Piff, the Magic Dragon, visited Kansas City and entertained the Kansas City Improv audiences. (Poster property of Piff the Magic Dragon & Kansas City Improv)
By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
It was almost a year ago when I saw a 34-year-old magic dragon named Piff to walk onto the America’s Got Talent (AGT) stage. He was cheeky, and I almost thought that the King of All Media would buzz him immediately. However, it wasn’t until he called judge Heidi Klum to the stage…that is when I knew that he was going to be special.
After his hysterical first audition, Piff the Magic Dragon moved onto the next round…where he brought out his secret weapon: his adorable sidekick—Mr. Piffles! With Mr. Piffles’ assistance, he stunned the judges and delivered a superb routine that received guest judge Neil Patrick Harris’ Golden Buzzer, which took him directly to the Radio City Music Hall live shows.
At Radio City Music Hall, Piff delivered memorable routines that earned him a spot in the NBC talent competition’s tenth anniversary season’s Top 10. Despite not flying away with the $1,000,000 prize, Piff joined forces with his fellow fan-favorites: winner Paul Zerdin and runner-up Drew Lynch at the Planet Hollywood Resort in Las Vegas for a special three-night engagement, which lead to headline his residency show at the Flamingo Hotel & Resort.
Piff took a brief vacation from Sin City to entertain Kansas City audiences at the Kansas City Improv. Before the Magic Dragon made his appearance, the audience was treated to a mini-set by Piff’s lovely assistant, Jade Simone. The Vegas showgirl is a veteran to Kansas City audiences and alternated between praise for the barbecue and Kansas City Royals while giving out backhanded compliments such as categorizing the audience as “perverts and alcoholics” and making Dorothy jokes.
Jade made up for these crude incidents by trying to play matchmaker and hook up single audience members and called upon audience members for a dance-off. Somehow, my brother, Aaron, wanted to participate, and she called on him to dance on stage. If that wasn’t enough, he convinced Jade to bring me up on stage to show off my dancing skills, which delighted the crowd.
As Jade finished her set, Piff the Magic Dragon took over and he did not disappoint! He unpacked his stand of tricks and began to recruit volunteers to perform some of his signature comedic magic acts. For a good half of the set, a drunk woman named Amanda seemed to find a way to steal the show at times from Piff, as she “guarded” a loaf of magic bread while alternating dropping pieces to the floor.
Another hysterical moment of the set came from Piff’s latest friend: Criss Angel Fish. The audience roared when they heard “Criss Angel,” but were in shock when Piff added the word: “Fish” to the end of the name. The talking goldfish might have been a distant relative of Finding Nemo & Finding Dory’s Dory. He kept “forgetting” everything Piff asked him to do until Jade appeared with Criss’ new home: a blender!
The highlight of the set involved Piff’s famous sidekick and fan-favorite Chihuahua: Mr. Piffles. April Fools’ Day was a special day for Piff’s favorite pup: it was his birthday. To commemorate Mr. Piffles’ birthday, he asked the Kansas City to give a name to Mr. Piffles. He threw around his dog’s favorite chew toy and whoever caught it was allowed to pick a letter to be added to Mr. Piffles’ first name. Eventually, Kansas City’s uncanny letter choices gave Mr. Piffles—his new name: ZBAD Piffles!
Final thoughts & Grade: From start to finish, Piff the Magic Dragon and his motley crew of entertainers will have audiences in stitches. Piff continues to prove why he remains one of America’s Got Talent’s most successful magic acts as he brilliantly blends colorful language and gestures with superb tricks that will satisfy audiences around the country. If you have the chance to see his set, you will not be disappointed. A-
