Joe Delaney remembers 1991: Lance Burton at the Hacienda

Friday, April 20, 2001 | 9:33 a.m.

Lance Burton had progressed in 1991 from a featured act, doing 15 minutes of prestidigitation sans dialogue, in the Tropicana's "Folies Bergere," to star billing in his own production show at the Hacienda, a site now occupied by Mandalay Bay. The Hacienda was a low-end operation at the south end of the Strip, ideal for Burton to develop his illusionary skills as well as his communication abilities, resulting in an easy delivery and a gentle sense of humor as a strong plus. Five years later he started an engagement as star of an enhanced production in a custom-built, multimillion-dollar theater at the Monte Carlo that will take him through 2009.

archive