Dendy’s Nothing Up My Sleeve Casts a Mesmerizing Spell
Dendy’s one-man show at Round House Theatre turns sleight of hand into an intimate meditation on trust and human connection.
If the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s On Beckett is a love letter, then Round House’s own one-man show, Nothing Up My Sleeve…Simple Deceptions for Curious Humans is more of a love affair, this time with the magic of sleight of hand.
Recounted and performed by Dendy, previously seen to great effect as the mysterious Ariel in The Tempest, this is a coming-of-age story magician-style, which, not surprisingly, includes a parade of tricks marking the milestones of his journey.
Dendy’s chosen moments as he goes from shy kid in rural Missouri to talented professional are engaging and filled with an appealingly self-deprecating humor. But what lifts Nothing Up My Sleeve into some interesting territory is the performer’s perspective on the watched and the watcher. Magic, he contemplates, is an intimate exchange — a very human kind of conversation: it can be fun, mischievous, and joyous, but occasionally it can be sobering. Put simply, its currency is a very singular kind of trust.
But there is another subtlety here. Although Dendy is too humble to say it, a magician also thrives on the admiration of their excellence. He is exciting to watch not just because of the clever effect of the tricks but because it’s enthralling to see someone carry off what are clearly incredibly complex and dexterous feats (even if we can’t figure them out). In our brave new world, this particularly human kind of skill and artistry is more meaningful than ever: watching a live magician is one age-old experience AI can never take from us.
Which is also to say that Dendy’s magic in Nothing Up My Sleeve is largely, for want of a better word, analog. His sleight of hand (and other body parts) is a concerted celebration and — in the act of performing it — an important continuation of an immensely rich and precious low-tech, high precision tradition. If nerds of magic will be enthralled by this, those expecting whizz bang illusions will need to keep expectations in check or they’ll miss the point.
If there are quibbles, one is perhaps that Dendy delivers his story and humor as cleanly and crisply as his magic, and some messier digression in the life department would have made for a fun contrast, not least because Dendy is clearly a wit. There is also something slightly incongruous in Daniel Conway’s gorgeous set in which atmospheric nod is given to everything vintage, creepy and wonderfully mysterious about magicians.
Dendy’s warmth is lovely and disarming, but one really wishes he’d do a bit more to frighten the horses and without that, the set feels rather like a promise not altogether kept. And this is where director Aaron Posner, always a master of mood, pacing, and all-around cleverness, has shown a lighter touch. Still, this is Dendy’s story and if you love magic, you’ll love the way he shows that there is far more to it than meets the eye.
Nothing Up My Sleeve (★★★★☆) runs through March 15 at Round House Theatre, 4545 East-West Hwy., Bethesda, Md. Tickets start at $50. Call 240-644-1100 or visit RoundHouseTheatre.org.
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