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 xxxxxxX and xxxxxxX.

HELDER GUIMARAES (Performer): In 2006, at the age of just 23, Helder became the youngest ever World Champion of Card Magic. He was awarded the title after his performance in a triennial competition left both the judging panel and over a thousand other performers utterly baffled. Since then he has used his background in acting and theatre to create, perform in and tour three one-man-shows - The No-Show Show, This is Not Normal and Incomplete. Helder has also worked as a magic consultant for several TV projects including The Tonight Show, as well as theatrical productions such as Pinter's The Dumb Waiter, and Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. He is also the author of Reflections, a book for professional conjurers. Helder's work has been widely recognized by his peers; most recently, he was awarded the title of Parlor Magician of the Year by The Academy of Magical Arts, Hollywood.

Neil Patrick Harris (Director): Most recently Harris directed a production of Jonathan Larson's Pulitzer Prize winning Rent at the Hollywood Bowl. Additional credits include The Expert at the Card Table, which he directed both at the Broad Stage Theater and at the 2008 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and I Am Grock at the El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood. Harris has performed in numerous stage, television and film productions. He currently stars as Barney Stinson on the hit CBS sitcom, How I Met Your Mother, a role which has garnered him multiple Emmy and Golden Globe Award nominations, as well as a People's Choice Award for Favorite TV Comedy Actor. Harris is the President of the Academy of Magical Arts at the Magic Castle.

The Geffen Playhouse has been a hub of the Los Angeles theater scene since opening its doors in 1995. Noted for its intimacy and celebrated for its world-renowned mix of classic and contemporary plays, provocative new works and second productions, the Geffen Playhouse continues to present a body of work that has garnered national recognition. Named in honor of entertainment mogul and philanthropist David Geffen, who made the initial donation to the theater, the company was founded by Gilbert Cates, and is currently helmed by Artistic Director Randall Arney, Managing Director Ken Novice, General Manager Behnaz Ataee, Chief Development Officer Regina Miller and Chairman of the Board Frank Mancuso. Proudly associated with UCLA, the Geffen Playhouse welcomes an audience of more than 130,000 each year, and maintains an extensive education and outreach program, designed to engage young people and the community at large in the arts. For more information, visit geffenplayhouse.com.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / Retna Ltd.