Lance Burton the star of his own show "Lance Burton: Master Magician" recently celebrated the fifth anniversary of his show at the Monte Carlo Resort & Casino.

The magical fifth anniversary of "Lance Burton: Master Magician" was Thursday, June 21. His full-scale production shows with beautiful showgirls and dazzling stage production opened on June 21, 1996.

The mesmerizing show has drawn rave reviews. The Dallas Morning News while taking jabs at most of the entertainers on The Strip recently said, "Lance Burton is an ace magician." Virtually every poll has named Lance Burton as "Best Magician." Even Home Lighting & Accessories Magazine said, "The reader's felt that the Monte Carlo's master magician, Lance Burton, offers a folksy, family-friendly show that spotlights his superior sleight-of-hand skills, along with bigger, splashier illusions that match his showroom-headliner status. This year he edged out Siegfried & Roy at The Mirage."

Lance Burton's future plans for this year include an appearance at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts on Dec. 7-9 in Cerritos, California. He will also be doing a benefit for The Zelzah Shrine Temple's Transportation Fund (The Shriners) at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 19. Tickets are $22.50 and are available. Mac King, Fielding West and Johnny Thompson will also be appearing in this year's show. Tickets are tax deductible.

In the past year, Lance Burton has appeared on "Celebrity Jeopardy" filmed at the Las Vegas Hilton. Recently a television crew from Japan working on the Saturday morning TV show "Travel Salad" did a segment on the magic of Lance Burton at the Monte Carlo Resort.

The Lance Burton Variety Club Golf Classic raised $69,000 at DragonRidge Golf Club for the Variety Club Southern Nevada to benefit children and handicapped people in the Las Vegas Valley.

Lance Burton also made a special appearance at the Fourth Annual Adoption Fair at the Clark County Government Building. There are more than 300 children who live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area who are in some type of foster-care setting. Forty-five percent of those children are now free for adoption. The following organizations were involved in this year's Adoption Fair: CASA Foundation, Jewish Services, Latter-Day Saints Services, New Hope, Dave Thomas Foundation, Cedar Enterprises, Kerr-McGee Chemical and Southwest Ambulance.

Here's what the R-J news staffers (Nevada's largest daily circulation newspaper) said about "Best Male Las Vegan" after awarding him that honorary title, "It's easy to take master magician Lance Burton for granted - especially with his smiling visage adorning billboards and taxicabs all over town, touting his Monte Carlo show. But there's a lot more to the beaming Burton than his onstage expertise. From his work with such worthy causes as Habitat for Humanity to his regular support of programming at Las Vegas' classical music haven, KNPR-FM 89.5, the neighborly, low profile Burton epitomizes the quaint concepts of giving something back. Which, in our book, qualifies as real magic." The R-J said of winning "Best Magician," "Last year's readers pick, this year's staff pick. In 1998, he was the choice of both."

Michael Konik of The Robb Report says, "Lance Burton's show at the Monte Carlo offers a compelling mix of glamour, danger and old-fashioned mystery. Burton is witty and charming, a tremendously skilled sleight-of-hand artist as well as a world-class escape artist. His show is astonishing even without white tigers. (Burton uses white ducks instead).

"You will always remember... (Lance Burton)." As the advertising campaign says it's the best way to put it. There are moments in the show that are unforgettable. The prestidigitator invites some of the young children from the audience on-stage for an experience that they will never forget nor will their parents. "Master Magician" is the highest energy show on The Strip when at its peak. The Lance Burton Theatre has been voted "Best Theatre" in Las Vegas and was the first legitimate theatre built when it opened in 1996.

During the 1980s and '90s, Lance Burton quickly rose to become the No. 1 prestidigitator in the international community of magicians and appeared 10 times on "The Tonight Show" starring Johnny Carson and another five times on "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno. He has also appeared on "Hard Copy," CBS' "This Morning," "Donny & Marie," "The Howie Mandel Show" and "Politically Incorrect."

Lance Burton is from Louisville, Kentucky. He achieved a dream come true when he opened the $27 million Lance Burton Theatre at the Monte Carlo Resort & Casino and The Lance Burton Magic Shop. During his mid-teens the magic fraternity took notice of this up-and-coming star. Soon he began taking home "Best Junior Magician" awards. In July of 1980, barely three months after his 20th birthday, he became the first person to win magic's most coveted "Gold Medal Award for Excellence" from the International Brotherhood of Magicians.

On July 10th, 1982, Lance Burton was the recipient of magic's highest accolade when he won the Grand Prix at the Federation International Society de Magic (F.I.S.M.) in Lausanne, Switzerland making him a "World Champion Magician." He was the youngest person and the first American to win. Johnny Carson called Lance's performance as the "Best 12 minutes in magic."

His reputation had preceded him and 1981 was to be a banner year. The established professional magicians welcomed him into their exclusive circle.

The Larson Brothers, Bill and Milt, creators of the famed Magic Castle, not only featured Lance in their annual "It's Magic" show but also arranged for him to be introduced to TV via Johnny Carson on "The Tonight Show." That one appearance was the big break he had been hoping to get that changed magic history. The Robb Report in a story entitled "Vegas by the Book" saying, "Lance Burton's show at the Monte Carlo offers a compelling mix of glamour, danger and old-fashioned mystery. His show is astonishing, even without white tigers. (Burton uses ducks instead.)"

Special guest artist Michael Goudeau performs comedy and juggling in the show nightly.

For information on "Lance Burton: Master Magician" call (702) 730-7160 or (877) 386-8224 at the Monte Carlo. Show times are 7 and 10 nightly from Tuesday thru Saturday. Reserved seating tickets are $59.95 including tax for main floor/mezzanine and $54.95 for balcony seating. The theatre seats 1,274 and doors open one hour prior to show time. A bar is located in the theatre lobby. Check out Lance Burton's web site at www.lanceburton.com. The price includes a full-color souvenir program with each ticket. Click on his web site at www.lanceburton.com.

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