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Penn & Teller return to Rio after Australia shows
Penn & Teller return to Las Vegas this week after a triumphant sold-out tour of Australia that included 10 shows at the Sydney Opera House. Catching up with audiences who were denied access to the Penn & Teller experience during lockdowns took precedent over making sure they were in Vegas on June 23 to observe the 20th anniversary of the date they became full time headliners at the Rio. Times change but the duo’s dedication to their worldwide fanbase remains the same.
It was first time Penn Jillette and Teller toured Oz, fulfilling dates that had originally been promised before the pandemic. It was also an outreach of sorts, taking the show directly to the people that can’t make the pan-Pacific journey to Penn & Teller Theater. They took new tricks that they had developed with their time away from live performing as well, and perfected at the Rio once they returned to their 1,475-seat Vegas venue.
The honorable menschen of magic kept themselves busy with other intellectual pursuits as well. Jillette wrote a “psychedelic philosophical murder mystery” titled Random, which is set for publication in October. Patreon supporters of Penn’s Sunday School podcast can get access to early signed copies and a bonus four-story “chapbook.”
Teller is preparing to direct a production of The Tempest this fall in Washington D.C. It’s not his first time directing Shakespeare’s comedic tale of sorcerer Prospero, which he clearly feels a kinship to. Teller has also staged Macbeth, but it may have been the quote, “What fools these mortals be,” from A Midsummer Night’s Dream that inspired the title of their long-running CW series, which enters its ninth season in October.
New bits prepared for upcoming episodes of Penn & Teller: Fool Us will be making their debut at the Rio when the magicians reappear there. They somehow managed to develop a few new innovations of illusion while appearing on The Masked Singer and the season finale of CBS sitcom Young Sheldon.
Australia almost served as reset. In addition to the string of Sydney Opera House shows Penn & Teller spent time in Melbourne and Brisbane. They did not, however, take magic-fingered pianist Mike Jones on tour with them. Jillette is surely itching to get hold of the upright bass he began learning to play 22 years ago and get back to his preshow ritual of jamming with Jones. It’s worth getting to the Rio early and having a listen. Basically Penn & Teller, together and separately, exist in their own media multiverse. Penn & Teller Theater is the base, but their reach is wide. They tour, but they always come back to the Rio, and Jillette’s weekly podcast provides fascinating conversations with guests from the world of magic and beyond. Recently, he shared his experience teaching himself the art of fire-breathing, which involved deep-inhaling fireballs, followed by coughing and screaming:
702.777.2782
By Matt Kelemen
Swords-and-sorcery show Tournament of Kings brings all ages together By Matt Kelemen
eep within the recesses of the battlement-crowned resort named for King Arthur’s sacred sword there is a realm where medieval behavior rules the day, mortal combat is commonplace and eating with one’s hands is not merely tolerated, but mandatory. Excalibur Hotel & Casino’s Tournament of Kings is a favored place of brave knights representing thousand-year-old thrones to gather and share company, swap stories, clash swords and display expert horsemanship to shouts of “Huzzah!” from onlooking crowds.
Those thrones are generally stable, but not every kingdom gets a permanent place in the arena. Austria, France, Hungary, Ireland, Sweden and Spain are now joined by Romania, whose hardened armies arrive after preventing hordes from the east from sweeping across Europe. Romania’s rulers included members of the Order of the Dragon from Transylvania and Wallachia such as Vlad Dracul, whose son Vlad Dracula would inspire legends of merciless cruelty towards his enemies.
Tournament of Kings has a
Erik Kabik/erikkabik.com
section devoted to its own dragon on par with the bleachers reserved for fans of the continental kingdoms. Hearty Cornish hen dinners (dietary accommodations may be available upon request) are served to guests, making flatware unnecessary and conserving precious metals for swordsmiths. Monarchs and aristocracy make merry, dancers twirl and pounding on tables is a time-honored tradition of showing enthusiasm.
The evening is hosted by the wizard, whose pyrotechnical prowess is impressive but has not yet been lethal to the leagues of Las Vegas visitors in Tournament of Kings’ more than two decades of history. The skills of the warriors who cross swords, on the other hand, improve with every show. Sounds of metal striking metal resound through the arena as armor-plated knights thrust and parry. One lapse of split-second timing can make the difference between victory or defeat.
Timing is even more important when knights ride towards each other on horseback at top speeds. Jousting is the deadliest of games, having brought a sudden end to many a monarch’s reign. The chances of being unseated, trampled on, impaled or blinded is intimidating, but the tradition lives on at Excalibur. Nearly a dozen horses from the Tournament of Kings’ stables take part.
Ultimately, the eternal forces of good and evil square off in a special effects climax filled with smoke and fire. The sounds are as intense as the sights, with the proceedings having the magical effect of maintaining the attention of younger audience members. There was no social media during the medieval era. There was chivalry, honor, and spectacle. There were dukes and damsels, dining halls and dark forces.
And these elements are all present at Excalibur daily. Time marches on, but the Middle Ages never end at Tournament of Kings.
