Question: Why is Lance Burton so great?

Answer: Because he is so great!

Admittedly one of the worst opening lines of a review, so let me explain.
I searched in vain for an article that was written by magician Jonathan
Pendragon. In it he discussed the various levels of art and artists. He
wrote about artists who are basically just "covering", performing acts and
styles that are just imitations of others'. He wrote of innovators,
performers who push the boundaries and create altogether unique works. Of
Lance Burton he wrote that, though he is not known for doing particularly
innovative work, it's his sheer level of skill and perfection that makes
him an artist of the highest order. You go to see Lance Burton to see
magic performed absolutely flawlessly.

What has changed the most since I saw his show ten years ago is that it
now includes a few mysteries that are really quite innovative. Ironically,
innovation in magic sometimes means performing an illusion that was
developed more than a century ago but has since been forgotten. I rarely
like to mention the actual effects that are presented in the shows I
review, but two new effects warrant description. Burton does not appear in
a puff of smoke at the beginning of his show. Instead he slowly dissolves
into view, skeleton, then muscles and veins, and finally flesh.

Later in the show he turns a woman into a gold statue. Again the
transition is not immediate. The woman very gradually transforms into a
gold statue right before your eyes. I'm sure that this is an old effect
from over a century ago that I have read about but never seen performed
live.

There is really very little in magic that is genuinely new. Just as
musicians have a finite number of chords and notes to work with, magicians
have a fairly limited range of effects to draw on. It's how magicians and
musicians combine these elements that creates, or doesn't create, a truly
magical experience. Lance is very much a classicist of magic, and much of
what you will see in his show was being presented on stage somewhere more
than a century ago. But that doesn't in any way make his show less
contemporary. It is absolutely state of the art, and presented in what is
one of the most beautiful theatres in this city.

The ads around town proclaim that "New Wonders Await". I first saw his
show when he was the headliner at the old Hacienda, sometime in the mid to
late 80's. Fortunately there are elements of his show that are still
completely intact, especially his opening dove act that was the staple of
his early career. Yet they've also added a significant amount of new
material, so if you have seen his show in the past I can certainly
recommend attending again.

Once notable new addition is a full scale theatrical production based on
the old Twilight Zone television show. By full scale production I mean
two-story tall sets, a plot line, characters delivering lines etc. The
setting is a city street, and the set design itself is absolutely amazing
with storefronts that bulge surrealistically, and live actors in the
windows of every storefront. It's a full scale live-action cartoon with
characters vanishing in and out of mailboxes and a phone booth in a
bizarre story involving a criminal clown and an Irish cop. The cop thing
is a cliche, but clowns are always bad news. That's a fact.

Overall, the set design in the show is amazing, and reminiscent of how I
imagine the old traveling magic shows of the late 1800's and early 1900's
must have been. These were the days when magic shows traveled by train
with truckloads of equipment and huge troupes of performers. Any kid can
learn a few tricks and print the term "Master Magician" in a business
card, but in Burton's case that phrase has a specific meaning. You can
read about the history of Master Magicians as well as the Royal Dynasty of
Magic on his website ( http://www.lanceburton.com ). When you see his show
you are really witnessing a piece of history, and you are watching a great
artist paint his masterpiece right before your eyes.

Which brings me to the best news of all. Even after decades of performing
on a nightly basis, you get no sense that this man is bringing anything
less than his "A" game to the table. He is either the nicest man in show
business or the best actor doing a nice guy act. The audience gets
thanked, the crew gets thanked, the other performers are allowed to shine,
and he handles volunteers with kindness. In perhaps the classiest five
minutes of live theatre I have ever seen he pulled a piece of paper out of
his pocket on which was written the names of several people in the
audience who were having birthdays or anniversaries. He took the time to
locate the people in the audience and congratulate them on the occasion.

I'll conclude with a quick punch list of additional highlights. Juggler
Mike Goudeau rocked the house as usual, as did a clowny assistant named
Tom. The levitation of a woman is an absolute thing of beauty, extremely
sexy but tasteful. His dove act in the opening of the show is something
everyone should see live at least once.

Again, why is he so great? Simply because is so great.

http://www.vegasmagicreviews.com/

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