TV Magician Michael Carbonaro Joins ‘Penn & Teller’ for Rio Las Vegas Shows

Posted on: October 31, 2022, 11:20h. 

Last updated on: October 31, 2022, 01:48h.

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Michael Carbonaro, star of the hit TruTV show The Carbonaro Effect, is filling in for Raymond Teller at upcoming Penn & Teller dates at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino Las Vegas this November and December.

Michael Carbonaro Penn & Teller Rio Las Vegas
Magician Michael Carbonaro is taking Teller’s place in “Penn & Teller” at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Carbonaro is filling in for Teller as he recovers from open-heart surgery. (Image: Provided)

Teller — legally Raymond Joseph Teller — announced in early October that his longtime magic residency at the off-Strip casino resort with Penn Jillette was being postponed as he recovers from open-heart surgery.

Penn & Teller are the longest-running Sin City headliners to call the same stage home in the history of Las Vegas. The famed duo’s magic and comedy show debuted in 2001 at the Caesars Entertainment-operated casino.

Carbonaro’s engagements with Penn Jillette are slated for November 23-26 and December 23-30. Tickets for Carbonaro’s opening night opposite Jillette at the Rio start at $76. With taxes and Ticketmaster fees, the full cost of the ticket comes to $113.60.

President Joe Biden announced last week his administration’s plan to limit so-called “junk fees,” where hidden costs are later added to the purchase price of a good or service. The president says concert tickets will be part of the review.

For the Penn & Michael tickets, the $76 advertised ticket price is before Ticketmaster tacks on its mandatory $13 service fee, $11.25 facility charge, and $5.50 order processing fee.

Special Guest

The Penn & Michael shows at the Rio will occasionally include a special guest when he feels up for it. Jillette says the performances with Carbonaro will allow Teller to make appearances as capable.

Carbonaro and I do the show, and Teller can come out and do 10 minutes as a special guest,” Jillette explained to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “He said his biggest problem is going to be stamina. This will give him a chance to feel what it’s like.”

Carbonaro could attract a new audience to Rio’s Penn & Teller Theater. While Penn & Teller are two of the world’s most popular and recognized magicians, Teller is 74 years old and Jillette is 67. Carbonaro is only 47 and his show resonated with younger audiences.

“The Carbonaro Effect” is a magic hidden camera television show where Carbonaro routinely uses magic to prank unsuspecting people. The series ran for five seasons and nearly 100 episodes before the pandemic caused it to go on hiatus.

TruTV, which aired the program, has not said whether it plans to resume production of the series.

Full Return Expected

Teller hopes to resume his full performance duties in December or early next year. The magician has performed thousands of shows during his illustrious career.

A lot of people go through this surgery and come back,” Jillette explained. “Teller is in pretty good shape. We don’t have a background of drugs and cigarettes and stuff like that.”

Penn & Teller met in the early 1970s and performed their first show together on Aug. 19, 1975, at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival.