In & Of Itself
Written and Performed by Derek Delgaudio
Directed by Frank Oz
Daryl Roth Theatre
June 11, 2017
Production website
💉💉💉 out of 5.

Who doesn’t like a magic show?  I love magic shows.  I have never considered them legitimate theatre but I was open to the idea.  From the moment I walked into the theatre, I knew this was going to be an  entirely new experience in the theatre.  In the lobby, we were presented with a huge peg board that was titled, “I Am . . .”  There were hundreds of options.  Some were fun: “I am a hot mess.”  Some were accurate: “I am a pilot.”  See were emotionally evocative: “I am an unkept promise.”  You were asked to pick one – any one.  I personally chose the humorous angle and picked “I am a sugar daddy.”

But the point was made – – Who are you?  What tags do you put on your life?  What tags do you find repulsive, confusing, embarrassing, insightful, frightening????  You get to play a whole theraputic/dramatic game out even before you take your seat.  As with most magic shows there are lots of surprises that would be terrible to share with my readers who might attend.  There are secrets shared with the audience that really need to remain with future audiences.

Apart from the amazing slight of hand.  I loved to see a magician add an emotional context to the evening.  He worked in his experiences growing up with lesbian mothers.  He talked of his bullying and escape into magic,  And then in a most potent way he went through the audience and looked at each individual, spent an intense, intimate moment with them and SAW THEM and NAMED THEM for the tag they claimed.

Be careful how you tag yourself; you may be held accountable for your choice – – so much like life.  Much more than a magic show – – WE were the illusion and he made US pop out of the magician’s hat,