This week on the Talk About Las Vegas Podcast, host Ira Sternberg engaged in a captivating conversation with Rick Thomas, an award-winning illusionist set to perform at the South Point Casino on February 24-26 at 7:30 PM. In this revealing episode, Rick Thomas delves into his extensive career in magic, his relentless passion for the art, and his long-standing desire to perform in the heart of Las Vegas.
Rick Thomas: The Early Years and Ballroom Beginnings
From a very young age, Rick Thomas was destined for the stage. At just five years old, alongside his sister, Tamara, Rick entered the competitive world of ballroom dancing. Their commitment and hard work quickly paid off, earning them the prestigious title of Amateur United States Ballroom Dancing Champions during their teenage years. These foundational years in dance taught Rick the essential values of dedication, practice, and perseverance—values that would later be pivotal in his magic career.
Visit Rick Thomas's official website to explore more about his journey from dance to magic at Rick Thomas Illusionist.
Embarking on a Magical Career
Rick's fascination with magic began at the tender age of 7. By 18, he was already headlining his own show at the Disneyland Hotel, which impressively ran for two years. This early success marked the beginning of what would become a legendary career in the world of illusion, showcasing his ability to enchant and captivate audiences far and wide.
Cruising Through Magic
Following his successful stint at Disney, Rick embraced the cruise industry, performing on more than 300 cruises. He also brought his spectacular shows to over 50 major expositions and fairs throughout the United States and Canada. His ability to perform in diverse settings and adapt his shows to different audiences further cemented his reputation as a versatile and skilled illusionist.
A Stalwart in Las Vegas
Rick Thomas is a celebrated figure in Las Vegas, where he performed continuously for 15 years, delivering a staggering 600 shows annually. His long-running show in Las Vegas not only showcased his dedication but also his love for the city that is synonymous with world-class entertainment.
Themes and Grand Illusions
Rick Thomas’s performances are well-known not just for their awe-inspiring illusions but also for their thematic depth. He sees the beginning of each show as the most crucial part, setting the tone with nerve-wracking excitement that grips the audience right from the start. His affinity for grand illusions stems from their power to transport audiences into a realm of wonder, making each performance an unforgettable experience.
Stay connected with Rick and follow his magical journey on Instagram at Rick Thomas Instagram, on Facebook at Rick Thomas Facebook, and on Twitter at Rick Thomas Twitter.
Rick's Personal Connection to Las Vegas
Rick Thomas’s favorite Las Vegas story involves his personal life—he met his wife in the city that has played such a significant role in his career. This deep personal connection not only inspires his performances but also brings a level of authenticity and passion to his shows, resonating deeply with his audiences.
Conclusion: Don't Miss the Magic of Rick Thomas
Rick Thomas continues to tour the world, showcasing his grand illusions and innovative magic from his base in Branson to stages across the globe. His upcoming performances at the South Point Casino are not to be missed if you want to witness some of the most spectacular grand illusions in the world. For tickets and more information on his show "Mansion of Dreams," visit his page Mansion of Dreams Tickets.
Rick Thomas’s illustrious career in magic has been adorned with high honors from the Academy of Magical Arts and multiple awards at the World Magic Awards. His journey from a dancing prodigy to a world-renowned illusionist is a powerful testament to the magic of perseverance, vision, and passion. Make sure to catch this legendary illusionist live for an experience that’s as magical as the illusions he crafts.
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Talking with Illusionist Rick Thomas Full Transcript
Ira Sternberg:
It's time to talk about Las Vegas with Ira. Each week, Ira David Sternberg talks with the celebrities, entertainers, writers, and personalities who make Las Vegas the most exciting city in the world. And now, here's Ira.
[Music]
There's magic in the air because my guest is award-winning illusionist Rick Thomas, who will be performing at the South Point Casino February 24th through 26th, this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 7:30. For ticket information, go to southpointcasino.com, and for everything about Rick Thomas, go to rickthomas.com. You can follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Rick, welcome to the show. Haven't seen you in a while.
