(seen at the performance on 15th September 2026)
In magic, some things go together like Paul and Debbie, Young and Strange, Sooty and Sweep, Penn and Teller.
What happens when Teller’s kidney has failed and he waits nervously at home for his transplant tomorrow?
The answer is a video from him, explaining the situation (yes, he speaks, a lovely soft tone). Meanwhile Penn is touring with his own adopted son, America’s Got Talent runner-up and Las Vegas star in-his-own-right Piff The Magic Dragon.
Two and a half hilarious hours ensue.
Penn opens the show with his usual “misdirection” routine, noting that what works in politics applies less so in magic… because in magic it has to be even stupider than politics.
He demonstrates with two routines familiar from his 2025 London Palladium outing. The chicken / gorilla substitution is side-splitting. Audience volunteer Charlotte follows, waving her tassels to great applause as Penn cuts and restores a rope… or has us following the narrative that he is doing so.
On with the nail gun. Another Penn classic that has the audience wincing yet enthralled at the Russian Roulette.
Time for the Dragon to enter. Of 400 or so “Fool Us!” acts, only two became friends – Piff is one of them.
A moment for a beer (you had to be there) and a baffling “Pizza Clock” routine set to a time suggested at random by two audience members.
First real goofball of the night, as UCL Education lecturer Ashley in the back row is the only person with £20 in cash. Except… he has two tenners… and turns out Lee on the front row had a twenty all along.
Jade Simone, the showgirl legend makes her first appearance – a ‘ball of feathered energy like a chicken exploded,’ quips Piff.
We meet magic Mr Piffles II, a chihuahua cloned for $60,000 and worth every penny after a string of disastrous tryouts to replace Mr Piffles I. The animated tale is hilarious, again you had to be etc, etc.
A puzzle piece is chosen, and from his box, Mr P completes it. Sadly the close-up camerawork isn’t quite up to P&T standards all night, but we get the idea. We also got a camel and a camel balloon. You had to be…
Mad Scottish joke as Piff plays his pet like bagpipes, and on to meeting “Jimmy.” A long and stupidly brilliant “find my card” routine, involving a mind-blowingly good 10-year-old girl from the audience, a blunt knife and a lot of orphan jokes (sometimes sick, but).
The £20 note emerges at the end, and Piff returns two ten pound notes to Ashley. Now, that’s attention to detail, switching the trick to roll with the crowd.
Second half, the story of Piff on video, and a strict instruction to watch the safe suspended over the stage.
Penn is in a motorised wheelchair that does more than it looks. Missing his usual co-star, Piff does the doughnut on a string routine invented by Teller… and it’s brilliant.
Elinor (age 32, important) is our audience’s Princess for the night. Her hair is sent for testing to prove her high-ranking, her ring ends up inside Mr Piffles (who drives, of course) and is flushed out…
Paul Daniels tribute, the ring turns up in an egg. Annoying, as there was a bottle of ring cleaner all along (write your own joke here, they do).
A quick mini-card production trick from Piff, and on to some card juggling.
The monkey shuffled some of the cards itself, and can confirm they are real. Piff and Penn, two audience members either side of them. Can they both memorise a pack, and know which audience member has the cards to throw as they call them? What do you think… A neat change of pace.
On to sandwiches. Neil Patrick Harris ate Piff’s original “America’s Got Talent” sarnie – and Piff is still mad.
Using the craziest audience volunteers ever – we are talking dingbat legends – a new sandwich is concocted. High security, that flying safe reveals all. Do not ask why, but it is the glory of top-class magic presentation that it does. And the sandwich gets Princess Elinor approval.
Finally, the duo take (literally) the piss out of audience member Rebecca. We follow her as far as decency permits, and wince again as she drops the bottle down the loo…
Piff is revealed as evil, diverting Teller’s kidney to London from its Vegas destination, just to keep touring with Penn.
Teller reveals that we’ve been manipulated from the start – and that he has fine taste in holiday companions…
And that’s over two hours of glorious magical presentation. Unlike the anaemic “Now You See Me Live” this is fast, hilarious and contains unique material that is almost impossible to figure out.
Hopefully Piff will tour solo some time in the UK, and we will see Penn & Teller back here too.
This magic shoppe is a high street marvel, grab a bargain from it while you can.
5 stars.