The Secret of SARMOTI Success

Our success has come with much risk, passion and effort – and it still does. All the hard work makes if feel very, very real and certainly not a dream.

— Siegfried & Roy

When Siegfried & Roy arrived in Las Vegas more than 30 years ago, they were emphatically told by those “who knew” that “magic doesn’t work here.”

Remind them of this, they laugh and think back to those days. They reminisce. They know luck played a roll, but they also know that hard work and tireless dreams made the difference.
With each nightly Mirage performance, Siegfried & Roy set entertainment records. They’ve smacked their 74th homerun; won the Super Bowl; hit Mega Bucks and took the top prize at the World Series of Poker.

This week the Magicians of the Century establish additional milestones: Friday they continue their quest to 6,000 performances at The Mirage as they begin their 13th year at the hotel.

Siegfried & Roy have played to more people in Las Vegas than any other performer in Las Vegas history. The number of patrons that have seen their performances is greater than the combined populations of Switzerland, Austria and Denmark.

Ask Siegfried & Roy what has kept them on top through the years and they’ll state the “ability to adapt and change.”

“We love what we’re doing and never get bored,” says Roy. “We challenge ourselves all the time. We’re always looking for something new so our show doesn’t get ‘stale’ for the audience and us.”

“Illusions come from within us because we’re dreamers,” explains Siegfried. “The audience might get a sense of where an illusion comes from, but not how it’s done. We’re always asked ‘how did you do that’ but deep down I don’t think anybody really wants to know. It’s like Santa Claus…people want to believe. We need to keep alive that little child inside of us all.”

Through the year, Siegfried & Roy have developed their individual ways of preparing for their performances. Siegfried reflects on the audience, sometimes even taking a look at it “to establish a personal connection right away.” Roy, meanwhile, mediates with one of the White Tigers of White Lions “sometimes up to the very moment I’m due on stage.”

“We’ve changed attitudes, broken molds and set trends,” says Roy, reflecting on their Las Vegas career. “In helping bang the drums and shape the image of our magical city, Siegfried and I really only did what was logical for us…grow with Las Vegas and have Las Vegas grow with us. It’s been the perfect teaming.”