Veteran magicians Penn and Teller encouraged the New York audience to participate throughout their show, and Penn was the main narrator, while Teller served in the capacity of his mute yet clever sidekick.
Their demonstrations included teleporting a cell phone in a fish, Penn eating fire, sawing a woman in half, as well as some mentalist predictions with the Marquis audience. They also performed the classic trick of pulling a rabbit out of a hat; moreover, Teller was swallowing a series of sewing needles.
One of the wittiest moments involved their metal sheet with the Bill of Rights on it, which was made to set off metal detectors at airports, and ironically enough they were selling their “Bill of Rights” card at their merchandise table. The most impressive trick was attempting to make an African baby spotted pygmy elephant disappear into thin air, with the audience holding hands around them, which was not as convincing as legendary magicians Siegfried and Roy, when they used to perform vanishing tricks with elephants.
The Verdict
While Penn and Teller prove to be talented magicians, their Broadway production at times seemed a bit dull and redundant, and it fell a bit short. One could have expected so much more from award-winning magicians Penn and Teller. They were unable to sustain their audience’s attention for the duration of their performance, and many of their tricks were old fashioned, lackluster and predictable. Their Broadway show garners 2.5 out of 5 stars.
