Penn & Teller Return to Chicago in an Immersive Magic Show

Penn & Teller are back on the (virtual) stage in Chicago. They returned to their Vegas residence this fall after more than 400 days away.

Why is this important: The world-renowned magicians have been performing in Chicago for three decades and perform a card trick in Jamie Allan’s Magic Immersive on video at 360 N. State Street.

• “A lot of magic came out of Chicago,” Penn Jillette told Axios. “What’s great is that it’s started again. You have great magic theaters, dedicated venues. Chicago has always been a wonderful place for us.”

Between the lines: What makes Penn & Teller special is how they bring the public with them. It is not a question of deceiving them, but of showing them how they are deceived.

• “Magic deals with what reality is. It’s a very important intellectual form,” says Jillette. “Magic is automatically immersive because it is the involuntary suspension of disbelief.”
• “As music is wonderful for dealing with love, so magic is wonderful for dealing with truth.”

And after: Penn & Teller have a small role in this new show, but that’s not stopping them from planning their own shows here in the future.

• “I really feel at home and we have a great audience here. I’m always very happy to play in Chicago. We’ll be back as soon as possible to do a Penn & Teller show.”

When in Chicago“There’s a lot of good vegan food. We just went to Sunda and it was just amazing. I think it’s my favorite restaurant in Chicago.”