Presto Change-O!

Magic duo thrills with an updated bag of tricks

After Penn & Teller returned to the Vegas stage following the pandemic shutdown, they had a much different show than the one before. Yes, there was still the pleasurable opening segment, with Penn jamming on upright bass with virtuoso pianist Mike Jones through such songs as “Blister in the Sun,” “I’m Walkin’,” “Caravan” and “Take the A Train.” But that’s where longtime fans of the show begin to notice … changes.

As Penn explained in one of their shows, the duo and their support team went 421 days without doing their headline show. They put that time to good use with a whole slew of new tricks, incorporating such elements as decks of cards, disappearances and fire. Rather than eliminate audience participation, Penn & Teller adjusted and adapted, and the show flows as smoothly as ever.

Penn’s elucidations on magic-related subjects such as the misappropriation of the term “misdirection” and sideshows seem more engrossing than previously. Gratitude toward the crew is profusely expressed. Teller is poetry in motion, indicating back surgeries have been successful enough to allow him to continue to work at the craft he loves. He still has a way with goldfish that causes the audience to collectively respond with an involuntary “Ahhhhh!”

Nine of the tricks in the set are brand new. It’s easier to witness the threading of a ribbon through doughnuts than to explain what’s magical about it, and any animals suddenly appearing onstage are too terrified of the audience to leave the stage. “Lies, cheats, swindles, rip-offs,” says Penn. “That is what we do.”

A magician named Jandro is an integral part of one trick, fulfilling a Fool Us promise to feature winners from the show. It’s fast-paced, and at times intimate-feeling due to Penn’s heartfelt reminisces of his exposure to magic acts and other illusory endeavors. Penn & Teller are the ultimate sideshow act, passing on the senses of wonder they were inoculated with at young ages and performing with apparently endless wells of ingenuity.

“Why do we do it?” asks Penn rhetorically in their shows. “Because this is our tent.” –Matt Kelemen

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