Over the course of 90 minutes, DelGaudio flits between stage trickery and alluring autobiographical asides: He discusses the lure of the card-shark life, fiddles with a bottle that suggests a history of addiction, and recounts his childhood discovery that his mother was gay. To some extent, that’s the conceit driving the show: As DelGaudio recounts the story of a roulette player with impeccable luck, he dubs himself the “Roulettista,” a man fated to take risks until they catch up with him, and the unusually metaphor gradually expands to encompass the ineffable qualities of life itself.
‘Book Club: The Next Chapter’ Review: You’re Going to Need a Lot of Wine to Enjoy This Sloppy SequelĭelGaudio’s an inviting storyteller from the start, even as he seems a touch coy about what he’s really doing there: He strikes a folksy, inviting tone as he wanders the spare set, occasionally speaking directly to the audience but sometimes drifting into his own cloudy memories. By inviting his audience into a meaningful process of self-discovery that stems from his own upbringing, “In & Of Itself” suggests a lyrical alternative to Tony Robbins-style rabble-rousing with an autobiographical twist that grows more sophisticated and awe-inspiring as it moves along.
All along, however, DelGaudio transforms the usual shock-and-awe routine into a powerful meditation on existential yearning and his own bumpy quest for meaning in life. Make no mistake: DelGaudio’s remarkable one-man show, which enjoyed a lengthy Off-Broadway run between 20, has ample card tricks, optical illusions, and even one extraordinary teleportation bit. Self-described “storyteller and conceptual magician” Derek DelGaudio’s beguiling show “Derek DelGaudio’s In & Of Itself,” now preserved in a mystical and poignant feature directed by Frank Oz, rejects such dime store wizardry in favor of a soulful approach that redefines the form from the inside out. Editor’s note: This review was originally published at the 2020 SXSW Film Festival, where the film was titled “In & Of Itself.” Hulu will start streaming the film on Friday, January 22.Ī lot of magic shows aim for immediate shock and awe, stunning audiences with sleight of hand so seamless, it’s practically a rollercoaster for the eyeballs: The gimmick is a means to the end, rabbit comes out of the hat, everybody goes home happy.
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