Rick Thomas:
It's been a while, in fact, you may know better than I do how long we've known each other.
Ira Sternberg:
Oh yeah, I forget when you said because you've been in Las Vegas for 15 solid years. You're at the Tropicana, I think I'm gonna have to guess here, 19… uh, I don't want to misstep. I think it would be like '90, '93 I believe.
Rick Thomas:
'93 I believe
Ira Sternberg:
'93, okay, thank you. So that's when we first met. You look great, and I age in place, so there you go.
Rick Thomas:
Oh well, I appreciate it, and thank you again for having me on. It's a lot of people, and even to this day, say, Rick, where'd you disappear to?
Ira Sternberg:
which is an illusion, isn't it? Because you haven't disappeared, you've been touring worldwide. You're also shows in Branson, Missouri, and we'll talk about all that. I always usually ask a magician guest a question, and it's always about how they developed an interest in magic. I'm not going to do that with you; I have a better question for you, which is, after all these years of performing, how do you maintain an interest in magic?
Rick Thomas:
I don't know if it's the magic anymore. Magic is the… it's what I rely on. I mastered my art a long time ago, but my joy is the couple of hours that I have in somebody else's life to bring joy to their life. Really, I mean, magic is the vehicle, but truly, it is an… in fact, every night before I go out on stage, I literally say to myself, I stand behind a curtain, or wherever it may be, and I look across the show I'm about to present, and I say to myself, how lucky I am to still perform one more show, and that's how I look at it.
I walk out on stage, hoping and praying that the audience is gonna like me.
Ira Sternberg:
There's a word for that, Rick, and you've had it for all the years that I've known you and for all the years you've been performing. You may not necessarily focus on that word, but I think the word is gratitude.
Rick Thomas:
Uh, it is. I am, I'm extremely grateful. I've been in the industry now 45 years, and I've given it everything I've got. And, um, when I moved from Vegas, and they actually asked me to move to Branson, we'll share that story in a bit, sure. I never really planned on the move, or even staying there, and, uh, and I fell in love with the area, and I also realized I've been very lucky in my career. I've toured this world; I've seen this world five times over and I realize that no matter where you are, um, that's the most important place you need to be at that very moment.
Everybody's the same, doesn't matter if the audience is in Las Vegas, Branson, Japan, it doesn't matter. That audience is the most important audience, and everybody is the same. In fact, I realize that most people from Branson go to Las Vegas anyway to see the shows, so they're going to see me there or Branson anyway.
Ira Sternberg:
That is very, that's very wise. It's a wise observation; it's the idea that no matter where you are, you're there, and you bring yourself to wherever you are, and you can look at it two ways, one is in a negative way: well, I don't want to be in A, I'd rather be in B, but you say, hey, I don't care whether I'm in A or B, I'm where I need to be. I am here, and I'm going to give it my all, and as you said, I'm going to go out on stage one more time and hope the audience enjoys it, and obviously they do. You've been doing this so long, it's amazing to me that you've had this large career.
Can you talk a little bit about how important it was for you to establish your presence in Las Vegas, those many years ago? And you, you stayed here for 15 years; that's a pretty long tenure.
Rick Thomas:
That's an amazing run. I hope it is, it is. Um, you know, before Las Vegas, I started… I performed on cruise ships. I actually performed, oh my God, you're not gonna believe it, I performed on over 300 cruises, count them, 300. Then I started doing fairs in theaters across the United States, uh, I actually ended up in Guam at a place called the Sand Castle, and I was there for the better part of six years, honing my craft, and finally, uh, my move was to Las Vegas.
I grew up in Long Beach, California, and I always, always wanted to perform in Las Vegas. In fact, when we'd drive through Vegas, I'd tell my parents, "I'm going to perform here someday. I'm going to be here someday." In fact, I can guarantee you, I performed it. I pointed at the Tropicana, and the first theater I was in was the Tropicana, and then, of course, there were many other theaters and, uh, casinos I had the privilege of performing in.
I got to tour Las Vegas as well.
