Las Vegas Weekly

June 5, 2012 · 3:08 PM

Photos: Star turnout for Murray Sawchuck dazzles like his magic

By Robin Leach

Murray Sawchuck's grand-opening performance at The Laugh Factory in Tropicana Las Vegas on Monday, June 4, 2012.

Photo: Bryan Steffy/WireImage

The celebrity turnout was as dazzling as the magic for the premiere of Murray Sawchuck’s new residency show “Murray: Celebrity Magician” at Tropicana Las Vegas on Monday night, and in a tip of the magician’s hat by Murray, he welcomed Las Vegas singer and guitarist Michael Grimm, the winner of “America’s Got Talent” the same TV season Murray competed.

Other Strip stars who walked the red carpet before the show at The Laugh Factory included “Dancing With the Stars” darling Lacey Schwimmer, Human Nature, Anthony Cools, Zowie Bowie, Frankie Moreno, the casts of “Bite,” “Fantasy” and Thunder Down Under and yours truly.

Our thanks to contributing photographer Bryan Steffy of WireImage for his photo gallery. Murray, originally from Canada and now a Las Vegas resident, is an award-winning magician who dazzled the judges on “AGT.” He has become the resident magic expert on The History Channel’s “Pawn Stars” filmed in Las Vegas. “Murray” features sidekick magician Doug “Lefty” Leferovich and English lovely Chloe Louise, who mystifies with her instant vanishing in a squeezed box inches from the audience.

At the show, I learned that a Hollywood TV production company is working with Murray on his own TV series and has begun the sizzle reel and pitch process. It will include his zany comedy mixed with sleight-of-hand. How an audience member’s ring gets inside the can of beans chosen as a booby prize from three potential gifts for onstage volunteers is still beyond me.

Hypnotist Anthony told me that his showroom at the Paris will close for a six-week renovation in about two weeks. He’ll relocate to Bally’s until the makeover is completed and returns to the Paris in August. “I still keep my record intact of being the longest-running hypnotist in a hotel on the Strip,” he laughed.

Anthony said he has had to change the name of his Swingers Club at the Plaza downtown because the indoor golf bar has been mistaken by tourists as an X-rated playground. He’s had to remove the sign because too many people were lined up for suggestive photographs of it. He’s also taking out the indoor putting greens to install a new bar theme with the new name.

“We offered indoor golf, and the sex-crazy visitors took the name literally and were making out at every hole,” he told me with a wicked glint in his eye.

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.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

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Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

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