“You Gotta Get a Gimmick,” a number from the 1959 musical “Gypsy” (Jule Styne’s music and Stephen Sondheim’s words) could be a mantra for Piff the Magic Dragon, who comes to the Brown County Music Center with his chihuahua on Sept. 12.
This English magician and comedian, “America’s Got Talent” star and long-standing Las Vegas headliner goes to work after putting on a dragon suit and waking his compact accomplice, Mr. Piffles. Piff’s actual name is John van der Put. It’s Mr. Piffles, however, who gets much of the audience’s love. Comedy and magic, each a dog-eat-dog business on its own, have become Piff’s and Mr. Piffles’ world — ever since Piff’s magic act lost (didn’t fool the judges, Penn Jillette and Teller) on “Penn & Teller: Fool Us” in 2011.
He lost, but he won
“So I thought our (2011 ‘Fool Us’) act didn’t go very well,” Piff said over the phone. ”But it went very well and got this huge reaction and went viral.”
John van de Put, better known on stage as Piff the Magic Dragon, will perform Sept. 12, 2025, at Brown County Music Center.
Sure, Piff was in a dragon outfit, but lots of “Fool Us” performers rely on maniacal stunts. So what made viewers go nuts over Piff?
“It’s really a good act,” Piff said. “I don’t know how to justify it other than that. It’s really funny and the magic is really good.”
Brown County entertainment: 5 years and 250,000 people: Brown County Music Center enjoys popularity with fans, artists
‘All-Star Vegas’ tries something new, and this time it’s circus-sy
Piff’s “All-Star Vegas” show comes with all new acts. It has morphed into a family extravaganza that boasts magicians, comedians, hula-hoopers, jugglers and gobs of special effects. The sometimes interactive cast includes fellow “America’s Got Talent” stars, performers from Cirque du Soleil and special guests.
After not fooling “Fool Us” in 2011, Piff got a small part in a Las Vegas show, but it closed after six months. “I wanted to stay in Vegas,” he said. “I got my own show.”
Today he’s a winner of multiple awards from British magic societies. He’s also toured as a supporting act for the folk rock band Mumford and Sons in addition to being featured on “Penn & Teller: Fool Us” and “America’s Got Talent.”
English magician and comedian, known on stage as Piff the Magic Dragon, will perform Sept. 12, 2025, at Brown County Music Center in Nashville.
Dragons, yes; dogs, not always
Piff wasn’t always a dog person, and even now he says he’s only a “small-dog person.” He adopted his first Mr. Piffles chihuahua from an undesirable situation, just to get him out of there. Immediately, Piff discerned Mr. Piffles’ trainability. Piff had seen a female performer accompanied by her dog and noticed the crowd they drew. He tried it for himself. It worked.
Piff and Mr. Piffles stay in performance shape by doing six 1 1/2-hour shows a week in Las Vegas.
In 2017, Piff made another appearance on “Penn & Teller: Fool Us,” this time as a guest artist where he executed a trick with hosts Penn and Teller. The following year, Piff appeared in the show’s fifth season and again entertained alongside Penn and Teller.
Piff performed again on “Fool Us” in 2021 and again in 2023. At last, he claimed a Fool Us trophy. He performed again (and other times, too) on “America’s Got Talent’s”episode 1420, where he did a trick with Mr. Piffles, host Terry Crews and Piff’s assistant Jade Simone. In episode 1518, Piff performed with illusionist David Copperfield, returning yet agin in episode 1717.
The original Mr. Piffles died at age 16 late last year. New, and nearly identical, Mr. Piffles has taken on the role.
Piff appeared in the 2025 premiere episode of “Penn and Teller: Fool Us” in which he fooled the hosts again, assisted by Spanish magician Jandro. Piff then performed on another 2025 episode, working alongside Penn and Teller.
If you go
WHAT: “All-Star Vegas,” family-friendly extravaganza with circus acts, comedy and a chihuahuaWHEN: 8 p.m. Sept. 12WHERE: Brown County Music Center, 200 Maple Leaf Blvd., NashvilleTICKETS: Start at $37 and can be purchased online at browncountymusiccenter.com/.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: All-Star Vegas Piff the Magic Dragon circus acts comedy Brown County
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