34 MAG I e · J ULY 2009

By JAQ GRHN~rO
Watching Dirk Arthur get ready for
work is a bit like watching a dad get his
kids ready for a dirt track meet. There's the
cleaning of gear, the loading of equipment,
the dusty ride to where everything will take
place, and even the good family friend who's
been around, knows the ropes, and is there
to help out and make sure everything goes
smoothly so no one gets hurt.
Of course, in this scena rio, the" kids"
are 400- to 600-pound Siberian Tigers, the
"gear" is all the props needed for two daily
(and different) illusion shows, and the friend
is Michael Giles, who, as a former mem­
ber of The Majestix, knows a thing or two
about big cats and safety.
As for the dusty ride, well, I was follow­
ing the custom-built white truck and trailer
from Arthur's Southwest ranch-style home
to the Las Vegas Strip, where the animals
were unloaded in preparation for their star
turns in Dirk's XTrem e Magic, which has
just taken over the main showroom at the
Tropicana Hotel & Casino with a brand
new 7 p.m. show.
The cats, most of which are named for
famous magicians, are used to the ride.
Arthur has been doing two afternoon shows
at the Tropicana for five years, but this
move, which has him still doing the 4 p.m.
(4:10 really - it's a union thing) and now
the evening show, is getting Arthur closer to
where he wants to be. After thirteen years in
Las Vegas, he's halfway there. "I would love
to be doing two shows a night, " he says. But
as far as his routine goes, the only difference
is he can sleep a little later, getting up at 9
instead of 6 to start getting things ready for
the day's performances.
These six words - "I make the pyro over
coffee" - tell you quite a bit about what to
make of Dirk Arthur, including the fact that
he drinks coHee. More importantl y, though,
it fills you in on his work ethic and his atten­
tion to detail and control over every aspect of
the show, no matter the size. He is a licensed
pyrotechnician and personally handles the
responsibility of making sure the fire goes off
when and how it should. And while he has a
dedicated team (to which he is very devoted),
he knows it is his name on the marquee and
his performance that keeps the show going.
This isn't just about job preservation. He
knows he has to stay on top of his game
while working with the cats. He must never
forget they are powerful wild animals with
their own personalities and foibles; he needs
to be prepared for every possibility.

DirA performs a Sub Trunk while in a straitjackel,

~hoafs a glr( ocrOS5 the slage, and does o.Shod·
0 .... BoiC - each with (1 bi9<ol kicker - then
produces a helicopter.
1\1\ A G I e · J U LY 20 0 9 35
 But even before the cats and the head­ that I was consta ntly '\'orki:n~ 0 m;. Jct. maybe the milk would disappear and
lining in Vegas, the same ethic and drive Constantly, cOln anri,. '\~" d 0 ur act appear inside of a light bulb; well, Kenny
were present. and then it would be criri ued by rhe pro­ had a bird that would disappear and appear
Dirk Arthur started performing magic fessi ona Is which was a\\ eome! The n I'd inside of a light bulb. Marvyn would pro­
when he was a shy and introverted nine-year­ come back (l month la ter wirh .1 \\ hole duce twenty light bulbs from his mouth;
old. "It was a hobby," he recalls. "It was a different \ rsion of rhe JCt. w·i tb all rhi Kenny had the Cone Trick, where you'd roll
good escape, something I could do on my new and impro,"ed stuff, and her \-e re all , up this paper cone and twent)' birds would
own." But when you grow up in the San Fer­ 'Wow, whar 's this guy doin g ~" rm v [" ing come out. "
nando Valley, a half-hour constanrh n rh act."" Sometimes, though, there are things that
away from the Magic T Which' me:ms [h can 't be taught, and you have to learn to
Castle, you don't con- HE C1\ T t\.RE act has been in a sta te adapt in order to get what you want. "I kind
tinue to perform magic FRIE 0 FAMILY of continual e\'ol ur ion of took myoId bird act to the extreme leve,l,
on your own for very since the days of card s but I realized Kenny'S act was a lot better,
long - not if you plan A 0 EMPLOYEE ALL and candles and mu lti­ so I purchased his. I bought the equipment
on making a career out plying eggs and billiard and rights to all the tricks when 1was still a
of it. While most of the
AT ONCE A D DIRK balls. Manipulation and teenager. So I had that act, a reaJly successful
kids in his school, with LOVE, RE PEeT, sleight of hand were act with the birds, and I kept expanding and
their proximity to Holly­ good enough for the enlarging it. At one point there was every­
wood, dreamed of movie AND ADMIRATION early teen years, but by thing from a parakeet to an ostrich traveling
stardom , Dirk fantasized FOR TH FELTNE I the time he was in his around that stage, and all manner of avian
about being a famous late teens, Arthur knew creature in between - chickens and doves
magician. He was never APPARENT EVERY- he needed to have the and ducks." To Arthur, the large birds were
good at fitting in with the act grow and expand. the big finale, but audiences didn't know
normal cliques in high HE E YOU LOOK. Just being able to back what to make of them. "The big emus and
school, so he found his palm cards with both ostriches didn 't go over as well as Siegfried
own way. hands wasn't going to hold his attention & Roy's tigers. So I just decided to add cats
"\ was pretty lucky; I was able to be for very long. So, at that time, with that to the act. That kind of opened up the whole
mentored by a lot of great magicians. I got budget, that meant birds. And again, Dirk field to me - the cats."
