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Magic brings out holiday spirit
Penn & Teller's theatrical mayhem connects and makes the show work
Thursday, December 14, 2000
By ERIK DERR
They may promote themselves as skeptics of magic, but Penn & Teller have found a way to create genuine magic through theatrical mayhem. PENN & TELLER
In their latest road show, the "bad boys of magic" offer a generous mix of cynical one-liners and off-the-wall illusions that nonetheless offer a rollicking good time for audiences of all ages, despite language that some might find risque.
Tuesday's opening night crowd, perhaps taxed by the recent chilly weather and visions of paper chads dancing in their heads, seemed especially ready for the duo's comic antics.
Penn & Teller responded with a wacky entrance involving loud, energizing music, oversized inflatable bodysuits, a humorous question-and-answer session with an audience member and an unexpected twist at the end. That was only the first five minutes.
The magicians ran through about a dozen sleight-of-hand tricks and illusions during the nearly two-hour show. Teller -- the mostly nonverbal half of the act -- dazzled by cutting and then restoring a polyester sheet, escaping from a chair to which he's apparently tied and stapled, and cutting a flower by slicing its shadow.
There's also the trick where Teller asked a member of the audience to randomly pick a card from a deck and then threw the entire deck into a shredder. After -- amazingly -- snatching the chosen card as it spit out of the machine, Teller dropped a rabbit into the shredder, which spit blood all over the performer.
Penn Jillette, the duo's brash, 6-foot-6 mouthpiece, threw fire, juggled broken liquor bottles and served as irreverent tour guide through all the lunacy.
Penn & Teller's ability to connect with the audience made the show work. Several of their longer skits, like their pseudo knife-throwing bit, offered no "trick" or underlying message. They seemed little more than excuses to play with the crowd.
The team also worked through the intermission, letting people walk on stage and gawk at Penn, who sits inside a barrel that is impaled with metal rods. The tireless performers stood outside the theater, signing autographs and chatting with spectators, for nearly half an hour after the show.
The only real complaint about the show was the intro music, which was so loud it drowned out many of Penn's opening remarks. The sound mix was better for the rest of the show.
SPECIAL TO THE POST-INTELLIGENCER THEATER REVIEW
WHERE: Moore Theater,
1932 Second Ave.
TICKETS: $25-$40; 206-292-2787.
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