Life is but a balancing act— it’s day and night, right and wrong, yin and yang, and at Rio Las Vegas it’s magic in the making when a tall talent with the gift of gab meets a short silent type. While the dynamic duo has made headlining history for over 30 years, Penn & Teller are a breath of fresh air in their showcase that reinvents routine and transcends trademark tricks.
Arrive a half hour early to catch the “show before the show”—a jazz duet comprised of Mike Jones on the piano and multifaceted maestro, Penn Jillette, vamping stand-up bass as audience members play an interactive guessing game.
As the curtain rises to reveal the only Las Vegas showroom home to “God-given miracles,” Penn & Teller enlist crowd participation for signature acts while teasing trials of new material and novel narratives. Featuring birthday balloons, coins, cards, and a mysteriously misplaced monkey, the performance is taken to new heights when the pair recover a needle from a haystack and reappear a credit card from neatly nested trashcans. After Teller experiments with a tank of shapeshifting goldfish, Penn demystifies his most impressive memory tricks, layering intrigue, integrity, and insider intel for the audience to appreciate. Before curtain call this trained twosome invites onlookers to the stage to search for hidden bells, whistles, and trap doors before they disappear an elephant into thin air and accomplish the impossible—offering the never-before seen to a city that’s seen it all. riolasvegas.com
