Michael Carbonaro Takes Over Penn & Teller’s Theatre

As world-famous magicians Penn & Teller embark on their first Australian tour, the pair have handed over the reins of their Las Vegas residency, the Penn & Teller Theater, to a friend and fellow TV magician, Michael Carbonaro.

Penn described Carbonaro as ‘one of [his] favorite magicians and [him and Teller] are so happy to be able to present him in his first extended Las Vegas run’, whilst Teller praised Carbonaro’s stage presence as ‘about midway between Disney and The Rocky Horror Show’.

In a short clip advertising the changeover, Penn & Teller can be seen leaving through the stage door of their self-titled Theater as Penn tells the backstage crew to lock up whilst they’re on their seven-week tour down-under, when Carbonaro stealthily sneaks past them, rubs his hands and gleefully exclaims ‘things are going to be a little different around here’. Another trailer features a montage of tricks in the show and displays the magician’s unique charm and wit.

The show itself, cleverly titled ‘Michael Carbonaro: Lies On Stage’, has been presented by the iconic double act, and is now running all the way up to July 10th. Although mostly known for his TV show, ‘The Carbonaro Effect’, his wealth of stage experience suggests that this Las Vegas run is one not to be missed. In fact, he has been touring his live show since 2016, and has so far amassed plenty of rave reviews, with audience members such as Jack, from Reno, calling it ‘Truly a Must See Show’ and Mailena, Florida, saying it’s ‘A fantastic show. Jaws were dropping left and right.’

Being the first time Penn & Teller have ‘[turned] the keys of [their] theater over to someone else’ means Michael has not one but two big pairs of shoes to fill. The duo are widely known for their hit TV Show, Penn & Teller: Fool Us, in which magicians attempt to fool two of the greatest minds in magic. In turn, Carbonaro’s ‘The Carbonaro Effect’ is hugely popular, with numerous viral clips on YouTube.

If you’ve never seen his show, you really should check it out. The premise is simple: ‘Michael performs baffling tricks on unsuspecting people in everyday situations, all caught on hidden camera’. By taking tricks into the real world, outside of the stereotypical magic context, Carbonaro achieves reactions that are completely authentic, astonished, and often hilarious. A personal favorite trick/prank, simply called Crabby Transformation, is when he convinces a medical student that an alien life form has hatched during a science demonstration. Her response is out of this world (I know, I’m hilarious) and well worth watching.

If you want to see the show but you’re not in Vegas, don’t panic! With dates already set in Illinois in August and more to be announced elsewhere, the future looks busy for Michael Carbonaro. And if you’re desperate for Penn & Teller to return, they’ll be back on July 14th, presumably with cork hats and speaking with an Aussie twang (well, mostly Teller, that is).