Siegfried and Roy
Famous magicians - Siegfried and Roy
SARMOTI - A magical word used in the spectacular stage shows of Siegfried and Roy. What does it mean? Siegfried and Roy Masters Of The Impossible.
A word which evokes passion and commitment to Siegfried and Roy's superb performances, encompassing the animal instinct when thought of with the white tigers and white lions which are very much a part of the magic of Siegfried and Roy.
Born Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Horn in Germany during the Second World War, it was Siegfried whose interest in magic started at an early age. Roy was more interested in animals, often visiting Bremen Zoo, Germany, where he befriended a cheetah named Chico.
It was only when they happened to both take jobs on the ocean liner TS Bremen did Siegfried and Roy meet and become a double-act, along with Chico the cheetah. After five years working together on the ship, they decided to take their act to the masses, working in Germany and touring Switzerland and Monte Carlo.
In 1967, Siegfried and Roy made their Las Vegas debuts starring at the Tropicana before going back to Europe. Three years later, in 1970, they were back in Vegas, where Sahra, a Siberian white tiger became part of the act.
After working in Puerto Rico and Vegas during this decade, they knew they had finally made it really big in Las Vegas during 1978 with February 17 being declared Las Vegas Siegfried and Roy day.
With Siegfried and Roy's love of the big cats, it was the Maharajah of Baroda who asked them to help to save the white tiger. They received three cubs who went on to successfully produce offspring.
The magic and illusions of Siegfried and Roy are very much old school in the type of tricks they perform but they manage to produce a spectacular result with their versions on stage. In particular, the squeeze box illusion where an able assistant enters a long box with her head and feet showing. This is then squeezed at both ends so she is only, say, 12 inches tall. The box is then lengthened again and out she pops, normal height again. All this is done on a see-through table in under a minute.
This leads us on to the Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, The Mirage where perhaps, Siegfried and Roy are most well known, where they have spent the rest of their careers. Helping to promote the "Secret Garden" which is home to most of their animals - white tigers, cheetahs, dolphins and Gildah, their elephant.
Siegfried and Roy's illusions led them to achieve the ultimate accolade of "Magicians of the Century" in the Millennium year 2000.
Disastrously, in October 2003, Roy was bitten by one of his tigers during a performance, after stumbling on stage. He also suffered several strokes and underwent surgery on his windpipe. Thankfully, he recovered well enough to make a tentative public appearance in August 2004. He had to undergo many months of treatment and made excellent progress which enabled him, along with Siegfried, to make a final stage appearance in February 2009 at The Bellagio, where they performed their trademark illusions.
