Neil Patrick Harris Directs Sleight-of-Hand Show NOTHING TO HIDE at the Geffen, Now thru 1/6

Earlier this year, an unlikely series of events led two of the world's most gifted sleight-of-hand artists, Derek DelGaudio (2011 Close-Up Magician of the Year) and Helder Guimarães (2011 Parlour Magician of the Year), to share a stage. Fresh from sold-out performances at the Magic Castle, DelGaudio and Guimarães have joined forces with director Neil Patrick Harris to present Nothing to Hide, a unique and unprecedented theatrical event. Abandoning the antiquated notions of a traditional magic show, Nothing to Hide takes the audience on an imaginary journey through a series of diverse and engaging vignettes brought to life solely from the words and hands of the two masterful magicians.

"I dare say, watching Derek and Helder perform together was one of the most amazing, confounding, and magical nights of my life," said director Neil Patrick Harris. "I knew after seeing the reaction from Magic Castle guests and magicians alike that I needed to bring their show to a larger audience. I suspect it will be a tough ticket to get and those that do will have their minds utterly blown."

Nothing to Hide, which will have special late night performances on Fridays and Saturdays throughout the run, opens in the Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater at the Geffen Playhouse tonight, November 27, 2012 and runs through January 6, 2013. See below for full performance schedule and artist bios.

Nothing to Hide kicks-off the Geffen Playhouse's new Spotlight Series. Based on the success of past events ranging from Alan Cumming's I Bought a Blue Car Today to Ricky Jay's 52 Assistants and concerts from Sergio Mendes to Rita Wilson, the Geffen is creating this special series which will provide access to exclusive events including cabarets, readings, magic acts and concerts. Unlike our regular season, Spotlight events will vary in length, format and lead-time, but similar to our traditional season, they will always bring something entertaining, noteworthy and world-class to our audiences.

The Geffen Playhouse will also be partnering with the Keyes for Kids Toy Drive to help bring gifts into the lives of children in need, primarily through the Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission and Normandie Recreation Center. The Geffen Playhouse is encouraging all patrons who are attending the event to bring a new unwrapped toy.

NOTHING TO HIDE, created by Derek DelGaudio and Helder Guimarães, written by Derek DelGaudio, directed by Neil Patrick Harris, opens tonight, November 27, 2012 and closes on Sunday, January 6, 2013.

Production Credits
Magic Choreography Helder Guimarães
Artistic Director Glenn Kaino
Lighting Designer Adam Blumenthal
Production Designer Dave Spafford
Music by Pedro Marques
Production Stage Manager Young Ji

Performance Schedule: Monday: No performances; Tuesday – Thursday: 8:00pm; Friday, Saturday: 8:00pm; 10:30pm; and Sunday: 7:00pm.

Ticket prices currently range from $64 to $149. Tickets are available in-person at the Geffen Playhouse box office, via phone at 310-208-5454 or online at www.geffenplayhouse.com.

DEREK DELGAUDIO (Performer): Derek DelGaudio is a Los Angeles based artist and magician whose work ranges from intimate and conceptual sleights of hand to grand-scale public interventions. He co-founded the experimental performance art duo, A.Bandit, with artist Glenn Kaino in 2010. Since then, A.Bandit has staged its psycho-spatial interventions at Soho House in Los Angeles, Art L.A. Contemporary in Santa Monica, LA><ART Annex in Hollywood and at The Kitchen in New York. Derek created The [Space] Between, a conceptual magic shop as a platform for situation-specific projects, and as result of this and other groundbreaking interdisciplinary work, in 2011, the Conjuring Arts Research Center appointed DelGaudio their Director of Contemporary Conjuring. More recently, he received critical praise for 184 Seconds, a conceptual magic performance, and in 2012, the Academy of Magical Arts named him Close-up Magician of the Year. DelGaudio has also written and created for notable magicians including XXXXXXXXXX and XXXXXXXXXX.