Columnist Joe Delaney: No wand needed to find magic in LV

Magic, it's almost everywhere this weekend. ... David Copperfield (Caesars Palace) makes a section of his audience disappear, performs romantic illusionary vignettes and flies, all for $82.50 (which includes a $2.50 charge for issuing the ticket). ... Caesars Magical Empire, located separately, includes dinner, top practitioners and a conducted tour for $75, slightly more on holidays and during special events.

Penn & Teller, column favorites because they combine mirth with their magic and don't take themselves too seriously, are now in the MGM Grand Hollywood Theatre for $41.25 plus tax, a comparative bargain.

Siegfried & Roy (Mirage) are starting their 10th year at the Mirage. ... They are also responsible for a renaissance in the illusionary arts, back in the 1980s at the Frontier Hotel. ... The $89.35 tab also includes two drinks, a souvenir program and gratuity.

More magic

Lance Burton (Monte Carlo) started as a 15-minute act in the Tropicana's "Folies Bergere," then added more time and production show values. ... He developed a sense of humor and pleasing personality at the Hacienda, no longer there, before achieving top status in a showroom built to his specifications for an engagement that could take him well into the year 2011. ... Prices: $39.95 and $34.95, depending upon seat location.

Business should be brisk at all five of the above attractions. ... There's more: Bally's "Jubilee" features the magic of Dirk Arthur. ... Dixie Dooley does his at 4 and 5:30 p.m. (Boardwalk, $12.95).

The Flamingo-Hilton's "Great Radio City Spectacular" includes magician Greg Frewin; it's $42.50 for cocktails only; dinners start at $52.50. ... Mexican magician Joaquin Ayala stars in Harrah's "Spellbound" with a price tag of $34.95 plus tax and gratuity.

And still more

There's magic plus a touch of Cirque du Soleil-like ambiance in the Luxor's "Imagine," for $39.95, including tax. ... Nick Lewin's very funny Comedy Magic (Maxim) is a best-buy at $9.95, which includes one drink, tax and gratuity. ... An extra $3 entitles one to a buffet brunch. ... You may also receive one free ticket to Comedy Max in the evening.

Worth a trip to Casino Center: Steve Wyrick's magic at the Lady Luck ($29.95, including tax). ... There'a a Magic & Movie Hall of Fame at O'Shea's, which also includes Michele LaFong and her "Funniest Females" revue, a full quota of laughs for a modest $19.95.

Last but far from least is "The Illusionary Magic of Rick Thomas," 2 and 4 p.m. in the Tropicana Tiffany Theatre, with tickets at $15.95 and $20.95. ... Penn & Teller depart on Wednesday, and Copperfield on the 17th. ... All of the others will still be here.

Weekend events

Liberace, an important contributor to LV entertainment through the years, along with Sinatra, the Rat Pack, Wayne Newton and Elvis Presley, among others, died on Feb. 4, 1987. ... There will be an 8:15 a.m. Special Mass Saturday at St. Viator's Catholic Church. ... The Liberace Foundation has provided more than $3.5 million in scholarship grants to nearly 100 schools and other institutions, including UNLV.

Impressionist first-class Jimmy Caesar, another community loss last October, will have a tribute dinner, dance and entertainment, 7 p.m. Sunday at Ellis Island. ... The $25 donation is tax-deductible.

It was incorrectly reported in my Jan. 29 column that the Green Shack was on East Charleston. ... The Green Shack has been at 2504 E. Fremont since 1930. ... It is just west of the Showboat. ... The food is very good and so is the Wednesday night jazz.

Friday addenda

Famed Irish poet and 1995 Nobel Prize for Literature recipient Seamus Heaney will lecture at UNLV at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 19 in Classroom Building Complex A106. ... For more information, call Associate Dean Robert Tracy, UNLV College of Fine Arts, 895-4210. ... It is free, but seating will be limited. ... Check in early, please.

Pianist-singer-arranger Larry White appears Mondays through Wednesdays, 8 p.m. to midnight, in the MGM Grand's Brown Derby. ... Larry is one soloist worth spending some quality time with. ... Montessano's fine restaurant and deli is now at 3535 W. Sahara, in the Comp-USA Center. ... Enjoy your weekend. ... See you Thursday.

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