The combination of magic and comedy is certainly an interesting one – but imagine that performed in a dragon suit. Piff the Magic Dragon does just that.
But, where did such an odd idea come from? The man behind the suit, John van der Put explained: “Piff was born about five years ago, out of mindless boredom with my life as a corporate close-up magician. I’ve always loved being a magician, but I thought it would be funnier if I was funny.”
As well as comedy and magic, Piff the Magic Dragon also incorporates a dog into his act called Mr. Piffles. Explaining why, he said: “I realised something was missing from my act. What I needed was a gimmick.”
He continued: “It’s difficult working with Mr. Piffles every single day. And don’t even talk to me about the vet bills. However, I love firing him out of the Cannon of Certain Death.”
Piff’s inspirations include Steve Martin, Amazing Jonathan and Carl-Einar Hackner. “They all do something totally different that shouldn’t work on paper, but kills on stage.”
Piff the Magic Dragon’s latest show, “Jurassic Bark” is a battle of himself vs. Mr. Piffles. “He’s getting a bit too big for his boots, so this year it’s all about taking him down a peg or two. Depegging him.”
This isn’t the first time Piff has visited Lincoln, having previously performed at Lincoln’s Drill Hall in 2011. He said: “We had a great time last year but we had to drive straight off to Nottingham. Hopefully this year we’ll have more time to try the local snacks.”
Piff the Magic Dragon comes to Lincoln’s Performing Arts Centre on Friday, October 5th, as part of the Lincoln Comedy Festival. Further details are available on the LPAC website.