que quer que seja,
vive de um diálogo entre os dois mágicos que passam grande parte do tempo a
apresentar os maiores truques de cartas alguma vez vistos ao vivo e a
meterem-se com o público. «Mais importante do que enganar o público, para mim,
tudo passa por transmitir emoções e trocar ideias. Sendo completamente honesto,
o meu interesse em enganar as pessoas que estão na sala está na mensagem que
estou a transmitir. Uma mensagem que tem de ser mais forte do que o engano. O
próprio espetáculo fala disso. Não há nada a esconder, conforme o título...»
Por isso não se aborrece quando alguém lhe diz, no final, que percebeu como o
truque foi feito. «O único problema é se perdem o objetivo do espetáculo.»
Apesar de ter
apenas 30 anos, este emigrante de sucesso já se sente veterano. Desde os 4 anos
que explora o mundo da ilusão, ao lado do pai, engenheiro eletrotécnico que
fazia magia como hobby . Corre a lenda, entre a comunidade americana de
mágicos, que algumas habilidades de Hélder com um baralho são únicas. «Tem tudo
que ver com prática. Desde os 12 anos que estou sempre com um baralho de
cartas. Ao estudar, quando era miúdo, estava sempre com as cartas na mão.» E
põe a mão no bolso para tirar um baralho. Com 23 anos, venceu o prémio World
Champion Card Magic (as olimpíadas da magia) e agora está no trono da magia
internacional. E no ano passado a Academia de Artes Mágicas de Hollywood
considerou-o o «Mágico de Salão do Ano», título que pode renovar já em abril.
«Está tudo a acontecer porque acreditam no meu trabalho», diz no final do
espetáculo, com um sotaque tripeiro que faz questão de não disfarçar. «Claro
que ser tudo em menos de um ano é surreal! Estava no momento certo com o
trabalho certo. Trabalhei muitos anos para isto... Neste momento, com tanta
visibilidade, começamos a ter contacto com outras áreas. Estamos a ver como
vamos lidar com isso.»
Inevitavelmente, o facto
de estar em Hollywood leva-o a pensar em voos mais altos, como o cinema ou um
formato televisivo. Para já, juntamente com a namorada portuguesa, quer apenas
continuar a desfrutar do sol de Los Angeles e continuar a beber um copo de
vinho no camarim com Steve Martin. Isto apesar de o espetáculo - cuja temporada
termina no próximo sábado - seguir depois para a Broadway, em Nova Iorque.
sexta-feira, 15 de março de 2013
NOTHING TO HIDE - Um dos melhores espectáculos de magia de todos os tempos
"NOTHING TO HIDE é um dos melhores espectáculos de magia de todos dos tempos" é o título da crónica que pode ser lida em http://www.hollywoodsoapbox.com/?p=10624.
Seguidamente se transcreve, com a devida vénia, o respectivo conteúdo.
Seguidamente se transcreve, com a devida vénia, o respectivo conteúdo.
LAST
CHANCE: ‘Nothing to Hide’ is one of the best magic shows of all time
LOS ANGELES — When Derek DelGaudio and Helder Guimarães looked me straight in the
eye, I couldn’t help but get nervous. They offered me the chance to choose a
card, any card — a proposition that’s fairly typical for magic acts. With a
theater full of people looking at my careful choice, I hesitated for a split
second, mostly out of fear that this was going to lead to some annoying
audience-participation bit.
But
this was different. The two magicians, who are finishing up an extended,
sold-out run of their hit show Nothing to Hide, didn’t want a
typical “magic” moment. You know, the ones where the performer asks the crowd
to “give it up” for the nervous audience member. We know that routine all so
well: “What’s your name?” “Where are you from?” Then, a couple more jokes
later, presto!
