Penn & Teller Theater — Attraction in Paradise

We attended the February 28th show. It was okay, I'm certainly glad I got to see them perform live. However, I was relatively unimpressed by the tricks performed as I was able to decipher how they did most before the trick was over. The tricks were also super basic and I also feel like with I could've done a good portion of the them with some good preparation, and I'm no magician. I've just watched them enough to know. At the beginning of the show Penn bashed Cirque Du Soleil and made it known that they switch their shows up so none are the same. That's exactly why I feel the need to write which segments my show had below. They started with a cloth cutting gag involving a young girl they brought up from the crowd. Teller performed the gag while Penn narrated. After the trick Teller threw the "extra" cut up cloth after the skit to the first row. Next up was the broken dreams skit, which Penn performed largely solo. The audience wrote their dreams on colorful paper, balled them up and threw them on stage. The trick here was sleight of hand, which Penn performed flawlessly using a clear glass vase and misdirection just before the very end to solidify the end. Teller was dressed up in a bathtub kissing a frog to complete the trick. Next up was a card gag where they took 6 volunteers on stage and passed balloons around the crowd that each had a playing card inside. The trick was that the 6 on stage each paired up with cards that the crowd "could have picked" but didnt. This was my least favorite trick of the night, it was a very slow build up to a predictable finish. The crowd themselves if they knew what they were doing could've disproved the whole trick here. I donated a dollar to a "good cause" so a little girl could have a t-shirt. The girl then picked a dollar from the donation box and read it out loud. The trick was that the robot (Pygo I believe) could tell what the individuals dollars serial number was without seeing it. This was another solo Penn act. Another predictable finish too. Would have loved to have seen this performed with Penn standing across the stage and not directly over the little girls shoulder. Teller performed a "fish tank and coin" segment with a female volunteer which was extremely well performed. I should know how this is done, and I'm guessing it's trick mirror based, but I'm not certain. Penn and his bluezy Mike Jones band performed the "Blue Kazoo" song while Teller performed the trick. Not a great segment since Teller had his back to the crowd for the finale. There was a biblical skit to close it out. They took a lot of "non magic believers" and people who believe they use "planted stooges" for stage volunteers for this segment. Watch for Teller and the signed envelope once the chapters are decided (after darts are thrown at the board) the skit itself with Penn is major misdirection. But since they brought the bible into it and actually read passages during it, I was pretty uninterested during this skit. I was never in doubt about them using stooges even before Penn asked my girlfriend to volunteer for the skit where someone draws a card on Tellers forehead (she declined). But they really aim to prove this to the audience. This show was great for people who have never seen tricks performed like the Cups and Balls. Don't get me wrong, I can not perform Cups and Balls, but I know where to look, when to look there, and where not to look. I've watched Penn and Teller perform legitimately mesmerizing skits and tricks on YouTube and Fool Us and watched their interviews and whatnot online. I love what they do and I'm pleased that I was able to see them live. So I'll give this show 4 stars, but can understand why people...

I’ve been a Penn & Teller fan for over almost 40 years, and was absolutely thrilled to go to the live show, been waiting for a long time to come to Vegas and see them.

I was thoroughly disappointed.

Tricks went bad, especially the main one the show’s theme is based on.

They goofed it up, and it was very clear.

Penn told the audience member who partially messed up the big trick “I f’king hate you.”

Penn seemed just angry at audience members who were chosen to participate in bits, it didn’t feel like him being sarcastic like his personality is normally, it felt like he was genuinely being mean for some reason.

He was literally swearing at a little girl they used for the opening bit, she looked terrified as she was pushed around the stage and used for jokes.

Everything felt “off” with the performance, jokes fell flat, many parts of the audience didn’t have any real interaction with some bits.

And, the biggest letdown for me was the lack of a “Meet & Greet” that has been a longstanding tradition for their shows.

Every review I read says they are famous for their one on one interactions after performances, and how personable and approachable they are.

It’s supposed to be part of why their performances are so amazing.

I booked our tickets 3 months in advance, and spent those 3 months reading about how awesome it was to meet them in person and get a quick photo…

…and nothing.

No announcement that it wasn’t taking place for some reason, either.

I even bought an item from their gift shop, before the show, that was sold as an item to get autographed, and now I have a plain postcard that cost me 5 bucks.

Penn & Teller also seem…sad, tired and robotic.

I’m kind of crushed, this was not what...

Could not see the show because I had a breastfeeding infant with me. The manager was called when the gate people weren't sure if i should be allowed in with my husband and older kids. The manager literally told me the content was inappropriate... i guess she doesnt know that infants cant talk or understand jokes? Then she changed her story and said well theres a part where balloons pop, and what would a baby do in the show anyways, fall asleep? I said yes, she will nurse and just fall asleep. Then she said, well its says clearly on ticketmaster that tickets are for 5+ yrs. I told her it didnt say anything about breastfeeding infants, which are treated as part of the mom by every other business and show ive been too.

I guess theyve never had this happen so didnt have a good policy in place. I had to sit outside the gate on the floor, feeding my baby, while my family enjoyed the show.

Ive seen the show many years ago and enjoyed it, but i cant give stars to a business that makes things difficult for breastfeeding moms. Thats a very outdated way of doing things - need to get with the times and accomodate breastfeeding moms. (Cabt tell you how many disabled and drunk people walked in while i sat outside - they accomodated them...