2003 comments about Lance Burton

If you have seen Lance Burton, please ADD your own comment.

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Lance Burton       
Date Seen: 11/03 - Good Show
It was a great show. Lance is entertaining, and he includes the audience in the show. His voice is somewhat monotone and it sometimes lacks any emotion, but other than that, he is a great performer.
<Falc618 -at- aol.com> - East Haven CT USA - Added 11/23/03 - [67.163.131***]    2339

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Lance Burton       
Date Seen: 09/03 - Good Show
If you are going to Vegas, and can see only one show, this IS the show to see! Lance Burton is absolutely fantastic! I have seen his show eight times over the past 13 years of traveling to Vegas and I have seen them all from Penn & Teller (Horrible) to Sig and Roy (Absolute Rip Off). If you want to see real magic, then go see the best, and that is Lance Burton!
<pdefra1500 -at- aol.com> - Hueytown AL USA - Added 09/23/03 - [64.12.96***]    2062

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Lance Burton       
Date Seen: 07/03 - Good Show
Headlining at the Monte Carlo is “master magician” Lance Burton. The tone of his show appears to be established, when upon entering his theater preshow, images of Burton and various children that have participated in his recent performances, play on a screen high above the middle of the stage. The message seems to be, “Lance Burton loves kids”.

At times, the production’s tone, focus, and level of sophistication, are a bit uneven. Swinging from being an “aw shucks” Kentucky country boy, to a “swinger” behind the wheel of a Corvette, is a transition that Burton doesn’t always pull off convincingly. Kids are featured prominently, and some adults may find that a bit too much of the show is aimed at the younger crowd, with an emphasis also on a comedy component. Case in point is the inclusion of comic juggler, and longtime Burton friend, Michael Goodreau. While Goodreau may be somewhat amusing, his presence seems somewhat disruptive, and distracts, rather than adds to show’s overall impact, and the perception of Lance Burton as a “master magician”. Lance truly does some impressive illusions, but the style of the presentation just distracts from the overall effect.

Burton devotes time in his act, to tricks involving birds. After doing a trick where he makes a bird in a cage disappear, he performs it again, this time while surrounded by the hands of a group of kids. This seems to be just an excuse for self promotion, as Burton selects one of the kids, and has his photo taken on stage, while presenting her with a “Lance Burton Magic Kit”. This is just one of many “photo ops” with kids in the show. Isn’t this a little too crass and commercial? The magic kits are of course available at the “Lance Burton Magic Shop” in the hotel lobby.

An unspecified “demon” character, apparently representing evil, appears intermittently in the show. While this character is featured in one trick, in a sword duel with Lance, the reasons for his multiple inclusion in the show is not entirely clear.

While most of his tricks work fine, Burton’s version of making a rabbit appear from a hat, is just silly. After diagramming the trick for the audience, he proceeds to do the trick as shown, using if only for a moment, a real rabbit. The trick comes off as looking very fake and cheesy, and is definitely the show’s low point.

Lance does several illusions featuring a white Corvette. He nicely makes it appear on a raised platform, high above the stage. Then after it is lowered to the floor, Lance takes yet another opportunity to involve a child, and makes the car disappear while the youngster is his passenger. Burton reappears spectacularly, dropping from the ceiling on a chandelier. Later, the child also reappears, but too little or no fanfare. Wouldn’t the trick be more effective if performed without the child?

The show features six assistants/dancers, and they do a good job keeping things flowing along. Lance is most proper with the ladies, and never plays favorites, as various assistants are used in the various tricks.

All in all, the Lance Burton show seems to be targeted firmly at the family crowd. The comic relief provided by Mr. Goodreau is part of this formula. This approach still works well enough for most adults, though some may find that the kiddie oriented material does cause the show to drag. The self promotional aspects can also be distracting and annoying. The result being, that at the show’s conclusion, some may feel that the “master magician” did not quite deliver as billed.

Grade: C+

<rokuman7 -at- hotmail.com> - USA - Added 07/23/03 - [64.75.146***]    1867

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Lance Burton             
Date Seen: 06/03 - Good Show
Best show on the strip. Very kid friendly and always a hit. A must see.
<jamiewils -at- hotmail.com> - Owings Mills MD USA - Added 07/08/03 - [66.28.7***]    1827

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Lance Burton       
Date Seen: 06/03 - Undecided
ZZZzzzzzzzzzz!!! Can I wake up yet??? Although the magic could be
considered "entertaining"...it was very basic tricks that he "fancied" up to
look big. We had really nice seats so that wasn't the problem. The
problem is that the man has ABSOLUTELY no stage pressence.

