Penn Jillette and his silent sidekick Raymond Teller have been performing their magic/comedy act all over the U.S. and tonight they will be bringing their nationally famous style to Emens Auditorium.
"We perform at a lot of colleges... they are famously good," Penn said.
Penn said that his and Teller's shared hatred for magic shows was the reason they began performing together.
"The idea is to do a magic show for people who hate magic shows," said Penn. "We want to do something different."
Together the pair have been performing for 27 years, show-casing their offbeat style on stage such as off-Broadway, then to Broadway. The pair has also been seen on "Late Night with David Letterman," "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," and several other late shows.
"You're supposed to mellow as you get older, but we've gone stronger," said Penn.
Penn said they never planned on making money, but because of the fame, they have been able to get a bigger budget, as well as a bigger show.
As they bring their show to Emens, Penn said the idea is to play up the intensity of the act.
"The biggest thing in theater is to exploit the fact that it's a trick... to have your heart and mind collide as fast as you can, it's a wonderful thing," said Penn.
Penn said performing for a college audience greatly increases the intensity.
"It's always better at colleges, it's a lot more fun, a little faster and more thoughtful," said Penn. "We have more room to do stranger and creepier things."
An example of this is the signature bullet catch at the end of the show.
Penn and Teller have been performing for all these years, and through all this time Penn said that it's a one-person show with two people... only one doesn't talk.
Teller rarely vocalizes himself during the performances, thus adding another quirk to the already different show.
The pair is constantly writing new ideas, but according to Penn, Teller said every time we build a song, we have to invent and build the instrument as well. This is referring to the authenticity of their acts.
"Because we like to do really intense, really dangerous stuff, it's important that things are really safe." said Penn. "Everything has to be worked perfectly."
As well as perfecting their acts, both Penn and Teller enjoy writing on the side. Penn does a lot of political writing as well as musical performances in Las Vegas.
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