JAEIII,

It sounds like the station must have overstated things, or misinterpreted what was said. It sounds like they heard the same things that have been reported by other sources, but took the comments from Mirage as being more negative than they were.

Technically, I suppose, the staff all have been let go, though the Mirage is still only saying that the show's been cancelled for an indefinite period. That's really all they can say, they don't know what's going to happen with the act.

I'll continue to be confident that Roy will pull through. And I believe that, at some point, Siegfried and Roy will appear on stage together again. Whether Roy's able to be a regular performer or not remains to be seen, from the sounds of it, there will be some permanent damage. The only thing we know for sure is that it's going to take time for him to get back into action again. And that's all the Mirage knows. It might take a couple of years, realistically.

Hopefully it will happen. I'm sure we'd all love to be in the audience for Roy's comeback show.

That's nice, Hideo. Here's what he said:

"Roy, when I heard of your accident, I experienced an indescribable shock. Your stage shows were always spectacular, and I pray to see you standing on that stage again."

And from me personally, my best to Roy and everyone in the cast and crew.

Bill

Folks,

Let's not forget his partner. How would you feel if your partner (business, life, significant houseplant or other) was in critical condition? He is alone now, without his friend, facing the press and those cats and an uncertain future.

Best wishes to Siegfried...and his friend in the hospital.

-Jon

I've asked this question in another post but I'm going to say it again in this post. Is this the END of Siegfried and Roy? Hopefully not, but I think it is.

Roy is able to communicate. I have confidence he will make it.

It looks like they've finally called off the show permanently. I can't tell you all how sad this makes me. I don't perform with animals or do big illusions but I had a lot of appreciation for what Siegfried and Roy did in their shows. They were mythic performances, the like of which I have never seen before. And I don't think it likely we'll ever see anything like them again. Both are in my thoughts a lot lately.

Mark

Las Vegas Review Journal mentioned that they will close it permanently. Roy is paralyzed on his left side.

Very sad. Though I've not seen their show live, it's something that I wanted to for a long, long time. It's really a pity that their dynamic career ended just like that.

Pray hard that Roy will recover from this tragedy and they can still host the World Magic Seminar in Vegas next year. We are all hoping for his comeback show in Vegas and rest assure, he will have all our support!

This is probably one of the most terrible disasters of the magic history. Although I have not seen them perform live—only from the recordings—we all know that they are the living legends of magic, being the richest of all. I hope the duo may go on with the shows and I may have chance to see them perform. Maybe an Islamic prayer may work, I will pray for him.

I believe it is true.

Devastating news, not only regarding the S&R show, but more importantly, just how bad Roy must really be...

Also, according to Steve Dacri, it was announced late last night that the show will never return. It is believed that Roy is paralyzed on the left side of his body and may never walk or even talk again. Personally, I am in tears here and can not believe this news. May God help Roy at this very impossible time.

I don't know if anyone has mentioned this yet but I heard a rumour today that the real Roy died 10 years ago and the one that was attacked was a distant cousin who has had surgery to make him look like the original Roy. I'm sure it's just a load of **** but it just goes to show how the rumour mill gets going when something bad happens.

I don't want to be blunt...but you helping to carry on that silly rumor doesn't help in the slightest.

This is nothing more than a rumor. It was started by the late magician/puppeteer Barclay Shaw. Here in Vegas that particular rumor is called "Shaw's legacy".

Ignoring idiotic rumors, I do wish Roy the best. The sheer amount of well-wishers and support in Las Vegas right now is very encouraging.

Here are some great photos of tributes to Roy:

Signs on Siegfried & Roy's home entrance
Tribute at Siegfried & Roy Plaza
Yahoo's Siegfried & Roy slideshow

I agree, bringing up such a dumb rumor is really pointless at this tragic time.

I wanted to add a few comments to this thread, hopefully offering a different and educational perspective.

In almost 30 years of magic, I have had some incredible opportunities to work with the top names in the business. For several years I worked for Kirby VanBurch at the old Aladdin in Las Vegas in the Abracadabra show. For almost two of those years I was Kirby's animal handler, in charge of a couple of tigers, lions, leopards and a bear. I've trained a couple of exotic cats myself and have close to 1000 performances with live animals.

Until an offical statement as to what really happened between Roy and the tiger is released, everything is just speculation—even what I am about to say here.

Roy hitting the tiger with the microphone did not worsen the situation in anyway. The tigers are trained from when they are cubs that a quick smack on the nose with a stick hurts and that what they are doing at that moment is wrong. That along with "No" trains them to stop what they are doing at that moment. "No" is appropriate because if you are put in a troubled situation, that is what you would naturally say.

