Regarding the previous post, Andy Rose wrote to ask…
Your Carson video with Lance Burton got me watching a whole bunch of other videos of him doing the same performance many times over the next couple of decades, but with a noticeably evolving stage presence. Burton gradually goes from a somewhat vampire-like appearance to a much more standard-looking formal costume and hairstyle. He also changes from staring at the audience in a slightly unsettling way to engaging the audience with more of a pleasant grin and a wink.
My question: Did Burton deliberately change because the magician-as-madman look was starting to go out of style in the 80s, or is his evolution just the sign of a performer who naturally got more comfortable on stage as the years went on?
I think most magicians of his era started getting away from that creepy-guy-in-a-tux look…a style change that a lot to do with David Copperfield dressing like a "today" man and with Penn & Teller ridiculing old stereotypes of magic. But I believe Burton only ever took that posture for that dove/cigarette act and as soon as he was in venues that called for longer shows, he got out of that mode (and the tux) once he'd made his last dove appear or disappear in the opener.
He was and still is a very charming, funny guy from Kentucky and once his act ran past ten minutes, as it did when he began headlining in Vegas, he needed to connect more with his audience and, of course, talk. I don't think it was that he got more comfy on stage. I think it was that more was expected of him. One of the appeals of his Vegas shows was how likeable and friendly he was on stage.
I know I've written about this before here but I became a tremendous fan of Mr. Burton when he had a show at the old Hacienda Hotel, more or less across the street from the Tropicana in Vegas. He followed a Minsky's Burlesque presentation that occupied that showroom for many years. I saw that a couple of times because it starred two actual Minsky's veteran comics, Dexter Maitland and Irv Benson…the last of their kind. When Burton took over the hall, I recognized several of the old sets repainted and repurposed for his show.
It was a wonderful show which substituted ingenuity and hard work for the big budget they didn't have. The hard work included how long Burton was on stage for each performance — and he did two shows a night, plus sometimes a meet-and-greet signing program books for the audience outside. He was on stage for about 75% of the show, spelled briefly by a novelty act (usually the brilliant juggler, Michael Goudeau) or a number by six lovely dancers. The dancers were topless at the late show, covered at the early show.
Burton had a huge budget when he moved to the Lance Burton Showroom at the Monte Carlo and there were other magic shows nearby with huge, expensive tricks and special effects. I've still never enjoyed a magic show in that town as much as I enjoyed Burton's run at the Hacienda. I think the tickets were $19.95 each and it was not hard to find $5 off coupons. I got to know one of the ladies in the show and she got me in for the full $19.95 off, plus backstage.
When he moved to the bigger theater down the Strip, a lot of intimacy was lost…and while the tricks got more elaborate, a few of them were like most of those in Siegfried and Roy's show. By that I mean you had the feeling that the magic was being done not by the magician but by the folks who build the illusions and by the stage crew pulling levers and pushing buttons. Lance still opened with his dove act but it was a shorter version and at some point, he began talking during it, which I think distracted from the fact that he was up there doing some of the best sleight-of-hand in the world.
I liked the show…and I guess I liked the fact that Burton was not working as hard and probably making eight times the money or more. I just liked the show at the Hacienda more and not because the dancers had their bras off. I liked that you were seeing one of the best magicians ever doing it the hard way. He's semi-retired now and contributing his time to help and encourage young magicians. I don't know anyone in the magic community who doesn't admire the man…and as I think you've figured out by now, I do too.