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Canadian theater won’t let Matt Johnson perform his daredevil water-tank escape


November 29, 2017

Matt Johnson made a name for himself on Penn & Teller Fool Us with his death-defying water-tank escape, and it’s one of the highlights of his act when he tours the world with his magic. Unfortunately, a theater in Surrey, British Columbia has put the kibosh on that part of his upcoming performance in the Canadian city.

In an interview with the Surrey Now-Leader, Johnson explained why Centre Stage Theatre forced him to remove it from his routine:

“I found out about this about five days ago. The (venue managers) in Surrey have made the call that they can’t have the tank in that theatre, because we’re told the stage is a hollow one, and they’re concerned about the weight of the tank and any water that could leak on the stage.”

Part of the reason for the caution might be due to an earlier performance this year on Britain’s Got Talent, where the tank exploded during his rehearsal, flooding the stage with 200 gallons of water.

Johnson still plans on performing for the full 90 minutes of the show, but how he’s going to stretch time out is up in the air, especially since a lot of his routine is scripted.

“I’m actually thinking of playing the Penn & Teller episode with my water escape during the intermission for anybody who wants to see it,” Johnson told the paper. “I haven’t confirmed that with the theatre yet.”

For tickets to the Surrey show, check out the Surrey Civic Theatres, and visit Matt Johnson’s official website for everything else he’s up to.