Las Vegas Show: Penn and Teller at Rio
They remain one of the most unpredictable successes in Las Vegas history. When the intellectual, anti-establishment magic team of Penn & Teller first performed in Las Vegas, no one was sure it would go well, least of all them. But twenty years after their first show here, the tee-totaling, atheists who debunk magic while creating it have truly found a second home in their own theatre at the Rio Hotel & Casino.
How to describe a Penn & Teller show? Witty, Clever, Biting, Romantic, Informative, Hilarious. The little guy never says a word. The big one won’t shut up. But the mixture of physical and verbal trickery, legerdemain, sleight-of-hand, and pure storytelling will have you transfixed from the moment the lights go down.
Frequently you’ll see rotating tricks where they threaten to shoot each other, drown, abuse a nail gun, get run over by a truck—from the grandiose to simple hand tricks like debunking the classic cups and balls, it seems there is no type of magic they can’t master and make feel totally current. Do you believe in mind-reading? You won’t once you see them, but you might believe a few other illusions. On occasion, they can make a political statement, although they usually run along the lines of strong belief in the principles on which America was founded.
Is it possible you haven’t seen them perform? They have appeared on a long list of television and video, from their legendary appearances with David Letterman to cameos with the Muppets and as cartoons on The Simpsons, to their own long running show cleverly titled “Bullsh*t.” Most recently, they even appeared with Dr. Oz to debunk medical myths. Jillette also nearly won the latest season of All-Star Celebrity Apprentice, playing for a local Las Vegas charity Opportunity Village. They’ve also written a number of best-selling books, from their classic How To Play In Traffic to most recently Penn’s Every Day Is An Athiest Holiday. In April of this year, the team were honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Some trivia to share with your friends while waiting for the show to start: Did you know Penn Jillette attended Ringling Bros’ clown college? That Teller’s Las Vegas mansion is modeled after a prison? That they made their first appearance together at a Rennaissance Festival? All true!
Stick around after the show—world-famous or not, Penn & Teller will greet you as you depart and thank you personally for coming. That’s a class act.