Talk about a big YAWN!!! He talks in extream monotone and it is a wonder
anyone was able to get up and aplaude him at the end. I kept checking
my watch to see if we were getting close to the end.

If you have children with you that enjoy magic then yes I would take them,
but otherwise if it is just for adults....DON'T BOTHER!!! Save your money
and go watch the close up magic in the lounge....now that takes talent!


<emailkim -at- cox.net> - USA - Added 06/23/03 - [68.2.72***]    1787

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Lance Burton             
Date Seen: 06/03 - Good Show
Lance Burton was a true entertainer. He mixed humor, anecdotes and participation from some young audience members with amazing feats of magic. I rate this show as Do Not Miss.
<CRaivios -at- excite.com> - Davis CO USA - Added 06/15/03 - [67.112.108***]    1762

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Lance Burton       
Date Seen: 06/03
Wow! I am still talking about this show....
<pjkwas -at- access4less.net> - USA - Added 06/14/03 - [67.74.251***]    1760

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Lance Burton       
Date Seen: 05/03 - Good Show
We saw Lance Burton for free after submitting to one of those stupid time-share presntations. It was a good show even from our balcony high seats! His illusions were pretty good and his personality charming though not quite the calibre of David Copperfield. However, from our seats way up we could see the trap doors on stage and actually see some of the girls emerging at times. I must admit it was kind of interesting to see the show from that perspective. I did like the fact that he invited several of the children in the audience on stage with him. The juggler/comedian was also very entertaining. From what I understand the ticket prices are pretty decent for a show of this calibre. I would recommend this show to others but pay for your tickets and get good seats.
<npaparamedic -at- cogeco.ca> - Fonthill ON Canada - Added 05/31/03 - [24.150.64.***]    1685

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Lance Burton       
Date Seen: 04/03 - Good Show
Lance Burton is absoluteley awesome! My wife and three daughters (ages 6-10) attended the show in April 2003. We had heard that this show was worth the money, and we were not disappointed. My daughters were simply amazed. My youngest daughter was selected to go up on stage and help Lance with a trick and she still talks about it today. Pay the extra money to sit closer to the stage (it's around $5.00 more). We sat there for the entire show saying "how did he do that?". I was very impressed with the show! Well worth the money.
<rjm1890 -at- msn.com> - Simi Valley CA USA - Added 07/20/03 - [63.167.255.***]    1860

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Lance Burton             
Date Seen: 03/03 - Good Show
This is a wonderful show and as Vegas shows go, one of the least expensive. He is wonderful with children. We had seats in the front row, just next to the stage steps. Evev this close up I can't tell how this man does it. He is very, very good. Although his stage presence is not that of a David Copperfield or Penn Gillette, his magic, particularly close up is better. I woiuld see him again.
<jac2896 -at- hotmail.com> - Wells ME USA - Added 03/23/03 - [216.195.152.***]    1405

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Lance Burton       
Date Seen: 03/03 - Bad Show
I went with my wife and kids and while the magic was pretty good, especially for the kids, Burton lacks quite a of charisma or personality. In that respect it was fairly boring... we all enjoyed David Copperfield much more!
<Parsons40 -at- hotmail.com> - Key West FL USA - Added 03/10/03 - [68.108.122.***]    1285

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Lance Burton             
Date Seen: 03/03 - Good Show
Excellent show! Very worth the price - there is not a bad seat in the house. Lance seems to really enjoy what he is doing (have heard Sig/Roy are just 'going through the motions'). The theatre he has is beautiful and easy to access. Out of all the shows we saw in Vegas, this was by far our favorite. Children would enjoy this show too (he brings several up on stage to be in his act), but I would caution parents to tell the little ones 'don't try this at home' with some of the stunts. All in all, a good value and enjoyable evening!
<psscott1968 -at- yahoo.com> - Salina KS USA - Added 03/02/03 - [68.103.132.***]    1261

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Lance Burton       
Date Seen: 02/03 - Good Show
It’s not that I avoid magic shows but it’s not really my cup of tea. That’s because I am one of those in the audience that will try to figure out every single trick. After about fifteen minutes I gave up. I just don’t see how it is possible to make doves appear out of hankies. And I certainly don’t see how Lance Burton or anyone can make a dove disappear by throwing it out into the air and poof it is gone! I thought he was going to give us a look into how a trick is done as he turned around to perform to a mock crowd. Unfortunately it was just a tease as he performed another spectacular disappearing people switch with a lot of humor in the trick.

