Penn Jillette's first solo UK tour stopped in York

York has just come off the back of a night that won't be repeated anytime soon. On Saturday 19 September, the Grand Opera House played host to Penn Jillette and Piff The Magic Dragon as part of their first UK tour together, 'Piff & Pop's Magic Shoppe', and it was a first of its kind for both performers involved.

For Penn Jillette, this was the first time he has toured the UK without his partner of half a century, Teller. The two have been half of the world-renowned duo Penn & Teller since the 1970s and have headlined at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas since 2001, which holds the distinction of being the longest-running magic residency in Las Vegas history. They are also members of the Magic Circle. For Piff The Magic Dragon, the tour marked his first UK shows in over a decade. The character is played by John van der Put, a London-born performer from Forest Hill in southeast London, who rose to international fame on America's Got Talent and has headlined his own residency at the Flamingo Las Vegas since 2015, performing more than 2,000 shows.

The show was built around a simple, effective structure. The first act gave each performer their own time in the spotlight: Pop, as Penn Jillette calls himself for the tour, took his solo turn, followed by Piff The Magic Dragon, who was joined by Mr Piffles, billed as the world's only magic-performing Chihuahua. The second act brought the two back together as a duo for a finale, closing the night on a joint note rather than a solo one.

York was one of nine dates on the tour, which ran from 10 to 21 September. It opened at the Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre on Thursday 10 September, before heading to the Cardiff New Theatre on Friday 11, the Brighton Theatre Royal on Sunday 13, London's Indigo at The O2 on Tuesday 15, the Birmingham Alexandra Theatre on Wednesday 16, and the Manchester Opera House on Thursday 17. After the York stop, the tour continued to the Tyne Theatre in Newcastle on Sunday 20 and finished at the Glasgow Pavilion Theatre on Monday 21. The London leg at The O2 carried an age restriction of no under-fives.

On tickets, prices started at £36.75, with a presale through AEG Presents at 10am on Thursday 25 September and general sale the following day, Friday 26 September. At the time of the tour's announcement, some listings were still showing as 'no tickets on sale', so it was the kind of show that rewarded anyone who had been keeping a close eye on the booking pages.

Given the pedigree on stage, it was a rare pairing for York. Jillette's residency in Las Vegas is the longest in the city's history, and Piff's run at the Flamingo is one of the most prolific on the Strip. To have both of them sharing a bill, and for Jillette to be doing it solo for the first time in the UK, made the York date a genuine one-off. If you missed it, the tour has now run its course, but it's worth knowing it happened here.