Ira Sternberg:
What was the reaction to your parents when you said that, when you pointed up to the Trop and you said, "Listen, one day I'm going to be here," or just in general in Las Vegas, what was their reaction at the time? Were they supportive, or they say, "Well, that's a nice dream, that probably won't happen," or…
Rick Thomas:
Yeah, I think they're extremely upset I wasn't going to be a doctor or a lawyer or something, something that was beyond the world of magic. I mean, magic is an amazingly strange art form; often, I'll say, uh, they'll say, "What do you do?" and I say, "I'm a magician," and they'll say, "Well, what instrument do you play?" Because they don't quite… it doesn't kind of click; they're like, "Right, magician or musician?" Because it is such a fascinating art form.
It has been, Rick Thomas, his entire life. Now I'm talking third party. I grew up performing magic. I started when I was seven years old; my first professional gig was 17 years old, performing my own show at the Disneyland Hotel for two years, so I know the industry. It is what I am, and it's who I am. Uh, I basically know nothing else.
Ira Sternberg:
but it's an amazing story because you're a hands-on performer. What I mean by that, it's not just the performance part, but your hands-on on all elements of Rick Thomas' production, advertising, promotion, just everything.
That's the way I remember; have you kicked off the reins a little bit and given it to some other people down the road, so you don't have to concentrate just on that, or are you always going to do that because you, you love all elements of working with…?
Rick Thomas:
Oh, actually, it's gotten worse; let me tell you why. So, so yes, in fact, many people, they can't believe that they see me on stage. I've always felt that I don't want my cast and crew to ever feel like, uh, I'm giving them something to do that I'm not willing to do myself. So I'm always right there by their side constantly.
One night, about four years ago, I was out on tour, and our semi-truck couldn't make it to the theater, uh, the driver had a problem, and there was no way we could get the show to the theater. I decided to go out and get my trucker's license, which I did, and I now personally drive the semi on tour, so the cast drives in the bus, and I drive the semi.
And when we drive up with this 53-foot trailer, that every theater always says, "So, where's Rick Thomas?" We go, "He's in the truck," and they go like, "In the truck?" He goes, "Yeah, he's driving it," they're going there's no way Rick Thomas is driving the truck, and sure enough, saying a cliche at the end of the day, and we start out by, uh, loading in in the morning, and we present the show, we pack out the show, get in the truck, we take off to the next theater, and, uh, I'm exhausted, the cast exhausted, and it's also best that we kind of separate ourselves, so the cast can go and party.
I always tell my cast if you work hard, you can play hard, and they play hard, so they get on the bus, and they play all night, and my best place for Rick Thomas is inside the quiet cab of the semi, driving, silence, it's awesome, it's good. And, you know, and it's been, it's given me a different career.
I'll tell you, no, we hate to talk about COVID; I'm tired of talking about COVID, we all are, but during that part of our life, when I realized as an entertainer, I found out that I pretty much was worthless to the rest of the world. I decided I went, "Man, I'm this close to getting out there and starting to just drive trucks," because I can drive a semi for anybody you want me to drive a semi for Amazon, I'll drive for Amazon, Walmart, you name it, and I'm just glad I have that as a profession as well.
So, a very long answer.
Ira Sternberg:
but I love that drive.
Rick Thomas:
That's great. I didn't answer your long answer. Milano is a long answer, but you had to know, as far as Rick Thomas being hands-on, oh well, that was my memory of you at the Trot because you were always involved in the advertising and designing the artwork and all of that, and I said, and I said to myself and to my colleagues, "This is the first artist we've had here that's this involved in every element of their show," and so it's good to know that not only have you kept that involvement, you've now gone into other fields such as driving trucks, other fields now.
And my parents are extremely happy that I actually have a real profession, not to tie it all together and make it come full circle; you could actually drive a truck at the Port of Long Beach.
That's right. I could do it, as well.
Ira Sternberg:
Yeah, what's the hardest part of performing magic? I know you alluded a little bit to it in terms of there's a lot of work involved, the loading and unloading, and the going from town to town, but it's added, or is there something else that I don't know about, or we don't know about, that's the hardest part of magic for you?
