Penn & Teller

Acknowledged as the best comedy magicians in the world, Penn and Teller have “owned” Las Vegas stages for 40 years, had their show on Broadway, had thirteen Emmy nominations for their first TV show … and are about to embark on Season 10 of their TV show “Fool Us”, having been friends and partners for half a century. And yet, this their first tour of Australia.

There is no box of new tricks for “Down Under” – they don’t need it. They are consummate showmen and it isn’t the tricks that they do, but the way that they do them that is so impressive.

If you are a fan of magic - or comedy – their show at Brisbane’s rather swanky Concert Hall is the Holy Grail, and if fans come to worship, they are not disappointed. For 90 minutes they held us in thrall, not an easy feat, given that one half of the duo does not speak at all. Teller’s silence onstage pertains only to speech. His expressive face and exquisite mimes give gravitas to the adage, “A picture paints a thousand words.” He is the Pagliacci of schtick … a sad clown with dimples and a twinkle in his eyes.

Penn is brash, brazen, with a machine gun delivery and a wit as razor sharp as a three blade Jilette (see what I did there?) cartridge. His approach, honed for the American market, is that of an in-your-face Evangelist, inspiring his followers to shout Hallelujah! (and many of the audience did.)

With a phenomenal connection to their fans, there is audience participation galore. The two showmen go to great lengths to prove that they have no super-human powers by often letting their audience do the tricks. Yet even when they explain the secrets, they are still able to amaze us.

The exception is Teller’s world renowned “The Rose and The Shadow” trick. It may not be magic, but it is a work of Art. Teller is in his 70s now, but I live in hope that one day he will expand the trick to put the petals back on the rose.

However, if you are expecting lavish sets and production values with lots of show-biz glitz, you will be disappointed. There is a vast difference between illusion and tricks, so there are no disappearing helicopters or giant saws or disappearing trains. These are the props of illusionists like David Copperfield. This is “down-home” trickery, and the props are as simple and basic as a cardboard box, gaffer tape, a donut, some darning needles, and buckets of highest-grade showmanship.

Despite this basic “what you see is what you get” approach, the skills of knowing how to twist a trick are in fact the product of years of hard work and practise, and the suggestion that “anyone can do this with hard work” shouldn’t be taken at face value.

Still, if you want more, beneath the surface there is nuance and narrative, and subtlety and subtext, you just need to look for it. The last ten minutes of the show demonstrate this perfectly. Penn, lit by a candle and in very low-key poignant mood, tells us of the origins of the Carny, where he first fell in love with “trickery.” His story-telling is simply awe-inspiring. And if awe is a synonym for wonder, then Penn & Teller are, by definition, wonderful!

Coral Drouyn

Photographer: Lyndon Mechielsen.

More reading: Coral's feature on magic on stage in Australia and beyond.