It has been 49 years since Raymond Joseph Teller met Penn Fraser Jillette and formed a magical bond that has endured through decades as a major Las Vegas entertainment draw. One reason for their durability is they never stop creating new illusions and refining traditional ones. They would probably hold the record, if an authority existed that kept track of such things, for most tricks introduced to audiences on Vegas stages. Penn & Teller may hold the record for developing the most new tricks, period.
Their longevity is inspiring. Back and quadruple bypass surgeries could not slow Teller down for long. Jillette survived the amputation of his distinctive long hair and shed excess weight from his 6-foot-6-inch frame. The edgy performers who revolutionized the magic industry in the early ’80s are now distinguished gentlemen who cultivate the next generations of illusionists on their long-running CW series, Penn & Teller: Fool Us.
That series completed the filming of its latest season on July 30 in the same theater that serves as Penn and Teller’s Las Vegas performance venue, where Teller maintains the nonspeaking persona he originated as a solo act dodging sprays of beer foam at frat parties. A pivotal point was the creation of a theatrical production, Asparagus Valley Cultural Society, with a musical partner and Jillette.
The two magicians found they had a similar work ethic as well as yin-yang chemistry, with extrovert Jillette handling the juggling and fire-breathing aspects while Teller’s voiceless presentations range from serene sequences to more macabre pastures of prestidigitation. There could be blood involved, a saxophone causing a tissue to dance in the air or a school of goldfish materializing out of nowhere.
Jillette’s instantly recognizable voice was most effective at explaining the more elaborate contraptions that relied on Teller’s physicality and ability to escape situations with death-defying dexterity.
The ’70s had been about Doug Henning’s The Magic Show on Broadway and David Copperfield introducing great escapes and illusions to television audiences. Penn & Teller were embraced by post-punk culture, pushing boundaries in the ’80s onstage and onscreen at a time of conformity and compliance in society. Penn was big and brash. Teller’s silence suggested secret knowledge.
They became an off-Broadway sensation and were embraced by New York’s culturati. Appearances on Saturday Night Live and Late Night with David Letterman made them household names, but it was their debut at the Rio Las Vegas in 2001 (they began their residency in 2002) that made them a Las Vegas institution.
Now they are preparing for their biggest trick yet: how to observe and celebrate their golden anniversary. It’s probably something they think of as they play select dates away from Vegas then come back and hit the workshop to fine-tune a few gimmicks, build out new stage design and lay the groundwork for the next great trick.
Rio Las Vegas, 5+. ticketmaster.com
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