Todays magic seems to be missing something very important: the actual magic. With magicians out there like Criss Angel and David Blaine, the televised feats of death-defying mysticism seem all-too accessible to the average magic fan and far-too Hollywood-like in their special effects to be considered anything remotely magical by those with a proclivity to be left in awe of the feat and not the performance. This brings us to one of the worlds few true magicians, in the purest sense of the word, Lance Burton.

For a dozen years now, Lance Burton has been playing shows at the Monte Carlo in Las Vegas; and while his ticket sales may have taken a hit when Criss Angel waltzed into town with his wildly sporadic rendition of a Cirque du Soleil show with added illusions, all those wanting to watch real magic still gravitate to Lance Burton.

Displaying a hidden rabbit may literally be old hat, but in comparison to the overcompensating and less than gratifying reveals of the big-named magicians, Lance is a pure sip of magic in an industry laced with watered-down imitators.

Of course, the deciding factor on whether or not youll like a Lance Burton magic show has to do with what you like about magic. Lance does the tricks that made magicians famous way back when. He doesnt step out on stage with any sort of hip appeal or ironic, over-the-top showmanship; his show - albeit colorful and overtly cheesy at times - is all about the true art of the magic trick, the slight of hand and the misdirection that made magic a magical thing in the first place.

Most fans agree that Lances show is a well-put-together production, displaying a little bit of music, a little bit of comedy, and a whole lot of magic. Slated as the Master Magician, Burton is also a good showman. He knows how to build up the trick in the beginning and then leaving the audience to stand in awe of the reveal without any guidance along the way.

Fans also cite the family-friendly atmosphere of Lances Monte Carlo show. The show is definitely suitable for children. In fact, Lance may even bring your kid up on stage to perform a little bit of magic on them.

Even though most of the tricks in Burtons repertoire have been copied, tried and retried ad nauseam, theres still quite a bit of originality in the way he performs them, not to mention some originality in a few tricks that are decidedly Lance originals.

One of the big criticisms of Lance Burtons magic show has been the high ticket prices for a production riddled with simplistic tricks. A good ticket to the show is going to cost around $80 and while that may not seem like much in terms of Vegas, many find it expensive for an hour or so of traditional magic with juggling and dancing mixed in. Even still, Lance continues to be successful in his Monte Carlo home.