These Las Vegas legends show how magic is done with prestigious honor
LONDON — Penn and Teller have spent 50 years advancing the art of magic. But they have often ran afoul of the culture’s vaunted institutions.
The Magic Circle is one of them. Founded in this city in 1905, the society for magicians has refused to induct P&T because they have revealed how tricks are achieved. The duo have shown in their act at the Rio how sleight-of-hand and large-scale illusions are performed.
But last week the organization came full circle (as it were), announcing the Rio headliners would be made members and honored at the Centre for the Magic Arts. A total of 1,750 members have been invited as members, with including King Charles (a huge fan of the medium) an honorary member.
The formal announcement fell in line with Penn and Teller’s first series at the legendary Palladium, a celebration of their 50th anniversary.
“For years, the guys were not allowed in the Magic Circle, it’s in their tenets or whatever that if you reveal the secrets, you cannot be allowed,” their longtime manager, Glenn Alai, said Wednesday in a chat from the theater’s seats. “So, they would do things like, ‘Hey, we’re doing a big Penn and Teller display in our lobby. Could we have this, this, this, this, this, and this? I said, “Does that mean they’re going to be inducted?’ And it was, ‘Oh, no.’”
But the floodgates of the duo’s achievements and longevity have burst. On Friday, Penn and Teller were inducted as members into the heightened organization. Magic Circle President Marvin Berglas performed the swift ceremony on the Palladium steps.
Berglas told The New York Times the duo had revealed otherwise verboten magic secrets but praised their “entirely different and creative method.”
Backing those words with action, Berglas also awarded P&T the Marvin Berglas Award, the organization’s highest honor.
The guys accepted with characteristic aplomb.
“There has perhaps been some criticism in the past for apparently exposing certain secrets,” Berglas said. “However, to those really in the know, the magic was always their original and artistic performances, whereby audiences thought they understood how something may have been done, only then to be utterly fooled by an entirely different original method. And for that, Penn & Teller really are the kings.”
Teller said during the ceremony, “We know this wasn’t easy. We spent years making fun of the Magic Circle. But your members took the high road, forgave us, and welcomed us in.”
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.
