What better way to convey that the beliefs we hold around the perceptions that we construct–whether of the outside world or our very identities–are nothing more than illusions, than by combining emotional storytelling with sleight of hand trickery? That’s the winning combination that makes up the equal parts inventive and compelling new film from Derek DelGaudio, in Derek DelGaudio’s In & Of Itself, an enlightening existential experience that uses showmanship to sell self-help. It’s an experience that I will remember today, tomorrow, and likely for the rest of my life.

Performed over 552 times in a small NYC black box theater, the film (now available to watch on Hulu) is an assembly of multiple shows in which Derek DelGaudio dazzles audiences in broad and intimate fashion through mythology, personal storytelling, and sleight of hand. 

By interspersing magic through parables and personal stories, it’s kind of like if your therapist were to quite literally pull a rabbit out of their hat to show you that what you think you know, you really don’t.

The main idea that Derek DelGaudio brings forth is that our identities, and the roles we play in life, are constructions often limiting to who we really are. He presents chaptered mythological stories – that of “The Rulatista” entering into Russian roulette, the story of the dog and the wolf, and the elephant that we never perceive in whole, but only in its parts – that add a sense of timeless lore and weight to the event.

But he also gets deeper, talking about the personal stories that made him the way he was – a tough upbringing as a single child with a single parent.

DelGaudio the performer plays his emotions and scripting close to his three-piece suit’s vest, limiting his emotional range to carefully constructed in which he retains full control. He is an unassuming performer, which he uses to be more “human” than “showman”.

Executive produced by Stephen Colbert and directed by Frank Oz (Yoda!), In & Of Itself is carefully balanced between a one-man show that ebbs and flows with measured laughs, solemn listening, and then bursts of amazement which makes for an intimate experience.

As someone with an interest in theater, self-help, and magic, I unapologetically loved Derek DelGaudio’s In & Of Itself and would recommend this to anyone I know. Once we better understand illusions, who knows what the future has in store for whoever we choose to become.

‘Derek DelGaudio’s In & Of Itself’ is now available to watch on Hulu.