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Las Vegas Shows and Entertainment:
Dirk Arthur Show Tickets and Reviews |
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Xtreme Magic Starring Dirk Arthur
Reviewed July 20, 2005
by Nancy Hruska
 The Tropicana's very own Dirk Arthur lives up to his "extreme" reputation in the most outrageous ways a Las Vegas magic show could dream: big cats, helicopters, trains, and heart pumping theatrical effects. Dirk Arthur has added some extra quality ingredients to the already renowned mind-boggling illusions. His fast paced show is also capable of reminding his audience of the mystery of magic through timeless, classic tricks and humor suitable for all ages. In addition viewers get a sneak peek into the humanitarian side of Dirk Arthur- It looks as though his cats reserve the right to upstage anyone.
 Dirk arrives on stage in a less than conventional fashion for the opening act- fabricated from thin air in a smoking glass chamber. One of his Bengal Tigers is introduced early for an act called "Stripes" where the Tiger's stripes are removed. Dirk has the honor of making over his Tiger but only after it is practiced on the outfit of one of his dancers (because this just certainly isn't Las Vegas without beautiful dancing girls in feline outfits). Audience members are not only floored by the illusion itself and it's majestic stars, but by Dirk's fun filled fact stating these animals can carry 3 times their weight up a tree.
 Dirk takes a break from his "wild" side for some old school audience participation card tricks. "The spirit of Houdini" involves absurdity and awe through the use of Houdini's dentures. A card is picked and the magic chops reveal to the audience the selected card in a most outrageous and entertaining way. (Houdini is one of Dirk Arthur's roll models and his spirit is brought back again later in the show for an escape bit involving a straight jacket, chains, and an industrial drill as tall as the Tiffany showroom moving straight down for Dirk. Hopefully his studies on Houdini were diligent.) However, before the audience is even able to finish clapping for this cute number, Dirk makes a Robinson Helicopter appear from who knows where and everyone's heart rate is back up to maximum beats per minute. 007, eat your heart out.
 Nothing says magic like dismembering beautiful women. Dirk takes the old knife to a box trick to a whole new level of disbelief. Girls dance through the ages in flapper dresses and poodle skirts to a sad fate of losing at least their legs. The only thing worse than losing the lower half of your body, would be having yours switched with someone else. Dirk is not afraid to mix and match tricks, or limbs for that matter.
But this is only a tiny taste of the magical feast that Dirk sets for all his bewildered audience members. His show simply won't allow rest from chair-gripping magic. But after all the explosions, smoke, and applause, it's obvious who remains the true Dirk Arthur muse- his Tigers. A video segment from an Animal Planet special is played for the audience revealing that Dirk views the animals as "colleagues, not cats." He truly feels privileged to work with the species, "his friends." So even though Daily News has named him "a rival to David Copperfield" and even though he exits his own party at Tiffany Showroom on an Amtrak train arriving from nowhere, Dirk Arthur may very well be just a simple cat lover before a charismatic man of magic.
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