Inside Magic

The Cast Filing for Asylum

Do you remember when we wrote about Siegfried and Roy?s newest production on the Vegas Strip, Havana Night Club?  It was a big hit and made a tremendous impression on the usually cynical critics of Casino-ville. Some nut-job wrote us a note asking whether the group was really from Cuba and if so, would they be defecting now that they saw the lights of the big city. 

Turns out the nut-job wasn?t that far off. 

We learned today that the Cuban dancers are from Cuba (which makes sense) and that they have asked for asylum within Las Vegas and hope to stay in the United States.  Earlier today, the 43 singers, dancers and musicians filed their formal request for asylum at the Las Vegas Federal Courthouse.  This would be, according to the BBC, the largest mass defection from Cuba.

Great News for a Great Show

You have to wonder if this wasn?t the plan all along.  They fought for a long time to get through Cuban red tape to get into the United States.  The group had traveled around the world ? including to the Germany and Japan ? but were having a difficult time getting into the U.S.  The original application to travel to the US was turned down in February, and Cuban authorities were criticized for not supporting their bid to go to the US.

Finally, the authorities gave in and allowed the cast to enter for just two weeks.  That was a whole bunch of months ago.  They were supposed to return from Germany for another stint at the Stardust Casino tonight but with their asylum request filing, they are ready to stay for a while longer.  Seven members are still in Germany but plan to apply for asylum on reaching the US,…
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Tom Verner and Janet Fredericks

Last year, magician Tom Verner and his wife Janet Fredericks represented the best of Magic and the United Nations in Bosnia and Herzegovina in fourteen shows for more than 1,300 children in Sarajevo, Tuzla, Srebrenica, Zivinice, Banja Luka, Bosanski Petrovac and Mostar.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Bosnia and Herzegovina commended the couple and their organization, Magicians Without Borders (?MWB?) in 2003.

This year, the couple moved their show south to Shillong in the Indian State of Meghalya, India ?to bring love and laughter to millions of destitutes and orphans – through magic.?  They founded MWB and survive entirely on private donations.  The mission of their non-profit organization is to bring magic shows to refugee camps around the world.

“In orphanages and other destitute homes, love and laughter are a rare commodity. We have love inside our families but not in the community. Magic is an avenue to bring joy and laughter to the hapless,” Mr. Verner told reporters for PTI.

Mr. Verner is a psychology teacher and an artist, and with his wife Ms. Fredericks, have been performing in various schools and destitute homes at Shillong including one at the Raj Bhawan for the past nine days.

The couple has performed in Ethiopia, Haiti, Kosovo, Macedonia, Bosnia and Croatia. 

Thanks to Mr. Verner and Ms. Fredericks for making the world a better place and making magic a part of their mission.  They make us all look good. 

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Continue reading Magicians Without Borders