REVIEW ROUNDUP: Derek DelGaudio's IN & OF ITSELF on Hulu

Derek DelGaudio's off-Broadway smash, "In & Of Itself," has been adapted for the screen by legendary director with Frank Oz.

The film is now available to stream on Hulu.

Oz previously staged the show during its Off-Broadway run and at The Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles, according to Variety. He said he had no initial interest in directing a magic show.

"Turns out, he didn't either," Oz said. "While he is one of the finest sleight-of-hand artists in the world, he is not actually a magician. He's something else entirely. We both wanted to break the form and have Derek tell his true story in a compelling new way. When you see it, you'll understand why I'm not able to describe it."

A mysterious story is deciphered and the illusion of one's own identity is revealed in the new show, In & Of Itself. A modern allegory, In & Of Itself explores new ways of seeing the unseeable, as memories from yesterday, inexplicable events witnessed today and secrets imagined for tomorrow are blended together, creating a perpetual paradox of a show.

It first premiered Off-Broadway in 2017 at Geffen Playhouse.

The critics have spoken...

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Helen Shaw, Vulture: "It isn't your average magic show: There's no razzle-dazzle, very little shazam. Instead it contains grave meditations on how we allow others to determine our selfhood. Sadly, DelGaudio's showmanship doesn't always translate to its New Medium - now you feel it, now you don't. But DelGaudio's oddly yearning text still has power on TV. He hides thorns among the card tricks, prickly questions about identity that don't disappear with the next shuffle."

Peter Debruge, Variety: "For those who weren't fortunate enough to catch Derek DelGaudio's solo show "In & of Itself" during its 20017-18 Off Broadway run - or at Los Angeles' Geffen Playhouse, where it debuted a year before - director Frank Oz has fashioned a stand-alone film version for Hulu, and to DelGaudio's credit, the essence of his act remains intact, sparking awe, introspection and tears of connection, even when watched alone."

Elisabeth Vincentelli, The New York Times: "DelGaudio takes a seemingly meandering road to circle back to that initial decision - the scene is incredible in the original meaning of the word - and in hindsight you realize he never abandons some essential queries: Who am I? What is arbitrary and what is predetermined? What is real and what is invented? The enigmatic artist Marina Abramovic can be glimpsed in the audience, and her interest makes sense."

Kobi Kassal, Theatrely: "As an illusionist and masterful storyteller DelGaudio attempts to tackle the heavy question of what the meaning of life is, and the quest we all take on our own to find that answer throughout the 90 minute performance. This enthralling and highly personal film, directed for the stage and now screen by Frank Oz, dismantles the notion of what theatre and performance can be and is not to be missed."

Linda Holmes, NPR: "DelGaudio is ... well, he's a storyteller, and he's a performer, and he's a magician. You'll hear In & Of Itself referred to as conceptual magic or interactive theater or a one-man show. Those things are all technically true, but they're desperately incomplete. I might describe it as a series of vignettes, punctuated by some basic sleight-of-hand, some card tricks, and two of the most extraordinary audience-involved sequences I ever expect to see. I don't understand - at all - how either was done. I have tried not to make too many guesses. I don't want people to tell me their guesses. I know both sequences have earthly explanations, but I don't need them. I don't want them."

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