Lance Burton is not perfect, but he is very, very good. Ironically the imperfections in a live show can make the show even better because it shows the audience the human side of a performer. Saturday, February 8th, the head set microphone was not working at the beginning of the show. Strangely, a silent intro with no speaking and just magic tricks is not that bad because it features the actual magic and I think that is Burton’s strength.

One of the problems with Lance Burton is he is so good at his magic, the audience may not know when to applaud because they don’t know when he is finished with a trick or if something else is coming up. I like his subtle magic probably the best I guess because I have seen magicians making large vehicles disappear and making people disappear and reappear. But how often does a magician make ducks and geese appear? Throughout the show Burton displays his humor commenting to a showgirl something to the effect, this may be one of the few times the audience is not watching you, but is focused on an animal waddling around on stage.

Lance Burton knows the audience and communicates well with the crowd. As an aside, he should be nominated for best use of showgirls in a magic show. Early in the show he makes his staff of showgirls appear out of a suitcase as airline stewardesses. My favorite is Stephanie Mitchell, a former Star Search winner. Stephanie is a gorgeous 5-5½ inch showgirl. Lance Burton doesn’t mind breaking the mold a bit in the performers he has on stage.

Speaking of breaking the mold, there is always Mike Goudeau the juggler. He has a marvelous sense of humor and comes out juggling beanbag chairs. He is definitely from a different cut of cloth. I wonder if anybody else close to the stage feels a little intimidated when he is juggling a running chain saw along with two other very different items? But Goudeau fits in very well with Lance Burton and the rest of performers on Stage. I enjoyed the last trick with all performers on stage.

How good is Lance Burton? Along with about 60% of the audience I gave him a standing ovation. I have only seen three standing ovations in the shows I have been to in Las Vegas. The Lance Burton Theater is a marvelous facility. It is large enough to stage big tricks but small enough to keep the audience close to the action. The difference between the front section and the balcony is only five dollars so if you can spare the extra five from a game a black jack, it is a pretty good entertainment value. In fact I can’t understand why anyone would spend $40 more to go up the strip to watch a magic show. I just don’t see how there can be a better magician than Lance Burton.

<pkarnold -at- swbell.net> - Austin TX USA - Added 02/13/03 - [208.190.153***]    1192

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Lance Burton             
Date Seen: 02/03 - Good Show
Great show especially for the price! I highly recommend this show. This is probably one of the better deals you will find on the Strip! Lance Burton is an excellent magician and illusionist. We had front row seats about 5 seats from the center so we were able to see each trick up close and personal. The only disadvantage to sitting so close is the tendency to analyze everything he does, particularly the smaller tricks using his hankies. He doesn't pull rabbits out of hats nor does he make the audience dissapear but he does mix in a good combination of semi-grand illusions (ie. the dissapearing Corvette) and smaller sleight of hand techniques (appearing and dissapearing doves). The first trick where the girls appeared out of the suitcase amazed me and still don't know how he did it. My girlfriend and I kept talking about it after the show. He also does a good job of working with the kids and the audience members and encourages interaction.

Lance is a little dry on the humor but hey, you're not there to see a comedy show. His stage presence is also a little lacking since he acts so shy but you can tell he tries. For the last part of the show, he picked this Japanese guy who didn't know how to speak English and worked with him very well with his tricks. It made for great laughs! Defnitely try to get as close to the stage as possible especially since it's only $5 more compared to balcony seats. You get a free drink and a program along with your ticket.


<malbari -at- rcnchicago.com> - Chicago IL USA - Added 02/20/03 - [205.212.20***]    1220

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Lance Burton       
Date Seen: 02/03 - Good Show
It’s not that I avoid magic shows but it’s not really my cup of tea. That’s because I am one of those in the audience that will try to figure out every single trick. After about fifteen minutes I gave up. I just don’t see how it is possible to make doves appear out of hankies. And I certainly don’t see how Lance Burton or anyone can make a dove disappear by throwing it out into the air and poof it is gone! I thought he was going to give us a look into how a trick is done as he turned around to perform to a mock crowd. Unfortunately it was just a tease as he performed another spectacular disappearing people switch with a lot of humor in the trick.

