You don’t need to believe in magic to be amazed, astounded and bewildered by the sleight-of-hand tricks in “Nothing to Hide,” a new show playing Off-Broadway, directed by noted magic aficionado Neil Patrick Harris.
The two-man show features award-winning sleight-of-hand artists Derek DelGaudio and Helder Guimarães working their magic with a deck of cards for a variety of tricks.
To explain their tricks themselves would be a disservice — they must be experienced live and, based on this writer’s experience, you will be wowed.
amNewYork spoke with DelGaudio, who also does some undisclosed magical work with Disney.
How did you get started in magic?
I stumbled upon a book that was about cheating at cards and had magic in it. … I was about 12 years old and I started learning techniques of sleight of hand.
Having learned from a book about cheating, have you used magic for nefarious reasons?
Umm … not particularly. No, I’ve never had any larceny in my heart, really; I’ve been interested in the more romantic side of it. For a while, I thought I might be interested in pursuing more clandestine avenues in terms of sleight of hand. I met a card [cheat] when I was probably 15-16 years old and talked about possibly having an interest in joining that world. He lifted up his shirt and showed me his seven stab wounds. I was like, “I do not think this is the life for me.”
What has Neil’s involvement done for the show?
I knew Neil before this production. So I’ve always known Neil as Neil, who’s cool and likes magic and card tricks and apparently does some acting. He’s so supportive and so enthusiastic that I’m sure — I guarantee — people come just because they heard Neil Patrick Harris is directing it.
How did you come to work with Disney?
Disney is an extremely magical place and so it doesn’t surprise me — I’m flattered — that … heads of two different departments, contacted me individually after seeing the show … because they’re interested in magical experiences.
