The first thing you should know is that you will be entertained through the one-and-a-half hours of this show.
Big, loud Penn keeps up a constant stream, indeed a barrage of hilarity, never irritating, seamlessly plastering over any flat spots so you don’t even notice them. He never shuts up, and we never want him to. Teller, on the other hand says nothing. (Or does he?)
The second thing you should know is that the finale will blow your minds, seriously, and cause all that had just happened make a whole lot more sense. It’s not reality distortion, and yet it is. You will be reliving the show you have just seen in a brand-new light. This, for me, makes the price of admission and all the previous material very, very worthwhile. Do not dream of leaving early (but why would you?)
If you regard this show as entertainment with grand comedy and audience involvement you will have a hoot. This is Penn & Teller bringing us their 50th anniversary tour. It is decades since they were the enfants terribles of the magic scene, actually revealing how some tricks were done! This is why they have never been accepted into LA’s famed worldwide mecca of magic, the Magic Castle.
With Penn at 69 and Teller now 76, they are older than we see them on reruns of 'Fool Us' on TV. Teller, the undisputed brains of the outfit with encyclopaedic knowledge of the art and craft, now seems to have less to do physically, while still maintaining a presence. Penn, on the other hand, while greyer, continues his role as the Big Friendly Giant of the team. How the hell he manages to bellow his way his way so charmingly, so drily and hilariously through one-and-a-half hours every single night of this tour is the real magic.
The tricks? Every minute of the show is entertaining but as a magic act it’s far more engaging as a night of comedy and audience participation than a night of startling mysteries, although there are wonderful surprises in the mix.
There is a huge amount of audience participation, people called on stage, people in their seats catching things, people doing this, people doing that, often to result in a miracle that could have been accomplished more simply at a card table in two minutes. Likewise, some of the sets and big apparatus feel like they’ve been wheeled in because a big stage show needs eye-catching sets and big apparatus. Of course, the audience participation injects life and spirit into the show (as well as allowing the participants to do most of the work).
Magicians will recognise the method behind almost everything they see as things they’ve known for decades, albeit in new clothing. But of course, it’s the clothing that makes the magic.
It’s a long time since Penn & Teller startled me with an explosive new effect, like “making a bullet move from one side of the stage to the other” which involved firing a gun through a sheet of plate glass with a signed bullet being caught in Teller’s mouth.
While there’s nothing of that calibre here, would I recommend this show? Let’s examine the demographics.
Families? Yes, they have kids from the audience brought up on stage, although Penn does use religious profanity like “christ!”
People looking for an entertaining evening? Absolutely. It’s got it all except for the singalongs. You will laugh, you will marvel, you’ll have a jolly old time.
Magic nuts like me? Sure, but when it comes to the modus operandi, there’s a lot of deja vu. Except for the killer finale.
Serious and pro magicians? You already know that when you watch masters at work, you will learn something. Always.
Averaging all the above? Go and see them, quick, while you can! You know what a 50th Anniversary Tour means. No one has a 51st anniversary tour.
I mean seriously, this is PENN & frickin’ TELLER! Enough said.
Words: Karen Conrad
