Today in Las Vegas Magazine

King of the Strip

With his signature plaid suit and beaten-up leather suitcase, Mac King is one of the most lovable fixtures on the Strip, probably sharing top-billing with the fountains at Bellagio or The Sirens of TI. In a city inundated with over-hyped magic shows featuring tigers, helicopters, cars and starlets, it’s refreshing to have a magician like Mac King headline one of the longest-running magic shows in town, offering-up nothing more than himself and a bag of tricks. Known for his trademark laid-back style and Southern charm, the comedy magician will be celebrating the 8th anniversary of his show at Harrah’s, which he’s contracted to until 2011. With two shows a day, 5 days a week, he’s certainly come a long way from his early days in Kentucky when he used to perform with fellow-magician and boyhood chum, Lance Burton.

His love of magic was developed from an early age, with the help of his grandfathers, who were both amateur magicians. He began performing for friends and family, and continued to develop his craft throughout college. Aside from the love of magic, another one of his grandfather’s legacies is his now-trademark plaid suit. “I started originally wearing it when I started doing magic shows, I thought it was funny. I came across this old plaid suit in my grandfather’s attic, which he also used to wear when doing magic tricks,” Mac says. He adds, “I’ve got about five different plaids right now.”

After graduating from college, King took his show on the road where he eventually headlined at every major comedy club in the United States. As his fame grew, King performed all over the world, both onstage and on television in Spain, Japan, Australia, Denmark, Sweden, England, Argentina, Holland, Finland, Canada, Chile and Portugal. In 1987, he moved to Los Angeles where his amazing, visual style of magic and off-beat, but friendly approach to comedy eventually caught the eye of producers of the popular ‘80’s stand-up comedy shows, “An Evening at the Improv” and “Comic Strip Live.”

After working on the road an average of 220 days a year, he moved to Las Vegas where he made guest appearances in such shows as Spellbound, at Harrah’s, The Great Radio City Music Hall Spectacular at Flamingo, Splash! at the Riviera, and with comedian Rita Rudner at The Desert Inn. In 2000, King took the stage at Harrah’s and hasn’t moved since.

We asked him the secret to his staying power and ever so humble, he has this to say, “I don’t know. You always hear people say to you that “you can’t be all things to all people,” but I think that that’s exactly what I’m doing right now. I have grand-mothers, and bikers and 25-year olds who all tell me how much they love my show and come back to see over and over again; that’s a pretty wide range of people and I’m really flattered that my range is that wide, though it’s not an accident, I have been working on this for years, I’ve been trying to do that, so it’s gratifying that a lot of people like that.”

Aside from the numerous awards he has received from his peers in the industry and praise from audiences, King is probably also one of the busiest magicians around. He is the author of “Tricks With Your Head: Hilarious Magic Tricks and Stunts to Disgust and Delight,” he has developed the Magic in a Minute™ line which includes Trunk-O-Tricks and Great Big Ol’ Book-O-Magic; as well as other merchandise like The Treasure Trove-O-Trickery, instructional DVDs and a whole lot more; he is also probably the only magician with a syndicated comic strip which comes out in Las Vegas, Seattle, Athens, Georgia and Pennsylvania. In addition to all this, he still finds the time to do two or three corporate shows or private parties a month; as well as champion a cause close to his heart, encouraging literacy with children. A spokesperson for Optimist International, he just recently participated in Nevada Reading Week and has been going around reading books and doing tricks. King also works with a local organization called Kids To Kids, whose goal is also to promote literacy among the children in Southern Nevada.

With all of this in the works, we asked him if we can expect anything more? Perhaps a foray into television? “Nope, I’m not dancing with the stars,” he said, lightly making jest of his good friend and fellow magician, Penn Jillette, who is in this season’s show; and adds, “And no, I’m no American Idol…” Well, he may not claim this title officially, but he’s ours, and it seems, the Strip’s as well.

-Rachel M. Sugay

The Mac King Comedy Magic Show
Showroom Theatre, Harrah’s Las Vegas Casino & Hotel. Show times are 1 and 3 p.m., Tuesday-Saturday. Tickets are $24.95. To purchase, call 1-800-392-9002 or visit: www.harrahs.com