Rick Thomas:
I would say, not about magic, but the entertainment world in general, I have never, ever felt comfortable at the beginning of a show, ever. For some reason, when I start my performance, I always wonder why in my head, "Why do I do this? Why do I put myself through this agony?" It really is, to me, I'm butterflies, whatever you want to call it, it is there because I truly, truly want the audience to enjoy.
I've given it everything I've got, that is the hardest part of my show. Building it clears to my mind, driving the trucks clears my mind, booking the show easiest part of it when you have to perform the show, that's the worst part of doing a show is you actually have to now perform the show.
Right now, within five minutes after I've settled, and I find that the audience is appearing to like me, and the end of the show takes place, and there's applause, and I walk off stage at that very moment, that's when I know why I do what I do. Uh, I am a person, and you can say that to many people in Vegas and across this world, I commend everyone attempting to pull off these shows because those that get to the end of the show and actually hear the applause have accomplished great things. There are so many people that work so hard to get to the end of the show and never hear the applause because they quit, and I just, in my head, I can't quit. I've got to get to the end of the show; I've got to hear the applause, and it's not about an ego, it's not about all Rick Thomas needs to hear, you know, as well as I do, you know, my schedule, my schedule is, do the show, and then immediately after the show, go straight out and shake everybody's hand after the show.
Ira Sternberg:
Exactly
Rick Thomas:
I meet and greet everyone, and that is not to hear; I don't need to hear how much they liked the show; I just want to thank people, and I appreciate them with all my heart for coming to the show.
Ira Sternberg:
You also have an affinity for children as well, because a lot of magicians do more of a, I don't want to say an adult show, per se, but it's just designed for adults, yes, and you have this special connection with children, where did that come from, performing at fairs?
Rick Thomas:
Yeah, that's right, and cruise ships, I guess. Oh my well, so, so at fairs, uh, I would do my, you know, you, you're on an outdoor stage, and then the, the show starts, and the audience start pouring in, and never fails, and it's the best way to put it, I think people will understand, they're a group of children that are at the fair, the entire run, and we call them the Carney kids because the carnival part of the fair, their families, mom and dad, are running the carnival, and the children run all over the fairgrounds.
Right, well, guess where those Kearney kids are every time when my show starts, in the front, sitting there, watching the show, and by the time we end the show or the Run, 10 days, four shows a day, whatever it is, those children know every single thing I'm doing, they start screaming out, um, what, how they think it's done, uh, I've seen that before, or let's do that again, and they're obnoxious.
So I have this attitude, and you probably, you'll, you'll see it when I'm presenting for children; there's this slight edge when I work with children on stage, and it's because of my attitude I created working with the carnival children at fairs.
Ira Sternberg:
Now I know the background; I never knew about that; that's interesting.
Rick Thomas:
Also, I, you know, um, my performance is a little, I wouldn't say sarcastic, but, um, because it's so family-oriented, I, my mother forced me to perform at family reunions, and I really disliked that massively, so I kind of pretend that the audience is my family, you know, there's Uncle John over there, so when I treat these children slightly poorly, they're like my cousins, an audience of relatives.
Ira Sternberg:
Oh, the worst nightmare, yeah, now another thing that Rick Thomas has been known for forever, and I remember, very again, another memory that sticks in my mind because I got to hold a baby tiger before they got big, yes, I forget how many, how old the tiger was, but you allowed me to do that, I really was grateful because I never had a chance to do that before, but I know that you've given up tigers, but they're still part of your story, they're so part of your life.
Rick Thomas:
Tigers were 20 years of my life, and I look back on it now, people said, would you do it again, my answer is no, I've grown up, I, you know, as you, as you go through different chapters in your life, you realize that life is fragile, and you kind of decide on, man, when I was younger, you know, you don't think of, you think that you're invincible, you think that nothing can happen to you, right, and, and you go through these chapters in your life, and you realize that was stupid.
