Q and A with Arian Black

Sunday, Nov. 20, 2005 | 7:41 a.m.

Las Vegas is home to a lot of entertainers who gain wider exposure in the outside world than they do locally.

Magician Arian Black is a perfect example.

The 36-year-old Canadian has lived in Las Vegas for 10 years and has performed at many venues, including her own show at Fitzgerald's and in "Splash" at the Riviera.

She does a lot of corporate work, but in recent months she has been gaining a reputation on international television.

How did you end up in Las Vegas?

I've been doing magic since I was 5 years old. I turned pro when I was 19 and packed up my things and left Canada for New York City.

From New York I ended up working for Donald Trump at the Trump Plaza and then at Trump's Castle in Atlantic City. That led to a lot of international work, and with the international work it doesn't matter where you live, so about 10 years ago I moved to Las Vegas.

There doesn't seem to be as many magic shows in town as there were a few years ago. How does that affect your getting work?

Vegas is changing so much, with different casinos closing and others being built. I don't know how it's going to affect me, but because of the TV shows, I'm hoping for a fighting chance to be a headliner here.

Tell us about your TV work. What kinds of things are you doing?

I've been doing a lot of television -- about a year and a half ago I did a one-hour special for the BBC (British Broadcasting Corp.) that centered around me as a female magician.

Then the French network, ArtA, did a segment on me for their show "City of Illusion," about some of the magic headliners here in Vegas. They interviewed me, and I did part of my act for them. This was last year.

I did a show on circus magic for an Italian network.

Anything in this country?

I did two episodes of the Steve Harvey's "Bigtime" on the WB network. They tell me one of them was their highest rated episode. It aired three times, but the show has been canceled, so I don't think you will see it again.

And I did an "Animal Planet" special with Lance Burton (headliner at the Monte Carlo) about the same time I did the shows for the BBC and ArtA.

What do you have coming up?

In January I start shooting a TV series for the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corp.). I will be the host and I'll interviewing the best magicians in the world -- close-up magicians, levitation magicians, the best of the best.

They wanted a female host who knew about magic.

Then in the summer we start taping another CBC series about circuses. I will be the host, and we will have one segment on circus schools, another on magic circuses, another on soul circuses (all-black circuses). I won't perform any magic.

How are you able to get so much work on television?

Just lucky. I don't have a manager getting me the TV shows. I'm just taking advantage of every opportunity. I suppose in the back of every magician's mind we want to do TV. It's the best medium for us. But I'm always happy doing live shows.

Do you have anything coming up in Las Vegas?

I've been working with a production company that wants to do another magic show. They're pitching it to different casinos. The show will be built around me, but it's still in the planning stages.

There aren't too many female magicians. Why is that? Is there a bias?

I don't think there's a bias, but it has been male dominated, historically. People just think of men when they think of magicians, but it's changing. Thirty years ago if you heard of a female doctor it was a little unusual.

Jerry Fink can be reached at 259-4058 or at jerry@lasvegassun.com.