advice and help from a lot of the greats surrounded himself with the best in order Let's face it, XTreme Magic owes its suc­
like Dai Vernon, !vlarvyn Roy, and a guy to learn what he needed to learn. cess as much to the exotic animals as it does
named Ken Whitaker, who was an inventor "Ken Whitaker was famous for having a to the illusions they are participating in . And
and creator - he formed a company called really spectacular and unique bird act that Dirk knows it. The cats are friends, family,
Creative Illusions." Luck was only part of was styled after Marvyn Roy's light bulb and employees all at once. Photographs,
the equation . Good timing also played an act. They actuall y had a lot of the same news articles, and testimonials from school
important role in the education of this pint­ tricks - they had this formula for making children abound in the spartan kitchen/din­
sized prestidigitator. an act. You'd start out with the hat and ing area where he spends his down time,
Dirk was part of the very first group whatever your object was - Marvyn's was what little of it there is. His love, respect,
of Junior iVlagicians at the Castle and the light bulbs, Kenny's was birds - you'd and admiration for the felines is apparent
first recipient of the Junior Magician 's have six to ten birds come out of the hat. everywhere you look. But just having a love
Achievement Award. "They were surprised And then you you'd do another trick where of great cats doesn't get one into your Sub
36 ,\It A G I e · ) U LY 2 0 0 9
 The magic was already a big part of his sort of based on a Sword Basket where rhe
life. He'd been working casuals and revue girl goes in, torches go through like J Sword
shows with the bird act since his Junior Basket, and then a leopard jumps om.
days at the Castle, but the addition of the opposed to Siegfried & Ro\"·s ball wha
lions - and, soon enough, the tigers he's they just had the fire and then .1 tiger lumr
now known for - caused him to realize out." Arthur is proud of th ose differen.:-e:>.
each aspect took up fi fry percent of bis That extra phase, his design for the trans­
passion . "It's pretty great; I have my own mutation of girl to cat, is the type of thin
thing. If I get a little burned alit working on he is insistent upon to set him apart from
the magic stuff, I can foclls on the cats and S&R. "They certainly could claim rights t
animal training. It kind of goes back and their style and their original illusions. That's
forth, but the combination is pretty excit­ why I made a point to never rip them off. To
ing. Like now, I'm excited because we're this day, we're friends and we have a good ,
getting two new baby cats we'll be training mutual respect. They've done favors for me
for the Interlude. I'm super excited because and vice versa."
we just put the Interlude in the show, but And yet, when one sees the white tigers,
without the cat. \'\'e're doing it with a girl, questions must be raised. Dirk is no stranger
and it's going really well , so we know when to this; he knows the question is coming and
we add the cat it 's going to be really fun. " he is prepared. "I didn't even use the white
Dirk Arthur is not the first illusion­ tigers for a good amount of my career. I just
ist to have a cat jump through his middle kind of left that up to Siegfried & Roy. But
as part of an effect. Siegfried & Roy have gradually, over time, I was working overseas
been there. Certainlv, thev weren't the first and we added some white tigers, and even
to use big cats - ca·ts ha~{e been part of some snow tigers rthe ones with almost no
Trunk. No, for that you have to add a cer­ magic shows since the early 1900s - but stripes]. Now, of course, S&R are no longer
tain amount of crazy. they did it so well, thev've almost become working. StiLi, I always respected them and
"Well, you have to be kinda crazy, for synonymous with the genre. Theirs was a maybe tried to emulate them a bit - but not
sure. When I was a little kid, I read all the very long shadow that Dirk was going to steal their material. "
books about Icircus lion tamer] Clyde Beatty have to step out of if he was going to suc­ The illusions aren't the onlv way he
and all the animal training books I could get ceed in his own right. "I always tried to not emulates the masters of white~tige~ magic.