But the, the Tigers were not, they were a part of my life that I would, I would never want to have anything but what I did, I was very proud of, you know, here's another thing, you know how I jump into what I do, I, I learned everything I could about taking care of these animals, I had a beautiful habitat at my home, I did everything I could to do what was right, there was just a time in my life, the career, and of course, the world around us, what was best, I put them in a reserve, which I did, which is, keepers of the wild, right there, um, uh, fruit 66, just past Kingman, Arizona, and the tigers are there, and I'm very proud that they're still part of my life, but it trans, it transformed from working with these animals and presenting them to the world to being part of the, um, of taking care of them, and the endangered species side of, um, you know, understanding what they truly are in the world around us and how, how we really need to protect these animals.
Ira Sternberg:
And you can read more about the story of Rick Thomas and the Tigers on his website rickthomas.com, so that, it's an interesting and fascinating part of your career, and just for the audience, I got a chance to see it too, I think it had an impact.When you come to the South Point, what do people look for when they see the show at the South Point, do you design it differently than the show that you do on world tours or in Branson, how, how do you structure a show for Las Vegas, and specifically the South Point?
Rick Thomas:
Um, when I, when I came to Branson, uh, I always wanted to create a show called Mansion of Dreams, uh, and in fact, I think there's a, if I go this direction, Terry, those Mansion dreams, there's a, um, I always wanted people to feel like they were at my home, and that everybody in the audience were invited guests in my Mansion of dreams, and then I take the audience throughout my mansion, from room to room, and share with them my life, my dreams, and how they became a reality, and, and you know, when I had my show in Vegas, I, I believe it was, I was very excited about the production itself, but it needed depth, it needed some strength behind it, it needed a story, and for that reason, I believe that I'm very far different than most others because there is a theme, uh, presentation, and a style beyond the magic that the audience is going to enjoy.
So the show over at South Point is much like my touring show, which is a version of my Mansion of Dreams here in Branson, so Branson has the massive production, I mean, there's sets and all different things that we can't tour with, uh, and then I designed everything to digitally, in fact, I can tell you now at the South Point, there is an epic, if that's the best word for it, LED wall that plays behind me, and I've digitized the Mansion of dreams, and the video presentation behind me, and the Mansion of dream show is beautiful, so I can tell people, you're going to enjoy not just the show itself, but really, there is a grand quality to what I bring to the, the theater, and they're going to be, uh, surprised.
Ira Sternberg:
So Mansion of Dreams is what it's all about, the theme of the show is nothing happens until you dream, and I hope that as people leave the theater, that they really truly pursue following their dreams as well, and that's again, I, I did mention before, uh, when I was talking about what you were bringing to the South Point, that's February 24th through 26th at 7:30, which is a good time also for people to come see illusions, it is, it's great.
Rick Thomas:
And I, it's been sometimes since I've been there, so for those that are listening and they hear my voice, I'm watching you on YouTube either, and watching it, I can, Vegas, there's, it has always been my life. When I moved to Branson, I never been, I tell people, part of my show in Branson is, I, I when I came to Branson, I never planned on being here, I never planned on performing here or driving through the area, but here I am in Branson, and we fell in love with Branson, and after our first season, see what happened is, is, uh, over 10 years ago, just over 10 years ago, Andy Williams passed on, an interesting story about Andy Williams, look at the kind of man he is, for those that remember who he is, uh, a man who, who accomplished amazing things in the music industry, he had his own television specials, he traveled worldwide, he decided when he went to Branson to move to Branson, and he fell in love with Branson, left everything in his life behind, and went to Branson, and people go, what are you thinking, ten years ago when he passed on, I was asked to come out and headline the Andy Williams theater, beautiful 2000 seat theater, I get there, and I realized at that point why Andy left the rest of the world behind him, and for me and my wife Tara, uh, who, uh, actually, uh, came with me from Las Vegas, fell in love with the area and decided to call Branson home.
Branson, though, however, is seasonal, and it gives me a few months every year to travel the world, and that I do, and for that reason, that's why I have the privilege of coming back home to Las Vegas, please don't fail me, I'm not going to fail you, come see the show.
