I saw Penn and Teller last week which was the highlight of my Vegas trip. Darn, I forgot to bring my autographed James Randi business card, but I got them to sign a playing card and a copy of the ‘bill of rights’.
Anyway, the first trick they do involves a box that has been sitting on stage prior to the show. I think I have an idea how it was done, but I want to see if I can get some evidence from someone who is going and can watch for specific happening.
I’m not inclined right now to give away what I think happened and how it was done. but I might later, or in a PM.
Also those who have seen the show (and that specific trick) may chime in.
IIRC, there’s a wooden crate onstage before the show which has one panel removed. I believe the crate is on casters, too. The audience is invited up on stage to inspect the crate, Many dozens of people do.
Shortly before the show begins, a stagehand fastens the absent panel on the crate, fully enclosing it. (I can’t remember if there’s another part to this, I think the crate is moved to a slightly different part of the stage, but not removed from view of the audience.) The show begins, and Teller pops out from the crate.
I’ve seen a P&T show and recall a different version of the trick than Ravenman does:
The box sits on stage the entire time, and people before the show are invited to inspect it. Partway through the show Teller is locked inside it, and Penn tells you that if you don’t want to ruin the magic for yourself, you should close your eyes for a moment. If you don’t close your eyes, you see the top of the box along with part of the sides of the box that the top is locked to, slide up and Teller come out. Penn then tells you you can open your eyes and Teller pretends that he just did something miraculous.
I saw their show a couple of years ago, and this trick was included. I saw how it was done. Don’t know if I should spoil it for everyone here, but if the OP wants to send me a private message I can confirm/deny.
This is the one, though there isn’t an absent panel that gets put on the box. The top is attached to the box by hinges, so that it is attached to one side. THe box is upended on stage such that the ‘top’ is actually more like a door. THe stagehand lays the box down, closes the lid and the show begins.
When I went to their Vegas show they did this trick, but during the pre-show milling around Penn was over on the side of the stage playing standup bass and watching the audience pretty closely. Presumably to zero in on the folks he wanted to call up for tricks later on.
Tthere are a lot of Penn and Teller clips on youtube.
In one of them, they proudly show you how the trick is done. (it’s a trick with 3 cups and a ball hidden in one of them, that switches places, and then miraculously disappears to be replaced by a piece of fruit. )
For other clips—search on the words “fool us”–those are clips of a British show in which Penn and Teller judge other magicians (amateurs).
If the amateur succeeds in fooling P&T, he wins an invitation to perform on stage in Las Vegas. But if he doesn’t succeed in fooling them, they critique the performance, and give the audience hints as to how the trick was done.
Fun to watch, and fun to challenge yourself, and see if you can figure out how it’s done.
The “trick” I loved is the one they played on a volunteer. They had her close her eyes and to all of her senses Penn was performing magic with her hands and rings. The rest of us could clearly see that Teller was acting as half the hands and could see the misdirection. She was amazed and we were all entertained.
When I went, the crate was on stage during the preshow, but don’t recall it being involved in a trick during the show. It was just there next to the line to sign the big card they would later reveal out of an envelope.
When we bought the tickets, I played the, “pick the seat to get chosen to go on stage” game and won. I was up there for the Bill of Rights spiel with the metal detector.
I missed out of a greatbtick idea of my own by thinking of it a day later. It’s one you can pull on an unsuspecting friend if you wait to meet the guys after the show:
A live variation of their three-of-clubs-on-TV trick. Before the show, get a deck of cards and force the three of clubs on the friend. Shuffle up and proceed to NOT guess the right card. Don’t let them tell you, just eventually give up. Take the deck (and friend) to either Penn or Teller and ask if either of them can get the trick to work, because you couldn’t. Watch your friend be amazed.