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By Brock Radke Photograph by Christopher DeVargas
Adam Steck keeps the stages filled
Producer Adam Steck’s company, SPI Entertainment, is known not only for ushering in some of the Strip’s most popular and unique shows—including male revue Thunder From Down Under and a headlining residency from Boyz II Men—but also managing some of the busiest showrooms in town. Until last year, Steck’s focus was on the Thunderland Showroom at Excalibur, also home to The Mac King Comedy Magic Show, but SPI also partnered with The STRAT on the north end of the Strip to program its classic Vegas theater.
Business boomed for you in 2021 with lots of new projects, but did your original show, Thunder From Down Under, recover well after 2020’s temporary shutdown?
Not only has the audience come back, they’ve come back in droves. We had a record summer . We’ve never done this kind of business in our 21-year history in Las Vegas. It’s like the floodgates are open. All the bachelorette parties that couldn’t happen (during the last year), they’re making up for that. Girls 18 to 80 are coming back, letting their hair down and coming to see the show that’s been successful for so many years.
The addition of Mac King to that room at Excalibur seems like a natural fit given his long success on the Strip and family-friendly appeal.
Mac King is a legend. He’s been around town as long as me, so when I was asked if we could put this deal together and do the King at the castle, I thought it was a no-brainer. There are very few shows that can play in the afternoon with a brand like that.
How did the partnership with The STRAT come to be, and how did you go about curating the new shows in that theater?
I never stopped working (during the pandemic). I’m always plotting and planning how to expand, what shows can go where. This property just finished this $100 million renovation and it looks really good and has a great energy. The building is iconic, it has Top of the World, one of the coolest restaurants in town, and the showroom itself is phenomenal. For years, they only had one show there and I said I’d like to maximize the real estate and make the property stickier, so when people go there, they have multiple entertainment options. We set out to have shows at 4 p.m., 6 p.m., 8 p.m. and 10 p.m., and now those spots are all filled.
You’ve added magic with Xavier Mortimer, mentalism with Banachek, a party dance show called iLuminate, and you have Sammy Hagar’s residency.
I’m a rocker; classic rock is my jam, I love all kinds of music but I grew up in classic rock. Sammy is a legend, from his band Montrose back in the day to Van Halen, one of the biggest bands of all time, and after that he had the Circle ,which is also very successful. To have the opportunity to work with Sammy at The STRAT is unbelievable. He loves the room, he could have picked any place in town but he just loves the vibe there, and the whole idea is to bring his Cabo experience to Las Vegas. The showroom is transformed into his club down there in Cabo.
What are some of the keys to success in entertainment on the Strip?
We have the history in Las Vegas to know what generally works. A show that might work in New York or off-Broadway or some other place might come in thinking it’s going to kick butt, and most of the time it doesn’t. Twenty-plus years of doing what we do, being on the ground in Las Vegas and being able to wear different hats and have different roles, it’s been quite amazing.
460
The highest point in feet that the jets of the Fountains of Bellagio reach
59,229,120
Combined lumens emitted by the light bulbs of the Fountains of Bellagio 4,792
The number of individual lights in the attraction
35
The number of choreographed performances 183
The number of speakers located around the lake’s perimeter
By Kiko Miyasato
Photography by Christopher DeVargas
Go behind the scenes of the Fountains of Bellagio
It’s one of the most stunning productions on the Strip, but it doesn’t just happen. The Fountains of Bellagio has a crackerjack team working behind the scenes 365 days a year to ensure that the watery spectacle continues to flow beautifully. Las Vegas Magazine went beyond the façade and captured the inner workings of the fountains—an operation that few are privy to.
Thirty employees work on the fountains, including engineers, pool specialists and maintenance divers—and each employee is scuba-certified and holds Open Water Diver or Rescue Diver certifications. The site is staffed almost around the clock, year-round. Yet another group can be found walking around the premises—mallard ducks, which have raised ducklings on Lake Bellagio year after year.
The tour starts in the features support area, where the equipment and mechanics for the fountains are stored. It’s a cavernous space just off the 8.5-acre Lake Bellagio, and continues underneath the hotel’s landscaping. The walkthrough continues with the bat cave, the compression room and, finally, the control tower.
Here’s your chance to take a peek inside this iconic attraction.
CONTROL TOWER
This is where the magic happens. The main computers that control the lighting, sound and performance numbers are located in this tower. Here is also where you’ll find the “famous” green button. At the top of the tower, accessible only by ladder, workstations command awesome views overlooking the lake. Each choreographed show is stored on computers. To start a new show, the file is uploaded and the green button initiates the fountains—a button only a handful of people have pushed, including this writer!
THE BAT CAVE
Inside the bat cave, located in the front features support area, is where you’ll find the water-emitting devices. Workers clean and repair all of them in-house. The devices include three shooters of different sizes that push water straight into the air at varying heights. The mini shooter (798 total) goes 100 feet up, the super shooter (192 total) goes 240 feet up and the extreme shooter (16 total) goes 460 feet up. The oarsmen (at top of photo column) spray water— this is where the “dancing fountains” come into play. There are 208 in the lake and 13 spares. The streams of water can reach 77 feet high and flow up to 140 gallons per minute.
