Piff & Pop's Magic Shoppe

Penn Jillette and Piff the Magic Dragon are bringing Piff & Pop's Magic Shoppe to the Grand Opera House on Saturday 19 September, starting at 19:30. It's a strange pairing on paper — Jillette, the half of the legendary Penn & Teller, and Piff, the deadpan dragon who rose to fame on America's Got Talent — but they've built a whole tour around it.

The night is split into two halves. The first features solo acts from both: Penn's storytelling and sleight of hand on one side, and Piff's eccentric comedy and illusions on the other. Piff is joined by Mr Piffles, the world's only magic-performing Chihuahua, who's a regular part of the act. The second half is where the two come together and perform as a duo.

There's a fair bit of context to the pairing. For Penn Jillette, this is his first UK tour without his partner of fifty years, Teller. For Piff — whose real name is John van der Put — these are his first UK shows in over a decade. The London-born performer has been headlining his own residency at the Flamingo Las Vegas since 2015, and Jillette describes him as a genius. Between them, they've framed the tour as a 'father/son bonding trip'.

So you'll get Penn's storytelling, Piff's dry comedy, and Mr Piffles, all in one evening. It's at the Grand Opera House in York on 19 September, with the show starting at 19:30.