In February of 1993, the cover of
MAGIC Magazine featured a photograph of the Strip, and superimposed over the image was the bold statement "Magic Mecca." According to Webster's, mecca is "a place regarded as a center for a specified group, activity, or interest," and magic is defined as "the art of producing illusions by sleight of hand." Certainly, Las Vegas was a magic mecca back in 1993 and, for the most part, it still is the center for the art of illusion!
On any given night, you can see Lance Burton at the Monte Carlo, Penn & Teller at the Rio, The Amazing Johnathan at the Sahara (albeit in a slightly different vein), Steve Wyrick at the Aladdin/Planet Hollywood, and a host of rotating prestidigitators in 'World's Greatest Magic Show' at the Greek Isles, as well as one or two magical acts in V, The Ultimate Variety Show. And that's not to mention the eight to ten weeks a year that David Copperfield brings his touring show to the MGM Grand.
Back in 1993, Siegfried & Roy reigned supreme. Their show at the Mirage was one of the hottest (and most expensive) tickets in town. Down the street (and down the price scale) was Lance Burton, who was just into his second year of what would turn out to be a five-year run at the Hacienda before moving uptown (and upscale) to the Monte Carlo in 1996. While he had been working as a variety act in the Tropicana's Follies Bergere since 1982, it was in the summer of '91 that Lance put his money where his dream was and stepped into the headliner spotlight. He was, of course, a hit, due in no small part to the low expectations customers couldn't help but experience when coming to the Hacienda. The place was not much to look at, but eight minutes and a dozen or so white doves into the show, audiences were thoroughly impressed and utterly charmed.
In the world of magic, something else was developing at the Hacienda. The bar was being raised. Prior to Lance creating his own show, most magicians dreamed of developing a seven-minute act to play production revues in Las Vegas or throughout Europe. Sure, the big boys had their full shows - Siegfried & Roy, Copperfield, Henning - but these were driven by television ratings or big-money producers. Even Melinda, who in '93 was presenting her First Lady of Magic show at the Lady Luck, was a byproduct of her mother's producing savvy. Then along came Burton, the young man from Louisville, Kentucky, who made the leap from act to star, and suddenly having your own show was every magicians' goal.
For the last five or six years, having your own magic show in this town might mean working afternoons. Rick Thomas at the Orleans and Dirk Arthur at the Tropicana both present full-scale illusion shows, just as sophisticated (and successful) as any you might see after dark. Meanwhile, Nathan Burton has recently joined the day-timers with his offbeat comedy illusions at the Aladdin. Oddly enough, the forerunner in afternoon delights was another magician from Louisville. With the success of Mac King's comedy magic show at Harrah's, performers and producers discovered there's gold to be panned during the day. 
Since the early '90s, one of the things that has all but disappeared in Las Vegas is the high-end close-up magician. Gone are the days when Jimmy Grippo held court for high-rolling customers at Caesars Palace, or Michael Skinner worked his up-close miracles at the restaurants of the Golden Nugget, or Daniel Cros presented his elegant magic behind the bar at the Desert Inn. The city still attracts some of the finest close-up magicians from around the world, however, they're now flying in for a few days to work for large corporations at one of the thousands of conventions or trade shows held here each year.
Just as Las Vegas proper has grown from a small town built around the gaming industry into a booming metropolis in and of itself, the magic community has expanded outside the performance side of the art. Bill Smith, who supplies specialized magic props to illusionists around the world, moved his business from Southern California to the desert fifteen years ago. MAGIC, the world's largest-selling magazine for magicians, has been Vegas based since 1992. And Geno Munari, longtime resident of the valley, has built one of the industry's largest retail businesses in Houdini's Magic Shops, catering to magicians and non-magicians alike.
Again, mirroring the outside world, magicians have become more and more fascinated with collectibles. Anything from props of the well-known masters to promotional materials from the unknown are highly sought after these days. And three of the largest collections are housed right here in Las Vegas. David Copperfield has acquired what can be argued to be the largest of them all, ranging from Houdini's Water Torture Cell to the props and wardrobe of Channing Pollock. (Pollock, who popularized the classic dove-and-card act, worked Vegas in the late-'50s/early-'60s and returned to spend his final years here, passing away in 2006.) Norm Nielsen, of North Las Vegas, is the name in buying, trading, and selling magic "paper." Posters, costing pennies and originally intended to be plastered on walls to announce the latest-and-greatest magical wonders from an era gone by, now go for thousands of dollars each. And Gary Darwin, who has been a resident of Las Vegas for over fifty years, has built one of the largest research libraries on magic and related arts. Gary has also, single-handedly, kept the members of the in-town magic community in touch through his Wednesday night club meetings. For over three decades, these late-night gatherings have attracted the professionals and the amateurs in town, as well as visiting magicians, who regularly make the trip. 
With so much magic to choose from in Las Vegas, there was always the question of when is it too much? When does the buying public move on to something else? (The same questions are being asked today about the abundance of Cirque-style show on the Strip.) One school of thought was that whenever Siegfried & Roy decided to pack it in, that would mark the beginning of the end of the golden years for Las Vegas magic. After all, they opened here in 1967, became the first magic headliners eleven years later, and had a lifetime contract at the Mirage. Well, their retirement happened unexpectedly on October 3, 2003, when Roy was critically wounded onstage. And yet there has been no mass exodus of magical performers. In fact, more are on their way. Criss Angel has been shooting his A&E 'Mindfreak' show in the city for the past two years, and he will have a live version coming to the Luxor. And now, word is out that Dutch illusionist Hans Klok will be opening 'Faster Than Magic' with Carmen Electra at Planet Hollywood Theater for the Performing Arts, with previews beginning in April.
And so it goes... More and more people come to Las Vegas for the glitz and glamour. More and more magicians are coming to Las Vegas to capture their dreams. Who knows, there's probably a kid reading this right now... in Louisville!
About the Author: Stan Allen, who relocated his family to Las Vegas fifteen years ago, is editor of MAGIC Magazine (http://www.magicmagazine.com/), listed by Guinness Book of World Records as the largest-selling magic periodical in the world.
Monday's Tease: And one of those magicians is Harrah's headliner Mac King who uses "goofy" humor to entertain his audiences with creative conjuring. Mac tells Luxe Life his secrets to the good life of Las Vegas.
Where Is Robin: While Robin is on holiday, some of his Vegas friends are filling in on column duties with the LUXE LIFE staff continues to file reports from the Strip and beyond.
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