Las Vegas Weekly

September 10, 2009 · 4:02 PM

Siegfried & Roy’s miracle mission for British teen as MagiCares launches

By Robin Leach

Siegfried & Roy introduce ABC anchor Elizabeth Vargas to a tiger cub.

Photo: ABC TV

Thanks to master magicians Siegfried & Roy, a 15-year-old British boy is getting a little longer lease on his life, which is threatened by an incurable, fatal disease. The story you are about to read is sad and heartbreaking. And yet, simultaneously, it will be amazingly heartwarming when you learn how the incredible illusionists are helping launch a new charity, MagiCares, to assist people dealing with hardships while fighting disease and for their very lives.

Through the agony and the pain of being in a wheelchair all his life and never being able to walk, James Dunn remains remarkably cheerful despite undergoing constant shots of morphine to control the pain. When he checked into The Mirage this week, flying from his home in Liverpool, England, as a guest of Siegfried & Roy, I had the privilege of meeting him and his parents with producer Paul Stone. James, who has an incurable skin condition, is an inspiration to everybody who meets him. Frail and small for his age, James, who has become the MagiCares mascot, is very positive and has a great attitude about life.

James has no fingers or toes, and it takes his mother three hours to refresh bandage on his entire body each day. He suffers from a very severe form of a skin condition called EB (Epidermolysis Bullosa) and is fed through a tube. His life expectancy is short, and doctors say his heart could give out at any time.

His visit here, sponsored fully by Siegfried & Roy, fulfills his wish to be reunited with them. He had first met them a year ago at a London Palladium tribute to our hometown heroes. Young James and Roy magically bonded, and Roy asked the teenager what he wanted most. He told Roy he wanted to see them again -- at their home in Las Vegas and watch magic with them!

That dream comes true at the Siegfried & Roy Secret Garden & Dolphin Habitat at The Mirage and also at their jungle palace home and when Britain’s Top Talent opens tomorrow at The Orleans. James also will see The Beatles Love from Cirque du Soleil and the Terry Fator show thanks to Siegfried & Roy’s generosity. On Sunday, the official unveiling of their plans as trustees of the new MagiCares charity takes place at a VIP reception in The Orleans.

I talked with Paul, who is producing Britain’s Top Talent as the founder of MagiCares. Here’s part of our conversation:

Paul Stone: “I have been coming to Vegas for many years. Siegfried & Roy have always been very kind. My background is in magic, so I would perform as a magician. I was involved with the big convention, Las Vegas Desert Magic Seminars, which Siegfried & Roy were honorary officers. I used to book all the talent for many years. So basically whenever I would go to their shows at The Mirage or Frontier -- must be 70 to 80 times I took so many people there -- their hospitality and kindness was extraordinary after every show.

“I’ve spent many years producing big charity shows in England. I had one exactly this time last year. And since it was magic-related, I wanted to bring Siegfried & Roy over and honor them. As we talked, the whole show became a tribute to them. Six weeks before the show, I was doing another in Liverpool, and there was a young man in a wheelchair in the audience suffering from this horrendous skin disease. Most don’t survive or grow past the age of 2. They just die because every day skin drops off and leaves it almost bare to the bone.

“He loves magic and a few years ago actually traveled to Vegas with his parents wanting to see Siegfried & Roy, but they weren’t performing while he was here. I said it just so happens that by complete coincidence, we have a tribute show at the London Palladium in six weeks and invited he and his parents to be our special guests. I put them up in the same hotel as Siegfried & Roy so they’d meet, and we had James and his parents onstage with them.

“Roy in particular bonded with James. That night we all agreed to launch MagiCares. Siegfried & Roy loved the idea and agreed to become honorary trustees. The charity just now won its official 501 status here in the United States, and I’ll run it worldwide based here from Vegas, with this weekend’s show of Britain’s Top Talent as the first major fundraiser.

“Since it is over the 9/11 weekend, we are also donating 400 tickets each night to police, fire and ambulance crews in recognition of their service at the World Trade Center terrorism attacks. Then on Sunday night, at our VIP reception we will see if we can help battle EB here in America. About 5,000 suffer from it in England and 1,000 here in America. There is no cure but lots of research. James’ life expectancy is very short. His heart is going 100 mph trying to compensate for his skin. So people with this condition either die from a heart attack or a type of skin cancer that comes with it.

“But his attitude is so great. They are grateful for everything they get; they put us all to shame basically. His face just lit up when I asked if he’d like to come back to Vegas and really see Siegfried & Roy this time. The logistics were really difficult, but there wasn’t a second thought. Siegfried & Roy just said they’d make everything work for him, and they have not held back on anything. Roy has an incredible retention of memory. He is very much looking forward to seeing James.”

Britain’s Top Talent will feature Elton John’s favorite tribute band, The Overtures; Paul’s son, Ben, who has sung in three Las Vegas shows; edgy comedy magician Paul Zenon, who has appeared on numerous British TV shows; and amazing dance acrobat Natalie Anteline. It will be hosted by Vegas comedy magician Jeff Hobson, who also hosted the Siegfried & Roy tribute in London last fall.

“We’re donating 30 percent of the tickets to service people who protect the community, and then the proceeds from the other tickets will go to MagiCares and help other local charities,” Paul added.

The VIP reception will feature the amazing work of British micro sculptor Willard Wigan. He has miraculously carved the Statue of Liberty, the first moon landing and The Wizard of Oz characters all inside a needle or on the head of a pin! He even did a portrait of Siegfried & Roy that was presented to them at last year’s London tribute. Willard is flying in with six pieces of his work to be displayed alongside the Siegfried & Roy micro sculpture. His work is titled Miracles on the Eye of a Needle, and the pieces sell for as much as $150,000 each, with him donating to MagiCares and Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund.

“We’re hoping to place a piece of his work on permanent display here in Vegas as a permanent reminder of what MagiCares will be doing,” Paul concluded.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

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