Magic Roadshow

“Such stuff as dreams are made on …”

William Shakespeare wrote those words for Prospero, the conjurer at the heart of “The Tempest.”

But they also apply to another magician: Teller (the smaller, quieter half of Rio headliners Penn &Teller), whose dream of a re-imagined, magic-fueled “Tempest” will come true at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts in April.

The world premiere of Teller’s “Tempest,” adapted and directed by Teller and award-winning playwright and director Aaron Posner, will be staged April 5-13 in a 500-seat, climate-controlled tent in Symphony Park. Ticket sales begin Jan. 10.

The Smith Center’s first co-production (and its first Shakespeare), “The Tempest” will be presented in association with Harvard University’s Tony-winning American Repertory Theater.

In addition to Teller’s magic, the production will feature music by Tom Waits and movement by Matt Kent, associate artistic director of the shape-shifting troupe Pilobolus.

“This is a whole new thing for Las Vegas,” says Teller, who previously collaborated with Posner on a 2008 version of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth.”

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Criss Angel reveals new Luxor show to run during rehab for shoulder surgery..     By Robin Leach for the Las Vegas Sun

Shoulder surgery that Strip illusionist Criss Angel faces in January has led him to create a show to take the place of “Believe” at Luxor during his February and March rehabilitation therapy.

This morning, just hours after Tuesday night’s finale of his 10-part Spike TV series “Believe,” Criss officially confirmed what I have rumored at Vegas DeLuxe the past few months.

Criss is now set to launch a limited-engagement show, “Criss Angel Magic Jam,” that will showcase in place of “Believe” for two months. Criss will return to “Believe” in April for the second five-year run of his current 10-year contract with Cirque du Soleil…

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