'LANCE BURTON: MASTER MAGICIAN' 7 and 10 p.m. Tuesdays and Saturdays, and 7 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays in the Lance Burton Theatre at the Monte Carlo, 3770 Las Vegas Blvd. South, $66.50-$72.55 (730-7160). (B+) This nice-guy Kentucky magician is a local success story, having built an amazing 15-minute "dove act" -- that still opens the show -- into a consistently colorful and fun revue in a Victorian-styled theater that's unique in its own right. Burton's knack for incorporating small fry makes this arguably the best show on the Strip for families. (4/12/02 M.W.)
'THE BRETT DANIELS SHOW: WOHSCIGAM' 3 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays in the Sahara Theater, 2535 Las Vegas Blvd. South, $50.95-$61.95, $39.95 for seniors and ages 2-12 (737-2515).
'DIXIE DOOLEY: MASTER MYSTIFIER' 7 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays in the Royal Theater and Lounge at the Royal Resort, 99 Convention Center Drive, $19.95 (457-8448).
'THE MAC KING COMEDY SHOW' 1 and 3 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays in the Main Showroom at Harrah's Las Vegas, 3475 Las Vegas Blvd. South, $27.45 (369-5111). (A) The Strip's best entertainment bargain happens to be as good as the incentives to go see it. The comedy magician's carefully constructed comic persona -- an overgrown kid in a ragtime-era plaid suit -- unifies a consistently funny show that offers baffling magic tricks without having them be the sole focus of attention. (1/19/07 M.W.)
'GERRY MCCAMBRIDGE --ĘTHE MENTALIST' 7 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays in the Night Owl Showroom at Hooters Hotel, 115 E. Tropicana Ave., $36.95 (866-584-6687). (B) New twists on traditional stage magic are more baffling than the standard cabinet slicing you see on the Strip. McCambridge moves the show along with a New York wise-guy banter, and the heavy level of audience participation, combined with the head-scratching quality of the act, sends people home talking. (8/03/07 M.W.)
'NATHAN BURTON COMEDY MAGIC' 4 p.m. Fridays through Wednesdays in the Showroom at Flamingo Las Vegas, 3555 Las Vegas Blvd. South, $37.50-$47.50, half-price for ages 3-12 (733-3333).
PENN & TELLER 9 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays in the Penn & Teller Theatre at the Rio, 3700 W. Flamingo Road, $85.80-$96.90 (777-7776). (A-) Verbose Penn Jillette and silent, single-named Teller have seen Las Vegas change around them, so their complex and high-minded comedy magic doesn't seem as radical as it once did.They soldier on, mixing new and wonderfully warped material with greatest hits in a seemingly random shuffle. There's no big production or drama, at least not before the customary finale that trots out handguns. (10/26/07 M.W.)
'WORLD'S GREATEST MAGIC SHOW' 9 p.m. nightly in the Star Theater at the Greek Isles, 305 Convention Center Drive, $24.25-$29.75, children 12 and younger are free (737-5540). (B) The Greek Isles' 400-seat showroom is perfect for a magic show with a variety format; patrons can appreciate close-up sleight of hand without giving up the larger stage illusions. The format rotates different acts who offer comedy, traditional Las Vegas stage magic and a couple of fresh attempts to combine the two. (6/4/04 M.W.)
'STEVE WYRICK -- REAL MAGIC' 7 and 9 p.m. Saturdays through Thursdays in the Steve Wyrick Theatre at the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood, 3663 Las Vegas Blvd. South, $68.95-$99.95 (777-9974). (B) The magician's "do it yourself" approach to Las Vegas stardom created a custom theater where the stage seems huge in proportion to the cozy seating, allowing deft shifts from helicopters to card tricks. Wyrick's stage persona is still somewhat generic as he synthesizes various styles of magic into a one-size-fits-all approach. (4/27/07 M.W.)
'XTREME MAGIC' STARRING DIRK ARTHUR 2 and 4 p.m. Saturdays through Thursdays in the Tiffany Theatre at the Tropicana, 3801 Las Vegas Blvd. South, $33.90-$39.40 (739-2222). (B) Exotic animals elicit more oohs and aahs than the human star of this afternoon magic show. Arthur lacks a distinctive star presence but packs a lot of the large-scale illusions that made magic popular on the Strip into a fast-moving showcase. (M.W. 10/6/06)
All reviews are by Las Vegas Review-Journal critics. The date at the end of the capsule review indicates when the original review appeared. Opinions by R-J entertainment writers Mike Weatherford (M.W.) or Carol Cling (C.C.) are indicated by initials. Older reviews are not dated.