Lance Burton is not perfect, but he is very, very good. Ironically the imperfections in a live show can make the show even better because it shows the audience the human side of a performer. Saturday, February 8th, the head set microphone was not working at the beginning of the show. Strangely, a silent intro with no speaking and just magic tricks is not that bad because it features the actual magic and I think that is Burton’s strength.

One of the problems with Lance Burton is he is so good at his magic, the audience may not know when to applaud because they don’t know when he is finished with a trick or if something else is coming up. I like his subtle magic probably the best I guess because I have seen magicians making large vehicles disappear and making people disappear and reappear. But how often does a magician make ducks and geese appear? Throughout the show Burton displays his humor commenting to a showgirl something to the effect, this may be one of the few times the audience is not watching you, but is focused on an animal waddling around on stage.

Lance Burton knows the audience and communicates well with the crowd. As an aside, he should be nominated for best use of showgirls in a magic show. Early in the show he makes his staff of showgirls appear out of a suitcase as airline stewardesses. My favorite is Stephanie Mitchell, a former Star Search winner. Stephanie is a gorgeous 5-5½ inch showgirl. Lance Burton doesn’t mind breaking the mold a bit in the performers he has on stage.

Speaking of breaking the mold, there is always Mike Goudeau the juggler. He has a marvelous sense of humor and comes out juggling beanbag chairs. He is definitely from a different cut of cloth. I wonder if anybody else close to the stage feels a little intimidated when he is juggling a running chain saw along with two other very different items? But Goudeau fits in very well with Lance Burton and the rest of performers on Stage. I enjoyed the last trick with all performers on stage.

How good is Lance Burton? Along with about 60% of the audience I gave him a standing ovation. I have only seen three standing ovations in the shows I have been to in Las Vegas. The Lance Burton Theater is a marvelous facility. It is large enough to stage big tricks but small enough to keep the audience close to the action. The difference between the front section and the balcony is only five dollars so if you can spare the extra five from a game a black jack, it is a pretty good entertainment value. In fact I can’t understand why anyone would spend $40 more to go up the strip to watch a magic show. I just don’t see how there can be a better magician than Lance Burton.

<pkarnold -at- swbell.net> - Austin TX USA - Added 02/13/03 - [208.190.153***]    1193

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Lance Burton
Date Seen: 01/03 - Good Show
Saw 1/4/03 show. Lance is truly an excellent magician and worthy of the honors accorded him by his mentors peers in the area of magic. The show is 1-1/2 hours long and moves quickly. It's great that he includes children from the audience to join him on stage for several tricks and illusions.
<tuckerj -at- katewwdb.com> - Tucson AZ USA - Added 01/10/03 - [166.89.101***]    1110

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Lance Burton
Date Seen: 01/03 - Good Show
My husband and I saw the show from the balcony and still enjoyed it very much. The theatre was stunning,and even our balcony seats were comfortable with a good view of the stage. We especially liked the segments where he brought the children on stage to participate in the acts. Worth seeing.
<janeann989 -at- hotmail.com> - Rogers City MI USA - Added 01/19/03 - [216.93.55.***]    1127

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Lance Burton             
Date Seen: 01/03 - Good Show
Our visit was on 1/7/03. We bought our tickets at the last minute and could only get balcony seats...3 rows from the very back. When we went to pick them up, the man at the desk asked if we'd like to upgrade for $5, to seat 9 rows from the stage. We took him up on it and it was terrific. (apparently, Monte Carlo holds 15 or so tickets for the "big winners" so ask if any are left! It was well worth the $5.) At first I thought the guy(Lance) was a little wierd. He talks like Clint Eastwood but it doesn't take long for you to roll with him. He brought kids up from the audience to help with a couple of tricks and he handled them very well. His disappearing car trick was spectacular. I don't know how he does it and frankly, I don't care. It was a wonderful show. He also had a juggler/comedian who was very entertaining. Last thought, the seats were very comfortable. Soft leather-like that rocked and semi-reclined with LOTS of leg room. I'm 6' and it was so nice not to have to stand up for the late arrivals!
<icedpurple -at- attbi.com> - USA - Added 01/11/03 - [24.147.152.***]    1115

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