Derek DelGaudio's In & of Itself

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Henry D @Henry_Domke Jul 11 This is an odd duck, a conceptual stage show built around magic and questions of identity. We gave it 30 minutes, but just couldn’t get into it, so we quit. See more Yoosik Ethan O @RT21117456 Mar 9 The best kind of magic, I’ve always learned, comes with a story. He certainly does that throughout. I just felt the presentation was long and quiet, with the magic few and far in between. At times he seemed distracted with awkward pauses. It got better at the end with the final routine. Maybe there’s something I’m missing, but it didn’t quite connect with me. It’s not a bad show, it had its moments. I may watch it again just to take it all in and reconsider my rating. See more Jonathan K @aFIREintheattic 01/11/2025 I feel super conflicted about this one. Because on one hand, what was that? What just happened? The magic is absolutely nuts. I feel so mystified. But on the other hand, one can think of quite practical ways to accomplish these things via a lot of prep work and producers/behind-the-scenes people giving Derek a cheatsheet. The narrative structure and tone were also all over the place; sometimes it felt like it was trying to be funny, other times it seemed dead serious. I honestly couldn't tell if he was trying to be funny -- though I think sadly he was but the audience didn't pick up on it, which is in and of itself kind of funny -- or if was trying to be oh so poignant. Maybe a mix but it comes off as kind of insincere and manipulative. Which, I suppose the whole thing is about manipulation if you take a cynical view of it. He's manipulating people's emotions and experiences. Which is that magic? Maybe so. That said, the ending... even though he's probably "cheating", it's so poignant and touching. Suspending disbelief for just a minute and it's clear to see that there's some real humanity in there. I think most of my complaints about this revolve not around the likely practical techniques used to make magic seem magical, but that I don't think he is very likeable in whatever persona he's putting on for this. He seems to think it’s some super philosophical masterpiece, but honestly? It feels more like a disjointed collage of ideas. Still, I can’t help but be impressed by the trickery and how strong it finishes, even if does feel a little... icky. See more ebwillow T @RT28520722 01/09/2025 Seriously people? Desperately lonely folks out there. You matter, you are more than your label and sorry you needed some cringey magician/mentalist to communicate that to you over 90 minutes of drawn out tricks (although impressive-more that please) and a boring, forced performance. Hugs See more Kyle C @RT22511181 07/24/2024 I don't know how you could watch this and not be moved, it is unlike anything I have seen before. The start felt a little slow as i was trying to figure out what i was watching, but once it picks up a little...I still have no idea exactly what i saw. But it was truly wonderful and unique and powerful. I would have loved to see the performance live but i feel lucky to have seen it at all. See more Suzy G @RT55845360 09/04/2023 Watched it twice, long enough in between to forget the specifics. Moved me to tears both times. The kind of movie I wish to tell everyone about so that we can talk about it. It's different, it's moving, and it's so powerful to me that I had to remind myself of how many times he performed it. The emotion comes off as so real, though I can't understand how it could be. But maybe that's his true gift. To move the first person and the thousandth person into a melancholy like emotion, to make each person feel special equally. And maybe that's the greatest gift of all. See more Read all reviews

Derek DelGaudio's In & of Itself

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