Ira Sternberg:
and I, I think that people who have never seen Rick Thomas will come to see you, but also people that used to see you in Las Vegas will come because they have a, obviously, memories of not only, and you always were very effective with that, and it was very sincere, was, as you mentioned, after the show, I mean, I don't know how you beat the audience out to the front before the audience gets out of those doors, but you're there, and you're shaking hands and taking pictures and signing autographs and meeting kids, even your relatives' kids, and yes, and you just were very, and so people re, people remember that type of interaction.I, I think a lot of performers, unfortunately, don't want to do that for various reasons, uh, it could be in their personality.
Rick Thomas:
it just, it could be because they'd be attacked, you know, and look, I, every time I, I do a show, there's always, they always have a security guard with me, whether we're on tour or anything else, and I kind of laugh, I mean, you know, they're walking by me, and, and you know what, it may make me look important, but I always tell them, I said, I really don't need you, no one's going, no one's going to be trying to rip off my clothes, or you know, as far as the Superstar goes, I'm, my career, I'm going to tell you a very special story, so if it's okay with you, and I know there's a little passed on, but Siegfried and Roy were what made Vegas today, honestly, I believe they were the Cornerstone of one of the grand shows in Las Vegas that have come and sadly gone, um, raw, as Siegfried came to my show one day, he was in his white suit, he had a white hat on, he came, and he watched the show, at the end of the show, there were about oh, 100, 200 people standing there, and I'm signing autographs, and I asked, I said, Siegfried, I said, how do you handle, right there, how do you handle being who you are, and living here in Las Vegas, honestly, and he says, I'll show you, and he turns around, and there's a massive amount of people, and he says, "Excuse me, pardon me, excuse me, pardon me," and he's pushing people away, he's going right through the center of everybody, and I'm signing autographs right, and he push it, and he gets all the way to the tail end of everybody, he turns around, everybody looks back at me continuing to sign autographs, and he says, from the back of the hall, "You see, no problem," and he walks away, and it was the point was, you are a superstar on stage, and in our profession, you know, sometimes people think it's all about the magic, but here's Siegfried, one of the grand stars in Vegas, but because he wasn't on stage, they just didn't happen to just see him, he could walk around without being mauled, so it was entertaining to me, it was a wonderful moment, and I'll never forget it, you see, no problem, and also give you some insight into that too, as well, yeah, so now I tell people said, I really don't need a security guard, but it's nice that you're here.
I think that Liberace did the same thing; he was able to walk around, and people didn't realize it was him, and by the time they realized it was him, he was God, that's right, that's right, Jerry Lewis, same thing, you also, what was that, Jerry Lewis, because they're not on stage, and so they're not sending out those performer vibes, I guess is what I would call it, or it does happen every so often, though, um, I was eating at an Italian restaurant in Las Vegas, and had a friend with me, and he said, Rick, um, do people really know who you are in Las Vegas, do they, I mean, do they know, and I'm not kidding, it that very split moment, a couple, cup couple comes right up to us at the table and goes, "Wow, Rick Thomas, can we get a photo with you," and, and the autograph, and the guy looks at him, he's like, I said, I didn't, I didn't pay for this, I didn't do this, and sure enough, we did a quick photo, but it was a wonderful moment, uh, a wonderful moment, that very instant.
Ira Sternberg:
What I have to ask you this, because I was thinking about this before we talked, and I've never asked you the question before, which is why I'm doing this long preamble to the question, normally I don't do a preamble to a question, I just asked the question, but there's a reason why I'm asking the question, and now I've set the preamble, and that is, of all the illusions that you've performed on stage, either on the world tour, Las Vegas, Branson, it doesn't matter, what's your favorite illusion?
Rick Thomas:
Um, that is a question that has actually been brought to my attention, and it's extremely difficult, as a person who is, has created much of what you see on my stage, I've given every illusion my time, my effort, my love, everything that I've got, and each one of them, in some way or form, have been important in my career.