COMPRESSOR ROOM
It’s so loud inside the compressor room that one is advised to wear industrial-strength earmuffs. Inside this room sits two of the large compressors (10 total) used in the show. When it’s showtime, the compressors operate at about 3,000 horsepower and push through approximately 9,000 cubic feet of air per minute. Large storage tanks of soft water, used for the fog that drifts across the lake, are also in this room. The ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) panel that protects people and equipment is also here. The panel shuts down all the electricity on the lake in the event of an emergency or electrocution, reacting faster than the blink of an eye.
It takes WET (the company behind the design and choreography of the fountain performances) several months to develop, design and perfect a new song for the catalog. Some of the songs include:
“Believe”
(Cher)
“Bad Romance”
(Lady Gaga)
“Uptown Funk”
(Bruno Mars)
The holiday season switches things up with special performances that include:
“Santa Baby”
(Madonna)
“The Most Wonderful Time of the Year”
(Johnny Mathis)
(Placido Domingo)
Songs we would like used for a performance:
(Björk)
(Daft Punk)
Xharlie Black
opens up about inspiration and transition to ‘Mad Apple’
By Brocke Radke Photo by Christopher DeVargas
Xharlie Black is the onstage alterego of Eddie Cole, a musician, singer and lifelong performer with showbiz in his blood. His great uncle was none other than the legendary Nat King Cole, and his father Edward Cole also carried on the family legacy and served as musical director for his cousin Natalie Cole for more than a decade. Also a skilled drummer, Eddie Cole has toured with the iconic rapper Nas for years, but these days he’s planted on the Las Vegas Strip as musical director and singer in Cirque du Soleil’s exciting new production Mad Apple at New York-New York.
YOUR FAMILY’S MUSICAL TRADITION IS OBVIOUSLY A POWERFUL FORCE, BUT WHAT WERE SOME OF YOUR OTHER EARLY INFLUENCES THAT PUT YOU ON THIS PATH?
Honestly, my dad. Nat King Cole is a humongous name, but this guy nobody really heard of, Edward Cole, he’s everything to me and I learned everything from him. My mom and dad met in college, two music nerds that made one more little music nerd. He’s defi nitely my greatest infl uence and how I got started, learning music production and all of that from him. Outside of that, I’ve always said I felt like I was born in the wrong decade because the soul of the ’60s and ’70s just resonates so much, Donny Hathaway, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, that whole era. Those infl uences are very deep in my blood.
WHAT IS THE MOST EXCITING PART OF JOINING THE TEAM BEHIND MAD APPLE?
I’ve been touring with Nas for a long time and in that setup, I’m the only other vocalist, so I’ve spent a lot of time singing by myself. When I found out this show would have this fi ve-person singing group, that excited the hell out of me. There’s nothing like singing with other people. It’s a deep spiritual experience to be able to harmonize and fl ow with each other.
ALL THE MUSIC IN THE SHOW SAYS SOMETHING ABOUT NEW YORK CITY. WHAT WAS YOUR APPROACH TO TACKLING THESE ICONIC SONGS ?
Our composer Evan Du y did an incredible job; he’s a true student of music and he gets an assignment and nails it. He did his research and knocked it out of the park. As musical director, my job is to come in and enhance that with our live musicians and just make it big and strong and give it that live energy. And the music is breathing and moving with the other acts that are happening at the same time. That’s the beautiful part, to build those dynamics with musicians and the other performers in the show. It’s never dull. We’re always on our toes and ready for whatever is coming.
YOU GET TIME TO SHINE, SINGING BILLY JOEL’S “NEW YORK STATE OF MIND,” BUT IT’S A VERY DIFFERENT AND POWERFUL PRESENTATION OF SUCH A FAMILIAR SONG, AND THERE’S A LOT HAPPENING ONSTAGE AT THE SAME TIME.
I’m glad that is translating well. I never know how that moment feels, even though I’ve seen video, but the visuals that are going on make it very special in so many ways. I wish I could get the full experience like everybody else, to see (the acrobat) performing at the same time. There have been so many times I want to look up and see the act while I’m singing.
YOU ARE STILL NEW TO VEGAS. HAVE YOU HAD ANY TIME TO EXPLORE THE CITY A BIT?
Not yet. We’ve been down in the trenches getting the show o the ground, but it’s clearing up a bit now that we are in full swing. Building 866.606.7111 camaraderie in the cast is very important to me, and it’s 40-something people from all over the world, and we are a family now. So, I like giving that energy to the cast when I do have some free time, but I’m also a father of three, so I have to make any free time I might have. Being with a new cast can be hectic sometimes, but it hasn’t been. I love my castmates and there’s a lot of love from the green room to the stage ... Everybody is really cool, and my kids love ’em.
