MAT F R A N C O
Consummate magician Mat Franco learned a long time ago that the trick to being successful in his art was to entertain audiences and make them smile rather than trying to fool them. As a result, his award-winning show at The LINQ, Mat Franco-Magic Reinvented Nightly, combines his signature breezy humor with his inventive magic and crowd-guided improv, creating a once-in-a-lifetime adventure for show goers.
Mat Franco
“If people are laughing and having fun, then my job as an entertainer is complete,” Franco says. “That’s my philosophy 100 percent. My uniqueness is that my show is 100 percent personality-driven. That’s the style I’ve cultivated. I combine that with a lot of interaction with the audience. I have a map, and I know where I’m going. I know how to get from point A to point B, but I let the audience drive. I am happiest when they become part of the show.”
The first and only magician to win the million-dollar prize on NBC’s America’s Got Talent, Franco says that his type of magic is actually a nonexistent form in terms of the genre: Not quite close-up and not quite stage magic, it’s what’s known in magic lingo as parlor magic with an interactive element.113
Criss Angel
CRISS ANGEL
Criss Angel will disappear from the Luxor on Oct. 28 but will be reappear with his brand-new Mindfreak show at Planet Hollywood on Dec. 19. This immersive evolution of Mindfreak will combine pop culture with the iconic Angel’s stepped-up, mind-blowing original illusions and cutting-edge technology never before used on a live stage.
MAC KING
A Las Vegas act onstage sporting a bowl haircut and a retro plaid suit? Yes, that’s Mac King, who performs afternoons at Harrah’s in a fun family show that mixes quirky humor with his original and amazing sleight-of-hand and visual gags. He’s even been known to have a live goldfish appear out of his mouth.
Penn & Teller
PENN & TELLER
The renowned duo at the Rio might sometimes let you think you can see what’s up their sleeves, but you’ll be laughing the entire time. The original bad boys of magic, they go for shock value, combining humor with clever pranks and graphic tricks, even occasionally claiming to show audiences how a trick is done.
XAVIER MORTIMER
Xavier Mortimer’s Magical Dream is a show unlike any other in Las Vegas. Mortimer, who grew up in southwestern France, transports audiences into his dreamworld in the Sin City Theater at Planet Hollywood with illusions comprising a totally inventive and unconventional adventure. In his dream, a hidden world of magic unfolds.