I have, um, I, I have pieces in the show that at some point they're the best thing of my show, and it's just when I'm just presenting and performing, every year, it kind of changes. I can't, I can't answer that, I wish I could, but I truly believe, and I'll put, I'll say it this way, there was one time I sent out a leaflet to everybody in the audience, and I had every illusion listed, and I was changing the show, and I had everybody in the audience check, there were 10 illusions, and I said, in this show, will you watch the show, and then check off what your favorite is, from one to ten, and when I got the, when I got it back, literally, somebody had one as a 10, and the second person who had seen the show had it as a four, and someone had something as a five, and something had a seven, and by the time I added everything up, it was all even, and the reason is, is everybody comes to the show wanting to see something, whether it's Grand Illusion, whether it is extreme comedy, or production value, and whatever it is, and whatever it touches in that person, that's what they enjoy the best, but I think overall, the entire show, what frustrated me is, it didn't give me, it didn't even give me an idea about how to change my show, basically, it said don't change your show.
Ira Sternberg:
One is, um, I love Grand Illusion; there's some things that are changing in the world of magic, especially in Las Vegas, things have gone small with a camera on hands that are close up. I've been doing close-up magic my entire existence, I started performing at restaurants and small theaters doing close-up magic, so it is my passion, but my love is still for Grand Illusion.
So you're going to see a production where the magic is beautiful, it is large, it is flashy, my wife Tara, honestly, in my humbled opinion, is the finest partner you could ever ask for in the world of magic. She is stunning on stage, she came and tried out for my show in Las Vegas, and the story is simply, she came from Zimbabwe, born and raised there her entire life, and she moved to Las Vegas, and she tried out for my show, interesting, and my choreographer said, if he can't be in the show next week, leave the theater, and she walked out of the theater, and I stopped her, I stopped her.
I said, "Why are you leaving?" we had like 30 people trying out for the show, and, uh, we walked, I walked up to her, and I said, "Why are you leaving?" she says, "I'm from Zimbabwe, um, I don't have a green card yet," and I said, "When are you getting one?" she goes, "About three or four weeks," and I said, "Good, I'll, I'll pay you in three weeks," and I married her three years later, so that was my story in Vegas.
Ira Sternberg:
You know what, that's a great way to leave it. I'm not going to ask any more questions. I, that, that to me was the best way to end it.
My guest has been an award-winning illusionist, Rick Thomas. He'll be performing at the South Point Casino February 24th through 26th, this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 7:30. For ticket information, go to southpointcasino.com, and for everything about Rick Thomas, you can go to rickthomas.com. You can follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and Rick, thanks for being on the show.
Rick Thomas:
My pleasure, and by the way, I am now on TikTok, I am so sorry. If you want to see a clip from the show, yeah, go to TikTok.
Ira Sternberg:
Okay, great. Thanks, Rick, see you then.
You've been listening to Talk About Las Vegas with Ira. Each week I'm your host, David Sternberg, talking with the celebrities, entertainers, writers, and personalities who make Las Vegas the most exciting city in the world.
how old is rick thomas the illusionist?
Rick Thomas, the world-renowned illusionist and magician, was born on December 22, 1973 in New Hope, Pennsylvania, making him 49 years old.
what year was rick thomas illusionist born?
Illusionist Rick Thomas was born December 22, 1973.
why did rick thomas leave vegas?
The stagehands' union in Las Vegas is trying to organize more workers. The Rick Thomas magic show recently closed at the Orleans casino, and some people believe it's because the casino didn't want to have to negotiate with the union. The union says this isn't true, but some stagehands disagree. The outcome of a recent unionization vote is still being challenged in court.
how long is the rick thomas show?
The Rick Thomas show is approxiamately 2 hours in legnth.
is rick thomas lds?
Rick Thmoas Illusionist is a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
who is rick thomas?
Rick Thomas is one of the greatest and most successful illusionists in the world today.
how does rick thomas levitate?
According to Illusionist Rick Thomas, it is magic!
how long is the rick thomas show in branson
The Rick Thomas Show in Branson is estimated to be between 2 hours and 2 hours and 30 minutes.
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