No,
DelGaudio and Guimarães were after something deeper. My careful selection of
that playing card was an affirmation of my decision to enter this mysterious
fray. They offered me the chance to choose any card, and they even allowed me
to change my mind. It doesn’t take a conjurer to predict that the two
performers were able to summon my chosen card with ease. The final reveal
elicited well-earned “oohs” and “aahs,” and the obligatory round of applause.
Most
magic shows would move on to the next act, but DelGaudio and Guimarães did the
entire scene over again. I chose another card, once again had the option of
changing my mind, and then another final revelation: The card from the earlier
“trick,” seemingly untouched under an empty glass, had somehow morphed into the
card from the second “trick.” The performers had blown my already-blown mind,
and Nothing to Hide was only a few moments into its 65-minute
duration.
The
show, which began at The Magic Castle in Hollywood, is one of the only examples
of a new method of magic appreciation and application. Call it existential
magic — a theatrical art form that welcomes self-reflection. Perhaps it’s best
described as an event somewhere in that hazy area between Penn & Teller and
Ricky Jay.
The
show winds its way through a framework of sleight-of-hand tricks that give
complete control to the audience (or so we’re meant to believe). DelGaudio and
Guimarães want to make sure that their revelations are rightfully shocking.
They up the ante (or “raise the bar,” as Guimarães says) to make sure we are
satisfied with our choices. They work in collective decision-making, randomness
and the ability to modify.
They’ll
go to one audience member and ask a question. But then they’ll debate whether
that’s “good enough.” Perhaps the person is a plant. Perhaps this solitary
example will fail to impress. So they look around the theater and start asking
questions to everyone. At one point, a trick involves more than a dozen people
— all simultaneously wowed by the results.
As Nothing
to Hide progresses, one gets the feeling of resurrection, a phoenix rising
from the ashes of an industry in need of some adrenaline. The two performers
know of the jaded perception that magic holds in the world (they reference it
in the show). For DelGaudio and Guimarães to divert from the well-worn
path is welcoming, but for them to consciously bring us through the thought
process on why they’ve veered so far off course is revelatory.
The
show earns laughs and smiles, and that’s chiefly because of the banter between
the two performers. At times they compete with each other (the opening chess
match is superbly crafted), and other times they play off each other’s cultural
differences (Guimarães is a native of Portugal). They seem brought together
less out of comfort and compatibility, and more out of shared interests. Each
performer retains his uniqueness: DelGaudio perhaps a little more reserved;
Guimarães perhaps a little more open.
Directed
by Neil Patrick Harris, Nothing to Hide will conclude its run at
the Geffen Playhouse’s intimate Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater on March 31 (the
theater is not quite intimate enough; they’ll need an extremely small venue in
New York City to strike lightning twice). The staging is simple and effective.
A square table, a backdrop of cards stuck in glass bottles, a few props on the
side, a rope hanging down seemingly ready to toll a distant bell — that’s it.
It’s up to the performers to fill in the blanks, to populate the stage. The
fact that they achieve their lofty goals is something to cherish. The fact that
they do so without compromising their dedication to their individuality is
astonishing.
With
thoughts of how they chose my card two times in a row, I continued to let Nothing
to Hide weave its way into my brain long after the final blackout. I’m
unable to shake that experience. It can’t be classified as magical; it’s far
too realistic, scarily realistic.
By John
Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
segunda-feira, 11 de março de 2013
NOTHING TO HIDE - Tweet de Chris Kenner
Chris Kenner (que é "apenas" Produtor Executivo e Consultor Mágico de David Copperfield...) assistiu a NOTHING TO HIDE e deixou a sua opinião no seguinte tweet:
NOTHING TO HIDE - Tweet de Daniela Ruah
A actriz portuguesa Daniel Ruah (que reside, actualmente, em Los Angeles) foi assistir a NOTHING TO HIDE e manifestou a sua opinião através do seguinte tweet:
quarta-feira, 6 de março de 2013
NOTHING TO HIDE - O último prolongamento da temporada
A temporada em cena de NOTHING TO
HIDE no GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE foi, novamente,
prolongada (até 31 de Março de 2013).
