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 Penn & Teller's show begins even
before they appear, as two boxes, a wooden one and
a plexiglass one, are set up on stage. The audience
is invited to inspect them, to try and figure out
how it will be used in the box escape trick, and
to try to outwit the stars of the show.
But there's no need to outwit the duo who have
been performing together for more than 30 years.
Teller steps into the Plexiglas box which is put
in the wooden box and then locked. As the audience
tries to figure out how he will escape, all guesswork
goes out the door, or box, as Teller pushes the
tops of the boxes up and off him to walk right
out onto the red and black checkerboard stage at the Rio All Suite Hotel & Casino.
And so it begins, the playful game of revealing
and concealing as the "The Bad Boys of Magic"
combine comedy and magic, while throwing out all
the rules as they debunk the myths of some illusions,
while performing others without explanation.
Teller remains silent throughout the show, while
Penn, talking enough for the duo, gives constant
commentary on almost everything they do, from
juggling fire torches and cut broken bottles to
making the American flag disappear. But his banter
isn't to distract you, as it may be used in other
shows, but to amuse, often saying what the audience
members probably are thinking.
It's Penn's penchant at pointing out the obvious
and Teller's silent charisma that makes the audience
enamored with the duo who have performed everywhere,
from Broadway to TV. With simple props and a casual,
intellectual air about them, the pair prove to
be anything but a classic Vegas show of costumed
showgirls, grand illusions and three guys "dipped
in blue paint," as Penn jokes. Ending the
night with a bang, Penn & Teller shoot
at each other with .357-caliber Magnums, catching
the bullets in their teeth. But don't expect how-to
instructions for this game. Instead, volunteers
with gun knowledge are brought up on stage to
check the bullets and guns before and after the
stunt, confirming its validity.
Whether escaping from a straight-jacket while
hanging from a noose or turning water into coins
and coins into goldfish, Penn & Teller prove
to be kings of the checkered game of comedy and
magic.
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