(MORRISTOWN, NJ) -- Award-winning comedic magician, Piff the Magic Dragon has teamed up with world-renowned golden-voiced clown, Puddles Pity Party, for their Misery Loves Company Tour, coming to Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC) on Thursday, May 19 at 7:30pm. Tickets range from $29-$69.
The surly sleight of hander Piff the Magic Dragon (accompanied by his sidekick Mr. Piffles, the world’s only magic performing chihuahua) has won several Best of Las Vegas awards for his long-running show at the iconic Flamingo Hotel & Casino. He was a viral sensation on Penn & Teller: Fool Us and voted one of Variety’s Top Ten Comics to watch. In 2020, Piff triumphed over his heroes Jeff Ross, Natasha Leggero and Judah Friedlander when he was crowned winner of TBS’ Tournament of Laughs. Deemed a “stunningly good magician” (Penn & Teller) and “A true original” (David Copperfield), Piff blends magic with comedy resulting in “the right amount of wrong” (Las Vegas Review Journal) for “an outrageously funny…nonstop hour of pure, delirious fun” (Robin Leach, Las Vegas Sun).
Puddles Pity Party, the 7-foot sad clown whose golden voice is comparable to rock legends like Tom Jones and Freddie Mercury, has amassed nearly 900K YouTube subscribers and performed sold out shows all over the globe including The Kennedy Center in D.C., San Francisco’s Palace of Fine Arts, London’s Soho Theatre and a residency at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Deftly combining melancholia with the absurd, Puddles has received endorsements and accolades from musical comedy legends like Eric Idle, Jack Black, Paul Reubens and Weird Al Yankovic. His powerful, “textured voice laced with melancholy” (NY Times) has been hailed as “operatic” (Boston Globe) and his show both “life-affirming” (Herald Scotland) and “hysterically funny” (LA Weekly).
Not bad for two “losers” from America’s Got Talent! These satin-adorned down-and-outers have been pals since they first met ages ago at Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Neither is easily amused, but when offered the chance to tour as co-headliners, they both agreed it was a pretty good idea. Says Puddles, “I’m sad. Piff’s surly. He’s bantam. I’m burly. It’s like the real-life buddy movie nobody asked for, but we’re making it anyway!” Says Piff, “Although we’re sharing the bill, everyone knows who the real star is, and that’s Mr. Piffles. Good thing he’s not afraid of clowns. I used to be, but Puddles won me over by always picking up the tab at dinner.”
Stylistically, this show is equal parts music, comedy, magic and theatre. Piff and Puddles each perform their own set, but the sets overlap with some collaboration between the two artists. The show is appropriate for kids, but it’s not a kids show.
Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC) is located at 100 South Street in Morristown, New Jersey. MPAC, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, presents a wide range of programs that entertain, enrich, and educate the diverse population of the region and enhance the economic vitality of Northern New Jersey. The 2021-2022 season is made possible, in part, by a grant the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as support received from the F.M. Kirby Foundation, The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation and numerous corporations, foundations and individuals. Mayo Performing Arts Center was named 2016 Outstanding Historic Theatre by the League of Historic American Theatres, and is ranked in the top 50 mid-sized performing arts centers by Pollstar Magazine.
Photo by Andrew Stuart
