A few years ago, back when live theatre was a thing we could experience in person with other people around us, I heard about illusionist Derek DelGaudio’s smash hit show “In & Of Itself” and I was crushed that I wouldn’t be able to snag a ticket and head out to New York to catch it. So, naturally, I read every piece I could about it and tried to figure out what about the show (which I assumed I would never get to see) made it so popular and impactful. Little did I know that a mere three years later, I would be able to watch a filmed version of the stage show from the comfort of my own home. While knowing so much about the show going in didn’t cheapen any of the surprises, it did temper the emotional hits a bit, so I would recommend you do the exact opposite of what I did: Do not research this show. Just stream it via Hulu and immerse yourself in the story DelGaudio wants to tell.
So, why should you spend an hour and a half watching DelGaudio spin a tale and amaze you with various illusions? Well, because In & Of Itself is simply breathtaking. Yes, there’s an intimacy lost in the transition from the theatre, where you experience the wonders of the storytelling and illusion in real-time with the strangers around you, to film. But the heart of the piece – our connection to each other through our shared experiences and the intersection between personal identity and our public persona – still hits incredibly hard. I dare you not to get swept up in the story surrounding the magic, to not shed a tear when you witness the deep emotional impact several of the illusions have on members of the audience, or feel amazement when items disappear and slight of hand tricks produce impressive results.
There’s plenty of traditional illusion present within the piece with DelGaudio’s actual tricks (some of which are pretty easy to explain but several of which I’m still scratching my head over – and that’s even after knowing they were coming), but the piece hinges on a more abstract idea of illusion: the notion of the unreliable narrator. For those of us who spend a lot of time dissecting stories (whether in literature or on the TV screen), this is a common element of our review process. You can never trust a narrator in a story to tell you the whole truth and nothing but the truth – even the third person omniscient narrator tends to hold some things in reserve. But what DelGaudio wants to highlight is that this isn’t just the case in the stories we read or watch – it’s also the case in our everyday lives. Who we are inside and who we are to the world are often, for good or for ill, two very different people. And why is that? What is it that makes us wish that the world would see us as we truly see ourselves – as a Dreamer, a Lover, a Leader, a Friend – but causes us to hold back and show the world different facets of our personality that don’t mesh with those intimate identities?
Deep stuff for a magic show, right? Sure. But it’s also incredibly profound. And that’s what the best of theatre – the best of storytelling – does. It makes us take a step back from ourselves and look deeper. To find a disconnect in our life, our relationships, our hopes, our dreams, and see if we can bridge it and move forward. To become stronger, better, happier, more content, even for just a little while. To let our troubles fall off our backs for a brief moment and explore someone else’s story – and then see how that story intersects with our life and our world. It’s a really amazing trick. And it’s one that In & Of Itself pulls off beautifully.
We won’t be able to be in a theatre – or any public space – surrounded by strangers, experiencing something truly impactful for several months still. That human connection is missing from most of our lives in this pandemic. But for 90 minutes, you can experience something akin to that connection, by proxy, through watching In & Of Itself. It might not be the same as experiencing it live, but it’s still incredibly impactful and worth your time.
In & Of Itself premieres on Hulu on Friday, January 22, 2021.
-
Overall Score
