Some say there are no second acts in the life of a magic dragon. Others say there’s no such thing as dragons, or magic. Piff the Magic Dragon proves all skeptics, dragon deniers and literary tropes wrong five nights a week from deep within his Flamingo lair. Thursdays through Mondays, he and his faithful canine cohort, Mr. Piffles, fill the Flamingo Showroom with audiences that saw him garner a golden buzzer on America’s Got Talent and nearly fool Penn & Teller.
It turned out a lot of Americans thought much of Piff’s talent, although he’s quite British, and, although Penn & Teller ultimately recognized the methods behind his magic, the two celebrated illusionists were impressed by his originality.
Determined to be the first dragon with a magic show on the Strip, Piff convinced the Flamingo to let him set up a lair inside the iconic property where he’d vie with legendary headliners and the bombshells of “X” Burlesque for entertainment appetites. He had a base with people who saw him on AGT and Penn & Teller: Fool Us, and his reputation grew by word of mouth despite his courageous battle with, as he calls it, “reptile dysfunction.”
Six years after he made his debut at Bugsy’s Cabaret, Piff now finds himself in a larger venue with a runway that allows him to engage with the audience on a new level. No one does better crowd work on the Strip than Piff. He’s a master at deflecting disruptions to the flow of his show during audience participation segments, whether the participant is a nervous adult or mischievous adolescent.
“It’s what makes the show fresh for me every night,” says Piff after a Monday night performance. “I never know who’s going to come up or what they’re going to say, or how it’s going to go, so it means I’m very present when I’m doing the show each night.”
Also very present is Mr. Piffles. Part emotional support animal and part one-dog security detail—his genteel demeanor misdirects from his powerful paws and sharp teeth—the green-clad long-haired chihuahua’s unrestrained enthusiasm and fearlessness is both contagious and integral to the onstage chemistry between himself, Piff and perpetually moving Las Vegas showgirl Jade Simone.
Piff has been sighted performing close-up magic in front of Flamingo for passersby, who find the fire-sneezing mythical creature’s sleight-of-hand foolproof and enchanting, once they realize he doesn’t want money in exchange for taking his photo. As of late, he’s channeled his magical abilities into other directions. He released his first full-length special, Reptile Dysfunction (available on YouTube), and toured with tragicomic singing clown Puddles earlier this year.
It seems like the entire audience lines up outside of the showroom for photos with Piff, Mr. Piffles and Jade. The trio stay to greet every fan, most of whom are seeing Piff live for the first time. It’s a magical connection made via card tricks, sly-but-family-friendly comedy and shameless exploitation of Mr. Piffles’ charisma and invulnerability. Yes, there are such things.
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