my hands on. I was always fascinated with copy them , to have my own tricks, but there "We have a breeding program where we've
the training and sort of romanticized the are a few things that have sort of a similar successfullv bred the \\"hite tigers and the
dangers and the excitement. Plus, I always flavor. " He is referring to a large mirror ball African leopards. We \\"ark with other
loved animals, so I was interested in animal in the middle of his living room floor. It's an people who ha\'e breeding programs where
behavior and animal psychology. That was early model, one that he designed and built we exchange anim ,lls to perpetuate the gene
always fascinating to me. " himself, but strikingly similar to one that pool. We \\· ,lIlt to tr\ and breed them, keep
Arthur approached a good friend in Los graced the Siegfried & Roy advertisements them alive. The different-colored tigers are
Angeles who was a wlld-anjmal broker and, in the '80s. "That was one of the ,11 1 Bengal tigers, they just
with all the naivete of someone who doesn't first things that we did in the have different
know he WII't do something, Dirk said to show and people still like coat colors
her, "I'd like to get a couple of lions." After it - the hotel still likes
<l measured silence and a menral sizing up of it, people still think
her friend, she simply said, "Okay, I'll help it's kind of cool,
you get the lions." In actuality, she helped so we've kept
with a lot more than just acquiring the it in. It is
beasts. She was instrumental in getting Dirk different.
his first license and the permits required to This is
own and house an exotic and potentially
lethal animal. But she did something even
more important. She introduced Dirk to all
the movie animal trainers in Hollvwood. "I
was able to go around and learn from them
and get advice from those guys - and girls.
That sort of formed my basic groundwork
for animal training."
At last, in his early twenties, the two
halves of Dirk Arthur were finally com­
ing together in a way he'd never expected.

After producing a white tiger with stripes, then

crushing a girl in a siriped costume, Dirk pro­
ceeds to removelhe stripes - FIrst from the
girl. then from the col.
and all are super rare. So they attract more tricks. But they don't realize that I started onds of meeting him in any magical context,
attention and people are more excited from zero, with nothing, and everything was that Dirk loves magic. Both of these things
about them, which is why we use them in purchased through the years of performing come to the forefront when you see him
the show. Still, they're Bengal tigers. All the and the profits made off of the show ­ perform. No matter what's going on, the
tigers in the wild are becoming more and expanding, expanding, expanding - just audience is with him because they know he
more rare, due to loss of habitat and poach­ that constant work and constant polish in wants to be there. His ultimate goal is their
ing. \Vie hope one day to help repopulate front of the audience in order to get the enjoyment. He wants the audience to have as
the wild. It all depends on what's going on show to be successful. Also, you have to be a much fun as he's having. "Really, the most
with their habitat. At this point, it's pretty very good business person and know how to important thing is that the audience is hav­
tough to put tigers back. It may end up deal with the corporate executives, the hotel ing a good time. Even if your director might
where we can one day. If we can't, at least staff, and the union crews. You have to deal tell you something or people might say, 'Hey
we have them surviving with all that and keep all it seems like you finish at the wrong time' or
in captivity." "T those people happy. But whatever, if the audience loves that part, or
The cats joined Dirk's HE AUDIENCE IS you still have to retain likes it, then that's it. The audience has to
show in the early '80s. THE REAL TELLER ON enough integrity to do a be your guide; the audience is the real teller
Not long afterward, Dirk great show and to kind on \\-hich tricks stay in the show and which
was hired to headline ~I-IJCH TRICKS STAY of do your own show ­ tricks don't. If a trick doesn't go over well,
City Lights, a revue show a show that you want to then I'll pull it out of the show. I want the
at the Flamingo Hilton.
