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Rick Thomas To Present His ‘Mansion Of Dreams’
Considered the greatest and most successful illusionist in the world today, Rick Thomas will come to Washington and Lee University’s Lenfest Center for the Arts on May 1, at 7:30 p.m. in the Keller Theatre with his crowning achievement, “Mansion of Dreams,” a fantasy world based on “Nothing happens until you dream and those dreams can become reality!”
His honors include the coveted Magician of the Year by the Academy of Magical Arts, and Magic’s highest recognition, Illusionist of the World by the World Magic Awards. He has also been named Entertainer of the Year in Branson.
From sold-out performances at Caesars Coliseum and Broadway, headlining the iconic Sydney Opera House in Australia, and starring in Las Vegas for 15 straight years to performing a staggering 600 shows a year, Thomas continues to entertain millions of people across the world.
Thomas has also been featured on numerous national television specials including the NBC series “The World’s Greatest Magic,” “Masters of Illusion” on the CW, MTV, FOX, TLC, Animal Planet, the History Channel and his own special on ABC.
He weaves magic, music, comedy, audience engage- ment and dance into a seamless spectacle to entertain audiences of all ages, according to a spokesperson.
When not in Vegas or Broadway, he has offered his routines nightly at the Andy Williams Moon River Theatre in Branson, Mo. Most recently, Thomas moved his entire theatrical magical production to Mickey Gilly Grand Shanghai Theatre in Branson.
Thomas has an exceptional ability to work the crowd —keeping adults, students and children engrossed throughout the performance — engaging audience participation which plays a crucial role in many of his illusions.
“The show’s underlying message revolves around dreams and the importance of never giving up on your aspirations. Real magic lies not in figuring out how the illusions are done but in allowing yourself to suspend belief and just enjoy the performance for the spectacle that it is,” said Daniel Herborn of The Sydney Morning Herald.
On a side note, Thomas had the honor and privilege of raising 15 tigers from birth and sharing them with thousands of people across the world. For 20 years, he dedicated his life to the tigers that performed in his show.
Thomas’s dedication to his cats in his show was a round- the-clock effort — no vacations, no cat sitters and certainly no one to feed or clean-up after his cats. His tigers came home with him after every show every night — he had a habitat at his home in Vegas, complete with pools, waterfalls and islands for their favorite recreation, swimming.
Thomas eventually made the life-changing decision to remove his tigers from the show and provided them a well-deserved new life at “Keepers of the Wild” reserve in Arizona. For more information on Thomas and his cats, visit https://www.nothinghappensuntilyoudream. com/a-sad-good-bye/.
Lenfest Center staffers are confident that Rick Thomas will not only meet but exceed expectations of area residents in his show here.
Tickets can be ordered online at https:// my.wlu.edu/lenfest-center/rick-thomas-illusionist or obtained by calling the Lenfest box office at (540) 458-8000. Box office hours are Monday through Friday, 9 to 11 a.m. and 1 to 3 p.m., and will be open one hour prior to performance time.
