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Siegfried & Roy sign for four
more years...with a lifetime option.
The mantra "four more years" has long been
heard at presidential
nominating conventions, from FDR to Ike, Nixon to Reagan.
But it took on a new meaning the night of Feb. 26
when The Mirage
announced that the contract of famed illusionists Siegfried & Roy
had been
extended through the year 2004. The new contract also has a clause
that can
be extended beyond that by the famous duo, giving them essentially a
lifetime pact at the Las Vegas Strip resort where they have broken
every box
office record.
At the news conference, Siegfried & Roy
announced they will never
perform anywhere other than The Mirage for the remainder of their
careers.
Siegfried & Roy began their unprecedented
engagement at The Mirage on
Feb. 1, 1990, and have since performed nearly 5,000 shows at the
resort.
They have attracted more than 7 million people to their show at The
Mirage,
and another 3 million to the Secret Garden of Siegfried & Roy, a
jungle
setting at The Mirage that showcases their world-famous conservation
work
with rare white tigers and white lions.
At the news conference, Las Vegas Mayor Oscar
Goodman praised the duo,
saying they set a new standard in the Entertainment Capital of the
World.
Bobby Baldwin, president and CEO of Mirage
Resorts, said Siegfried &
Roy have "changed the face of Las Vegas entertainment
forever."
Siegfried talked of his 40-year career with
Roy, the past 30 as
headliners in Las Vegas.
"The journey has been quite
something," he said. "Our job has been to
restore people's beliefs in their dreams."
Roy joked that when the famous pair ring down
the final curtain at The
Mirage, "our hair will be as white as our tigers."
"We're just two ordinary guys living
extraordinary lives," Roy said.
Siegfried & Roy's animal family includes
58 white tigers and 19 white
lions -- two species that were nearing extinction until they began a
worldwide preservation program now flourishing in the United States,
Europe
and South Africa.
"The magic we perform on stage is only a
guide to discovering the magic
that surrounds all of us," Roy said.
"We have always followed our dreams and
reached for the stars," added
Siegfried. "This contract fulfills a goal, but doesn't mean we
stop dreaming
or forging ahead."
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