IN IHE SHOW AND do and that keeps you audience to be excited about it. If it just falls
"I didn't know what I \VHICH TRICKS DON'T. happy and keeps the flat, it just bugs me."
was doing and here I audiences ha ppy." Sometimes, though, he needs to make
was, headlining a Vegas IF A TRICK DOESN'T Harry Chapin, the sure the audience is really, truly right before
revue." He must have GO OVER \VELL, THEN singer behind the classic doing \\-hat needs to be done. "Sometimes
done okay; his spot in "Cat's in the Cradle," you can tell right away [a trick isn't work­
that show led to Atlantic I'LL PULL IT OUT OF once said, "If you're ever ing] and you'll spend a week or two [trying
City and Abracadabra, THE SH Ow." confused about perform­ it out] because you spent a lot of money on
his first full-length show. • ing, you should stand it and then go, '1(5 definitely no good.'"
From there, various turns in the lobby and watch Good and bad, however, are subjective
as a revue show headliner - Jubilation in people come in. These are people willing terms. The large birds were fun, but not
Nassau, Bahamas, and Jubilee at Bally's in to give up ten bucks apiece, give up their funny. And then ,here was the Watch Trick.
Vegas - eventually led to the opening, five evening, come and watch you do something Whife perform ing an eight-year stint in the
years ago, of XTreme Magic as an hour-long that hopefully you love to do anyway, and Bahamas, Arthur began presenting a routine
afternoon show at the Tropicana. And the pay you for it. You get thousands of dol­ in which he borrowed a watch irom the audi­
entire show belongs to him. :lars playing for thousands of people when ence and then pretended to smash it. "It \\-as
Today, Dirk still does the Birds From Cone you want, where you want, what you want. one of my longest and most boring tricks
effect he got as part of the original Whitaker And if that isn't a great job, I don't know eYer. The stage crew used to tease me about
act, producing a half-dozen fantail pigeons what a great job is. So if you can't give that it - 'The sewn-minute trick.' Wie put the
and a large duck from a rolled up piece of everything you've got, if you can't give back watch LOW three Iirtle boxes, then we'd give
paper. But the smaller tricks that got him to to your audience some sort of gratitude for the gu: d big sledgehammer and we'd mix up
where he is are now only practiced for fun. that, then I think you're a damn fool, and the boxes. The idea .,vas that he was going
"For a while, I was doing some of the sleight I've been a damn fool a lot in my life, but to sma sh fWO of the boxes, and the last box
of hand with the close-up video, but I took not that big a fool." left \\"Quld miraculously have his watch in it.
that out of the show because I found that, in Dirk Arthur is no fool. He knows, after That was the concept. And once in a while it
my opinion, people were a little disappointed years of working in the trenches, the secret would be incredibly hilarious. But most of the
to come and see something projected on a to putting on a good show. "It has to be time it was incredibly stupid."
screen. Their gut feeling was they'd rather see fun. But sometimes you have to fight to
something live, and the sleight of hand was keep it fun or to make it fun. It truly is fun.
too small to be seen on the stage." He does, but sometimes all the other factors that are
however, do a Gene Anderson Newspaper involved with performing in today's business
Tear, which plays big enough for Dirk to feel climate - the realities of having a big illu­
comfortable having it back in the show. But sion show - make it difficult. There's the
the majority of the time is given over to the stress of just worrying whether the dancers
big illusions and the cats. and the technicians will hit their cues right
Of course, now Dirk is the only per­ and whether the animals will behave prop­
former in Las Vegas using big cats in a erly. You have to be focused properly on
regular show. "I feel bad for the other guys, al\l that stuff. But you also have to fight the
the other smaller acts that had cats, but I tendency to be too uptight; you need to still
also know that a lot of my success - and have fun and relax."
my staying power - is due to tremendous When he's relaxed, you can see fun is
hard work and perseverance. That is what something that comes naturally to Arthur.
