Penn & Teller are leaving them wanting more in their run at Marquis Theater in New York. The latest “financials” are the most impressive yet for the duo’s first Broadway run in nearly 25 years.
Figures released by Broadway League and reported today by The New York Times show that Penn & Teller turned in a $1.4 million gross last week, a number surpassed by only “Aladdin,” “The Book of Mormon,” “The Lion King” and “Wicked.” P&T have consistently sold more tickets since opening July 7 than any non-musical on Broadway.
The most recent audience counts, from last week, are 12,145 in eight shows, or 1,518 tickets sold per show in a 1,611-capacity theater. More important, the show’s producers have recouped their $2.85 million investment in the show (announcing that benchmark Friday), meaning shows now are turning pure profit.
The run ends Saturday, about the time Penn & Teller celebrate their 40th anniversary of their performing partnership. The latest name-checks to visit the production include Neil Patrick Harris, Julia Roberts, Joel Grey and Bernadette Peters. The Las Vegas show, which will incorporate many of the newly refined acts in the Broadway production, is back Aug. 22.
It’s official; magic’s back. For so long lampooned as high camp, dated trickery, shows such as Britain’s Got Talent and modern pioneers like Derren Brown have made magic trendy once more.
The fact that Impossible is filling the Noel Coward Theatre is testament to this. The high octane and slick evening skillfully mixes together contributions from a talented cast, spanning the fields of escapology, sleight of hand and mind reading.
There are a number of big ticket stunts that truly take the breath away; a car ‘disappears’, an assistant levitates and is chopped in half and a helicopter appears as if from nowhere. However fastidiously you stare at hands or look for secret trap doors, the mask does not slip and the tricks remain truly impressive.
The show is littered with verbal and graphical references to respected magicians from years gone by, adding a sense of history and showing the evolution of the craft. Whilst some of the tricks go back centuries (although are no less impressive for that) Jamie Allan, a digital marvel, was making magic happen using iPads and lasers. The mix between old and new worked well and diversity of magical genres made for an exciting evening.
The staging was dynamic and enthralling throughout, supported by some creative direction and a fast-moving set. Michael Bradley’s epic score excelled in building tension and the big screens were well used to shed light on some of the sleight of hand trickery. The narrative behind the show centred on a young boy learning the joys of magic, which whilst a tad cheesy, helped to add cohesion and emotional heft.
The strongest aspect of this production is that it knows exactly when to invite the audience in on the fun. Rather than pretending magic is some sort of closed shop of wizardry, audience members are encouraged to play a part in the acts, whether it’s volunteering to go on stage or offering suggestions to the performers. The highly charming and entertaining Luis de Matos even taught the audience to do their own magic trick, a nice touch that went down well on the night.
Jonathan Goodwin in Impossible. Photo: Helen Maybanks
The big star of the night was Jonathan Goodwin; a frighteningly chiseled and daring escapologist who put himself through all manner of pain. He freed himself from a straitjacket whilst on fire early in the show and later on succeeded in crossbowing an object from his wife’s hand, William Tell style. Goodwin has a wonderful rapport with the audience and some of his riskier stunts could only be watched from between the fingers.
On the other end of the magical spectrum, Chris Cox, a youthful and lively ‘mind reader’, is clearly one to watch, He has the manner of a sort of T4 Derren Brown, providing comic relief, as well as some very impressive audience participation tricks. Ali Cook was also a revelation, successfully re-creating Houdini’s terrifying water tank escape with panache and good humour.
Katherine Mills, who was billed to perform, sadly had to miss this performance and her absence was very much felt gender-wise. Whilst there were a few women in the company, they filled the old school ‘magician’s assistant’ role of being put in boxes and chopped into pieces. The magic industry seems to struggle to attract women and hopefully Mills’ return will inspire a new generation of female Dynamos.
Some doubted whether a magic show could thrive in the modern day West End but Impossible truly provides a first-class spectacle. It is intelligently staged and well cast, with a mix of mind-boggling tricks and stunts that will leave you thinking all the way home.
About Danny Coleman-CookeDanny is an experienced writer; his experience includes writing for the BBC’s Have I Got News for You, Channel 4’s Paralympics coverage, and the Premier League’s live match commentary. He has also managed social media accounts for a number of major brands, including Tesco, The Guardian and the BBC. He’s a well-established speechwriter, scriptwriter and copywriter and has written for a wide range of famous faces in the world of politics and entertainment. Danny is a huge theatre fan and was part of the writing team for the 2015 Olivier Awards.
How the glamorous assistants are taking over: Women make better magicians than men, claims president of the Magic Circle..
Women are taking a leading role in magic which could soon see men ‘dressed in Spandex’ and being sawn in half after nearly a century of being excluded.
The Magic Circle was founded as a gentleman’s club in 1905 but women were not allowed to join until 1991.
But after such a long time being excluded, the club’s president Scott Penrose now thinks that women could become better magicians than men.
In an interview with The Independent, he said that the tide is turning on the male-dominated art, and that women’s bodies may even be better suited to certain tricks. Read more and watch the videos at:
By Mike Weatherford for the Las Vegas Review-Journal..
The home stretch of summer preserves some uniquely Las Vegas traditions for magicians and the TV exposure that helps them. Especially the one in the green dragon costume…
Piff the Magic Dragon (John van der Put) sailed to the live competition of NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” after Neil Patrick Harris, who makes no secret of his fondness for magic, used his “golden buzzer” to send the comic magician straight to the next round of competition at Radio City Music Hall starting Tuesday, bypassing the rest of the preliminaries.
In the long term, at least, that’s good news for “X Comedy — Uncensored Fun” at the Flamingo. Producer Angela Stabile says Piff will return to the show Sept. 3, so he would be flying back and forth to New York until the “Talent” finale Sept. 16 if he goes the distance.
But next week, he goes straight from “Talent” to the Edinburgh Fringe festival to do the long version of his act, “Breakfast at Piffany’s,” Friday through Aug. 29. Piff is being spelled in “X Comedy” by the funny juggling dude comedian Todd Paul, so audiences are still getting a strong variety show.