Este é último prolongamento da temporada
de NOTHING TO HIDE devido a compromissos da sala com outra produção. Os
recordes de bilheteira obtidos para aquela sala intimista do GEFFEN
PLAYHOUSE são dignos de realce!
Tal informação pode ser lida em http://losangeles.broadwayworld.com/article/NOTHING-TO-HIDE-Closes-331-in-Los-Angeles-20130305#
Seguidamente se reproduz, com a devida vénia, o respectivo conteúdo.
After breaking box office
records for single highest sales day ($34,348) and highest weekly box office
gross (over $91,000) in the the history of the intimate Audrey Skirball Kenis
Theater, Nothing to Hide featuring Derek DelGaudio (2011 Close-Up
Magician of the Year) and Helder Guimarães (2011 Parlour Magician of the Year)
and directed by Neil Patrick Harris, must close on March 31,
2013 after four months of sell-out performances. The production must close due
to the Geffen's scheduled run of Neil
LaBute's highly anticipated world premiere adaptation of August Strindberg's Miss Julie which
begins previews in the Audrey on April 23, 2013.
The sleight-of-hand
performance earned acclaim from every major critical outlet including The
New York Times, Los Angeles Times and Variety. Nothing to
Hide will have tripled its originally announced run, marks the fifth
production in the Audrey to extend since 2009 and comes on the heels of three
extended productions last year alone.
"We had our first
public performance only a few days after Thanksgiving last year," recalls
DelGaudio, "and Helder and I are grateful to have had the opportunity to
work together for four months in the beautifully intimate Audrey Skirball Kenis
Theater."
Artistic Director Randall
Arney commented, "What a thrill it is to see audiences respond
to Nothing to Hide with as much excitement as we do. Neil, Derek and
Helder, all amazing talents, have collaborated to create a unique, artful and
mind-blowing evening that theater-goers will be talking about for a long time.
We love these guys."
Performances of Nothing
to Hide continue through March 31 only; audiences are encouraged to book
early as performances are expected to sell-out quickly now that the final
closing date has been announced.
sábado, 2 de março de 2013
Helder Guimarães nomeado para Prémio AMA (Magic Castle)
Pelo segundo ano consecutivo, Helder Guimarães
está entre os nomeados para PARLOUR MAGICIAN OF THE YEAR!!! Esta
nomeação é, por si só, uma grande honra. Seguidamente reproduzo a lista dos
nomeados nas diversas categorias.
CLOSE
UP
Derek DelGaudio
Andrew Goldenhersh
Bill Goodwin
Armando Lucero
David Regal
PARLOUR
Chris Capehart
Michael Carbonaro
Helder Guimaraes
Derek Hughes
Phil Van Tee
STAGE
Mike Caveney
Pop Haydn
Chipper Lowell
Shoot Ogawa
Rob Zabrecky
LECTURE
Harry Anderson
Rafael Benatar
John Carney
Joe Monti
Shoot
Ogawa
Entrevista a Derek DelGaudio e Helder Guimarães no Huffingtonpost
Em http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/28/derek-delgaudio-helder-guimaraes-nothing-to-hide_n_2736949.html pode ler-se mais uma entrevista aos protagonistas de NOTHING TO HIDE. Seguidamente reproduzo, com a devida vénia, o conteúdo de tal entrevista, realizada por Sasha Bronner.
Derek
DelGaudio & Helder Guimarães, 'Nothing To Hide' Stars, Take Over The
City: My LA (PHOTOS)
Many
Angelenos would call LA a magical city, but the actual culture of magic has a
ravenous fan base in the city of Angels. Derek DelGaudio and Helder Guimarães'
two-man show at the Geffen Playhouse, "Nothing To Hide," illustrates
this point to a tee. Directed by Neil Patrick Harris, the show has taken the
city by storm, selling out night after night and receiving an extra 9-week
extension.
DelGaudio,
28, was born in Huntington Beach, Calif. but grew up in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Guimarães, 30, sports a fantastic accent from his hometown of Porto, Portugal.
They are both magicians at the height of their careers, performing top shows at
LA's Magic Castle and other venues all around the world. Neil Patrick Harris
saw the two perform together at the Castle (he's te President of the Board) and
immediately reached out to get them to do a show at the Geffen Playhouse. Turns
out he has quite an eye for talent -- the show has received rave reviews from
practically every news outlet and some patrons are even returning to experience
the show for a second time.
Many
of us at The Huffington Post have now seen the show and HuffPost LA wanted to
make sure we grabbed these two before they slipped through our fingers -- or
worse -- vanished entirely.
The Huffington Post: I saw "Nothing To Hide" and jokingly
titled my review of it "I Don't Like
Magic." What do you think are some of the biggest stereotypes
about magic that keep some people from engaging in it?
Derek DelGaudio: I am never surprised when I
hear someone say, “I don’t like magic.” However, I have come to realize, in
most cases, what they actually mean is, “I don’t like magicians.” Magic suffers
from its practitioners. If someone doesn’t like magic, it almost certainly
stems from seeing a bad magician, which there are plenty.
Helder Guimarães: I think most people think
magic is cheesy or antiquated. It is very difficult to convince them to abandon
the misconception that magic is about fooling them. When someone goes to a
magic show to find how the magician does what he does, they are missing the
point of being in the room.
Tell me about each of your first experiences at The Magic Castle.
DelGaudio: I was 15 years old. I sat out front
while my older friends went in and hung out. After a few hours, they came out
and gave me a bowl of chili. Then they went back in and I waited some more.
Guimarães: I was invited to perform there in
2007. As a kid, back in Portugal, I was always thinking about one day being
able to perform there so I was thrilled when I received the invitation. Since
that moment, the Castle as always been a special place for me.
What were you both like as children?
DelGaudio: Shy, but outspoken. Friends with many,
but didn’t belong to a particular group. A daydreamer and a chronic
underachiever.
Guimarães: As a child, I wasn't a child at all. I
started doing magic when I was four and that says it all. I was shy and always
felt more comfortable on the stage. At one point in my childhood I wanted to be
a dentist, but after age eleven, I've always wanted to be a magician.
The moment you knew you wanted to be a magician?
DelGaudio: The moment I learned “magician” has
more than one meaning.
Guimarães: I don't remember myself not being a
magician. The moment I realized I wanted to only do magic was when I was eleven
years old and saw Juan Tamariz, still today my favorite magician, perform live.
He did an hour show with just a deck of cards and that for me was the purest
experience of magic I've ever felt.
What was toughest about working on a two-man show?
DelGaudio: The biggest challenge with
collaborating like we have is finding the balance between two artistic visions.
Ironically, this balance is often what makes the work better.
Guimarães: It's always a challenge to work with
someone else, even if the goals are similar, because it's always a compromise
between two visions. I would say that we both believe in magic, but in
different ways.
I personally
believe in it as a concept that can be seen and experienced in very different
ways but, as a craft, I like magic to be the combination of an intellectual
deception and an emotional deception joined to create a unique moment.
Tell us about your daily lives. What is your creative process? Give us a
crash course on the life of a magician. When do you get your best ideas?
DelGaudio: My days basically consist of a nonstop
series of questions I ask myself, followed by my failed attempts to answer those
questions. Occasionally (mostly late at night), I’ll answer half of one part of
one question. Those days are the very good days.
Guimarães: There is no crash course to be a
magician. Each one is different and everyone has probably a different method. I
like to read, listen to talks in a variety of subjects that appeal to me and
see movies and live shows. I like philosophy and try to make sure that all the
projects I embrace have meaning and make up a part of who I am.
