Penn and Teller are a comedic double act in magic who are somewhat eccentric in their performances.  Teller, now legally his full name but originally Raymond Teller, does not speak during their performances so it is left to Penn Jillette to promote the illusion with his storytelling.  Teller usually does any “off screen” narration.

Penn and Teller met in 1975, originally performing as a trio, with Weir Chrisamer, as an act called Asparagus Valley Cultural Society. It wasn’t until 1981 that Penn and Teller performed as a duo only and just four years later, they appeared on television for the first time in Penn and Teller Go Public.

The tricks of Penn and Teller are often presented with a humorous slant but also rely greatly on shock appeal with some of the gory effects they produce.

Not surprisingly, Penn and Teller have enraged other magicians for publicly revealing how some tricks are done.  However, the tricks revealed by Penn and Teller are usually variants of other tricks we already know but they have stamped their mark on them, and the reveals are only what they have added to the original tricks.
Having said that, some old-school magicians still believe that revealing any magic trick to the outside community is against the principles of the magician’s code.

But upsetting magicians has not stopped the rise of Penn and Teller.  Throughout the 1990’s, they managed to do several television one-off programs and even a series for Channel 4 in the UK.

Both Penn and Teller have written quite a few books on the subject of magic, some they have co-written and others are separate pieces of work.  Notable ones are “How To Play In Traffic”, “How To Play With Your Food” and “Cruel Trick’s for Dear Friends”.

Indeed, Penn and Teller have hit the big heights of Las Vegas since 2001 where they perform six nights a week.  Penn and Teller have also made it to Hollywood with several films under their belts.

Whatever you think about Penn and Teller, they are guaranteed to make audiences want more and long may their success continue.