Las Vegas magicians Penn and Teller have been making people laugh, cringe and gasp by sawing people in half, cracking jokes and exposing fraud for 30 years.
On Wednesday, the comedic tricksters will perform at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts at 7:30 p.m.
The show will be free and open to the public.
Penn and Teller were chosen to perform because they combine entertainment and prominence, said Corey Portnoy, Accent’s chief of staff.
Penn and Teller have written three best-selling books, received 11 Emmy nominations for their television series “Penn & Teller: Bullshit!” and recently celebrated the fifth year of their Las Vegas show at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, according to the Penn and Teller website.
In Gainesville, their performance will consist of question-and-answer audience participation, as well as demonstrations of illusions and tricks, said Glenn Alai, executive director of the show.
Accent is paying $57,500 to bring Penn and Teller to UF, said Zack Goldstein, chairman of Accent in an e-mail.