What music do you put on to get pumped up before a show?
DelGaudio: I didn’t know that was a thing. I will
try that.
Guimarães: I wouldn't say "pumped" is
the word, and I rarely listen to music before I go on stage. I actually prefer
a few minutes of silence. But my favorite bands are Radiohead and a Portuguese
band called Ornatos Violeta, and a project called Foge Foge Bandido.
Favorite meal at an LA restaurant?
DelGaudio: Kazu Sushi.
Guimarães: I have not been here time enough to
make that call. Too much pressure.
Do you have a key to the Magic Castle? Is it like summer camp? Do you
all hang out and have late night dinners there with goblets of wine?
DelGaudio: I think you’re thinking of Medieval
Times.
Guimarães: I don't have the key because I lost
it. Damn it!
What are some of the most important qualities a magician can possess?
DelGaudio: The best magicians I know are
passionately, relentlessly, shamefully, desperately, brutally honest.
Guimarães: Knowledge, commitment and learning how
to listen to others including fellow magicians, other performing artists and
audiences.
Magic has a very strong community in Los Angeles. Why do you think that
is? Where is your number one favorite place in the world to perform?
DelGaudio: The Castle certainly has a lot to do
with that, but LA is pretty great, so it’s not surprising there is a sea of
talent here. The Geffen is my favorite place to perform, as of now.
Guimarães: I think the Castle has a lot to do
with that gathering of people interested in magic. I love to perform in the
United States, Spain, Argentina and Japan. Very different audiences from each,
but very fun ones overall. But if I had to pick a favorite place, it would
still be the place I started performing regularity in. It's called Tertúlia
Castelense, near my hometown Porto.
Do you have significant others, and if so, are you always playing tricks
on them?
DelGaudio: Yes. No.
Guimarães: I do, but we leave magic out of the
equation for most of the time.
"Nothing To Hide" has been extended for nine extra weeks. Do
you have any theories about why this show has been so wildly popular? People
are flocking to it!
DelGaudio: I think it’s very simple: People love
magic, deeply. This show reminds them.
Guimarães: I believe that when people see real
magic they really like it. It's an experience that differs from any other thing
you can see and experience. I think that's the feeling people get after seeing
our show.
We've heard that celebrities like Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes were seen
trying to get a spot at the 50-seat theater for your joint show at The Magic
Castle. Who makes you star-struck in LA?
DelGaudio: Hmm … I’m not sure I would be
“star-struck” as much there are folks I’d love to sit down and chat with. Steve
Martin. Artist Chris Burden. JJ Abrams. Quentin Tarantino. Louis C.K.
Guimarães: We had a common friend call them and
say, "You have to see this or we are not friends anymore!" They came
and they loved it. When you like magic, you like magic. Doesn't matter if you
are famous or not. Maria Sharapova came to see our show and at the end asked us
to take a picture with her. It sounds ridiculous but, if you think about it,
it's not.
There is such a sense of wonder in your show -– I'm sure you hear it
every day, but I just could not believe my eyes. What brings out that sense of
wonder in you?
DelGaudio: Good art often blows me away. A great
live show can really do it for me. "Absinthe" in Vegas kicked my ass.
Also, "The Book of Mormon" rocked my world.
Guimarães: Absolutely. There are so many great
things about the world we live in that is a shame that they are so covered in
bullshit and uninteresting content. But now, in an era where information
circulates at the speed of light, we can search for the information we are
interested in and enjoy it.
Let’s just say it: you are considered two of the world's most gifted
sleight-of-hand artists. When did you know you had made it?
DelGaudio: “Made it?” Not even close. Hell, I’m
just getting warmed up.
Guimarães: I think of my life as a process,
that's still in the middle. So, I would answer those questions in the future.
What is next for both of you?
DelGaudio: “Nothing to Hide” will most likely be
going to New York and I have a few projects I am very excited to begin.
Guimarães: Life.
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