is keeping me going. Certainly, people might His speech is peppered with words 'like
be jealous and might think, This has got to "cool" and "fun" and modified with the
be easy; he's still working just because he completely unhip (and un-ironic) word A mirror-ball Sword Bosket, complete With hre­
has the cats or, Oh, he has bought these big "super." And it becomes obvious, within sec­ and 0 leopord
MAG I e · JU LY 20 0 9 39
 Sometimes he'll do things just to chal­ instantaneoHsly? That would get people to
lenge himself. There are situations, like talk. We try to think of things with the cats
being asked to extend his afternoon show that are different, instead of the cats just
by fifteen to twenty minutes to make it more appearing -like we make the stripes vanish
suita ble for an evening's price tag, where from a tiger. Or the Interlude we're working
he'll have to throw new effects into the on, with the cat appearing through the cen­
show fairly quickly. "It's kind of fun to see ter of my body."
if you can present that stuff. And then I just In addition to the Appearing Helicopter,
go back on my experience and think, Now, Arthur has also put in the work on other
how was this, what should this trick be? illusions in XTreme Magic. For the first
Then you just sort of ignore everybody else, effect after his own appearance, Dirk cre­
ignore the directors and choreographers and ated a bit in which he fires a girl from a clear
everyone, and say, 'Well, the audience needs acrylic cannon into a cage across the stage
to see that it's empty' so let's take a few min­ where, once she vacates it, a tiger appears.
utes here to see that the box is empty. Then
when the tiger appears, we have to pause
and appreciate the magic that has happened.
A lot of that comes in to making it fun and
keeping it fun. The more fun I can have,
the more infectious it is to the audience. So
that's super important. If you become bored,
or if you think that way, then it's going to
come across that way."
In his own way, Dirk is just living the
famous Robert-Houdin concept: Magicians
are actors playing the part of a magician.
And that's just fine. Dirk is proud
of the fact that he still goes back to his
books for inspiration; just because it's
new doesn't mean it's better. He likes to
find contemporary versions of old classics
to bring them back to their former glory.
"Sometimes there is an element tha t made
that trick great that other magicians have
taken away because it was too hard. It's
kind of fun to study the old tricks to figure
out what it was that made that trick great.
Maybe it was because the thing was shown
completely empty or because a guy from
the audience came up and you handed it
to him and then it was like a miracle ­
instead of a magician saying, 'We'll just
put this on a really thick base and then we
can work twenty feet at the back of the
stage and it's reatly easy to do.' But gee,
P.T. Selbit did it surrounded in the middle
of the audience. Or DeKolta vanished the
girl from the chair, but he put newspapers
allover the floor to prove there were no
trap doors, and blah, blah, blah. That's a
lot of fun, to try and figure out what made
it great and then to go back to the old,
original versions.
"And then sometimes I try to think of
what sounds really exc.iting, what we call
a 'good verbal.' What would people talk
about? Like making a helicopter appear.
I was the first guy to make a helicopter
appear; now it's almost a standard effect.
But I thought, What about making a big
helicopter iust appear out of nowhere,

Non-cal illUSIons include Slicln9 a Girl into Ninths,

Origami, and Escape From the GianI Deolh Drill
40 MAG Ie · JU LY 2 a a 9
"My mind is never resting," he says. ''I'm as if it were that easy. "You gotta keep writ­ know that magician loves magic and loves
always working on expanding and improv­ ing songs, you have to try and outdo your­ presenting magic." And that is why Dirk's
ing, and new ideas." self. Or at least figure out a different way of audience loves him.
If he doesn't have a new trick or illusion being entertaining to your public. " Since he was nine years old, Dirk Arthur
in the works, he's not happy. "To be a top With everything - all the fun and the has loved the art of magic. It has taken him
illusionist, you go backwards if you don't fame, the cats and the cards - Dirk Arthur all over the world and to his own showroom
keep improving, so I've made it a habit to has also maintained a certain standard. He on the Las Vegas Strip. His show is the magic
always be thinking of new stuff and new thinks magic should be classy. The magician show he'd like to see, one where the performer
directions. It's super fun, coming up with should have some style and sophistication. isn't tired of doing the same thing, where the
the illusions, putting them in the show, com­ For him, what's missing are the magicians entertainment values and not the box office
ing up with my own twists on them. It's like who are in it for the love of the art. "The are what's motivating the magic. rI1
being a songwriter and you write ten great audience picks up on that," he says with
songs and say, 'Okay, that's it, I'm gonna a big grin . "That is what makes the audi­ .1aq Greel1Sp011 is a freelance writer livil1g
stop now.'" He shakes his head and laughs ence love a magic show. It's beea use they ill Las Vegas.