Today in Las Vegas Magazine

Nathan Steamrolls to the Strip

You’ve got to hand it to the guy, he’s pretty likeable. As far as magicians go, he’s a pretty laid-back dude. In this town, every act needs to distinguish itself from the rest of the shows – advertisers will refer to it as their “USP” (unique selling proposition) - though in this industry, I suppose it could be called their trademark instead. Whatever the term, Las Vegas is not lacking in magic shows – there is, of course, Siegfried & Roy and their tigers, Steve Wyrick and his plane, Lance Burton and his corvette, Mac King and his trunk o’ tricks and so on.

While Nathan Burton may not have all of the above, he does have (and is known for) his Las Vegas showgirls. For years, he was playing at what might be considered the corner of “Make It or Break It Boulevard” at the V Theater in Miracle Mile Shops; and while he seems to have had a fair amount of success there, the allure of being “smack dab in the center of The Strip” and at an actual Strip property proved too difficult to resist.

His presence at the Flamingo only legitimizes the fact that he is a main contender for the title of “king of the afternoon show.” More to the point, he’s come a long way, baby, from his early days in Oakland, California, when he was bitten by the magic bug, at the not-so-ripe age of four.

Throughout the late ‘80’s and early ‘90’s, he was jet-setting and performing not only in the United States, but in Europe and Asia as well. He got his first taste of television in 1996, when he was featured in NBC’s The World’s Wildest Magic and then again the following year in the TV special, World’s Greatest Magic 3. After a year of performing in Korea, Nathan was hankering to play for American audiences again, this time with Showgirls of Magic in Las Vegas and Whisper in Reno. It wasn’t until 2003, when Nathan was on the Strip – first as performer in V - The Ultimate Variety Show and then headlining his own show at the V Theater in early 2006.

But it’s his appearances at several TV shows, specifically, the first season of America’s Got Talent, where people started to sit-up and take notice of this magician with the boyish charm. It was here where he wowed not only Americans, but an international audience, with his unique and zany tricks, such as the “microwave of death” and “steamroller.”

Burton’s show at the Flamingo contains both tricks and more, and if you haven’t seen them, some clips and segments are available on his website for everyone to see. Such is his confidence that you will still see the show – live – after already seeing the videos online. And so you should. Nothing can replace seeing the actual thing and trust me, I viewed all of them before seeing the show, and I was still wowed. Okay, maybe not so much wowed, as very, very entertained. This is not a bad way to spend an hour of your afternoon. He’s almost like the grown-up version of Ferris Bueller and he’s got the soundtrack (albeit slightly updated) and the young and sexy dancers to back him up – from Bjork’s “It’s Oh So Quiet” to Strauss’ “Also Sprach Zarathustra” (or more famously known as the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey, to (no surprise) Yello’s “Oh Yeah,” which was actually a part of the Ferris Bueller movie soundtrack.

Like any other magic show, it’s funniest when the performer interacts with the audience, and there are a couple of segments in this show that does just that. It’s perhaps here where Burton is at his most natural, and his real personality shines through, so it’s no surprise then, that it’s these acts that get the most applause and laughter from the audience.

We predict that gone will be the days when he might be referred to simply as “some white dude,” or even “that white magician dude.” The name to remember is Nathan Burton and the show is Nathan Burton’s Comedy Magic.

-Rachel M. Sugay