MASTER MAGICIAN ENJOYS MENTORING THE YOUNG
going down to the Strip every day and fighting that traffic, now it’s the last place I want to go.
One of the biggest developments in magic is Criss Angel’s move from Luxor to Planet Hollywood. You helped present him with an award from the International Brotherhood of Magicians this year.
I’m very proud of Criss and what he has achieved. There’s no question he’s become the guy here in Las Vegas as far as big magic shows with national visibility. I first met Criss over 20 years ago when I had just opened at the Monte Carlo and we were both part of this documentary on magic for the Discovery Channel. I knew back then he was going to be a major force, and I kept telling my friends to keep an eye on this guy. Years later he came out with the “Mindfreak” TV series and just took off like a rocket.
Is serving as a sort of ambassador of magic an important role for you now?
Yeah, I’m involved in the International Brotherhood of Magicians and I sponsor their youth group where we have a little two-day seminar every year for teen magicians. When you’re retired, you start looking at the future of your art form and you want to do everything you can to encourage the next generation. That’s one of my main things now. The kids who are getting into magic now are very enthusiastic, and being around that is contagious and reminds you why you got into it.
And you’ll be getting back into it at the Orleans.
I’m really enjoying it. The show we’re doing is a lot different than the show I did all those years. It runs maybe an hour and 45 minutes and I do about half, some illusions with audience participation, some sleight-ofhand magic and some big illusions. People get to see a little bit of everything from my career. There’s a lot of comedy in the show, too.
Is that the main difference from your old show?
I think so. That was one of the comments I got frequently, that after the show people would say it was a lot funnier than they thought it would be. More traditional magic, you expect seriousness. But that comedy was always the hidden part of my show, unlike the commercials that show all the big magical moments to get people to come. It was always kind of my secret weapon, I guess, something people were not expecting, to laugh a lot.
Lance Burton and Friends will be presented at 8 p.m. today and Saturday at the Orleans Showroom, 4500 W. Tropicana Ave., 702-365-7111. More information can be found at orleanscasino. com.