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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
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