Saying "No" is usually all that's needed. The cat will usually stop. The stick and "No" are a common animal training technique and very effective. Many times it's the only thing that will save you or others in a bad situation. You will never be stronger than the cat, so you have to be dominant and smarter.

From what I know about S&R, as long as Roy is alive, the cat will not be destroyed. I've read in other places that the cat would have to be put down because it tasted human blood. That is simply not true. I've been bit by a leopard and a tiger and the cats were still used in the show. Both S&R have been bit in the past. At some point Roy will say it was his fault for what happened and would never put the blame on the cat.

S&R are wonderful people and it's hard to imagine this type of tragedy happening to them. I agree with what Penn said on the Larry King show last night that his mind cannot accept the fact that S&R will never perform again. We just have to wait and see.

I've read and heard lots of tributes from people who admire and respect S&R and all they've accomplished. I've never met them, but I wish them only the best.

Unfortunately, the loonies at PETA really know how to add insult to injury. Read this to find out how truly obnoxious they are.

Joe L.

This is such a terrible tragedy... It's awful for such a legendary team to have to experience this.

I first heard about this late Friday night in this forum. At first I thought this was just a rumor, but then I read it in the paper the next morning and realized it was true. I can certainly appreciate how Siegfried and Roy have contributed to this art, and my heart goes out to them and all affiliated with the show.

I do believe that Roy will make it, and I'll definitely keep him and Siegfried in my prayers.

Jlibby, your newsmax.com website seems to have a very conservative bias to its news reporting. In other words, they seem to be using the information about the fax to raise ire in their readers toward liberal groups. I wouldn't trust that kind of news reporting, no matter what the editorial bias is.

Upon doing a Google news search, I found only one other article that mentions the fax, and it also mentions that PETA wished Roy a full recovery:

http://www.nynewsday.com/entertainment/n......eadlines

It's a little more balanced than the newsmax.com article, but since I have never heard of New York Newsday, I'm not sure we should trust this source of information either.

The net is not your best source for news.

Bill

I am sorry to report the following:

"We had one heck of a run," Bernie Yuman, longtime manager of Siegfried and Roy, said Monday after delivering the definitive word that the long-running show has closed for good.

Even before Roy was bitten onstage by one of the show tigers Friday, Siegfried Fischbacher and Yuman had maintained that as the illusionists aged, they would not change the format of the show to incorporate other magicians such as protégé Darren Romeo.

"I would say that's not something he will be considering," Yuman said of the 64-year-old Fischbacher. "It's over."

"Siegfried & Roy at The Mirage," as the show was officially known, was "one of the more complicated entertainment agreements you'll ever come across," Misiura noted.

In essence, Feld—the circus impresarios who tour Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus—produced the show and paid the 60 onstage performers. Siegfried and Roy were business partners analogous to A-list movie stars who form their own production companies and retain executive producer credit for their films.

MGM Mirage paid the stagehands and staff members such as ushers and cocktail servers. When the Siegfried & Roy show is on vacation, as it was scheduled to be after Nov. 25, The Mirage books the showroom with headliners...

Yuman acknowledged Horn's condition is such that the longtime Las Vegas entertainer won't be the Roy of old.

"Roy was one person then and he'll be another person now," said Yuman. Asked if that meant Horn won't be able to speak again, Yuman declined to go into details.

HOWEVER:

Roy Horn has suffered paralysis on his left side, according to a source at University Medical Center, where the entertainer remained Monday in critical condition.

Horn, who according to the source also suffered bone chips in his neck, has been able to communicate with doctors and perform some movements at their request.

On Sunday, the entertainer was able to move his right arm and right leg, said Bobby Baldwin, chief executive officer with Mirage Resorts. Horn was also able to move his left hand and left foot and give doctors the thumbs-up sign.

But a day after Baldwin and other friends, family and co-workers expressed hope in that bit of good news, show producers confirmed Monday that the stage show has closed permanently after 5,750 performances.

PSIncerely Yours,
Paul Alberstat

Sad. One of my favorite memories shared with my father is when I was 17 years old, we went and saw S&R. The poster I bought is hung in Brad Burt's Magic Shop. There will never be another Siegfried and Roy.

I just visited Siegfriend & Roy Plaza earlier this evening. The outpouring of support was incredible.

People were there taking pictures, writing their messages on the pad, and generally contemplating this unbelievable tragedy. Before this, I could usually walk right by S&R Plaza without seeing anyone else stop there. What a change!

Our best thoughts and wishes are with you, Roy!

{{{{{Roy}}}}}