Siegfried & Roy Go On, Sort Of

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[ambrose]

Siegfried & Roy Go On, Sort Of

by Lia Haberman

Oct 9, 2003, 10:00 AM PT
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The show must go on, said veteran Vegas showman Siegfried Fischbacher, one half of Siegfried & Roy. But don't hold your breath for a Sin City reunion.

Siegfried spoke publicly to several outlets on Wednesday for the first time since his partner of 44 years, Roy Horn, was mauled by one of their exotic white tigers last Friday.

"Of course it's a tragedy, but the tragedy is not the end," said Siegfried. "We started this together and we know we're going to finish it up together, whatever it is."

While Roy's survival was deemed "miraculous" by one of the neurosurgeons who operated on him, he remains in critical condition at University Medical Center in Nevada and unlikely to get back on stage any time soon.

Despite the uncertain prognosis, Siegfried remained largely optimistic while speaking on CNN's Larry King Live and suggested that this didn't signify a curtain call for the duo--though what incarnation their show might take remains unclear, since the Mirage has definitively nixed the signature act and told the show's 267 employees to find new jobs.

During Live, Siegfried confirmed to King that Horn had suffered "a minor stroke" and undergone two surgeries after the October 3 performance gone horribly wrong, which happened to be Roy's 59th birthday.

The magician also told King that Roy had "asked for his special dog and the dog is by his side." Sources had said the dog was the first thing Roy asked to see when hospital staff removed a breathing tube on Monday. (With all those cats, turns out he's a dog person!)

Roy is still unable to talk, but Siegfried said the two communicate through hand signals. "That's how we communicate onstage. Just by a touch of his hand?Sometimes we just have to look at each other and I know exactly what he means."

He also maintains that the tiger mauling was nothing more than an accident, a love bite really. "It was nothing vicious, it was nothing mean," said Siegfried.

According to him, Roy's final words after the incident were "Please don't shoot the cat. Don't harm the cat."

If the 600-pound kitty had purposefully turned on its master, "Roy would be no more after that. Ten seconds," said Siegfried.

Instead, the illusionist believe Montecore dragged Roy offstage after the performer tripped, "because the cat wanted to be secure, wanted to get out of all this."

"The moment Roy tripped, the cat realized, 'Oh my god, I did something wrong,' and then felt threatened, too. So what it did, the cat took him and dragged him backstage."

Once backstage, stagehands sprayed the tiger with fire extinguishers, which sent him running to his cage.

As Siegfried pointed out, "Luckily, we also had a stagehand who was in the military and he knew exactly what to do and he knew how to stop the bleeding for the time.

"Everyone did exactly what he had to do and I think also including Roy and the cat."

Said cat remains in quarantine at the casino, pending an investigation by the federal Agriculture Department.

Siegfried told a CBS correspondent before his appearance on Larry King, "We have to finish this up. I'm sure it will be a different cat but I know we are going to finish this up together."

In addition, the twosome's longtime personal manager, Bernie Yuman, said NBC plans to continue with its production of Father of the Pride, an animated series voiced by various celebs about a family of white tigers who perform in Siegfried and Roy's show.

But the possibility of Siegfried performing on his own is out of the question. "It is Siegfried and Roy and that's the way it began and that's the way it will always be," said Yuman.

Meanwhile, Pamela Anderson has joined PETA in criticizing the duo for keeping the animals in captivity and urges them to retire their menagerie in a statement published on her official Website on Tuesday.

"A bright loud stage is not an exotic animals' natural habitat," says Anderson, who advocates the show "use some of the millions of dollars it has made from exotic animals to build a state-of-the-art sanctuary and immediately retire all the animals in the Mirage compound."

PETA members plan to gather outside the Mirage for a "Retire the Tigers" rally on Saturday.

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[MotleyGirl70]

Tasteless. A man is fighting for his life!

[TomServo]

"Sometimes we just have to look at each other and I know exactly what he means."

I'm gonna puke.

[Elliott Jackalope]

I have a lot of respect for Siegfried and Roy, and I really hope that Roy recovers fully. They are true professionals, and their show has become one of the most amazing animal acts in the world. However, I think the best move they could make would be to step out of the limelight and have a couple of their apprentice trainers take over the on-stage duties, while they continue to be the "public face" of the show. Perhaps they could M.C. for the show, and introduce the animals and the trainers to the audience, while keeping safely out of harm's way.

As I understand it, when trainers start getting old the animals become more likely to "challenge" their trainers, often with terrible results. There is no need to end their act, but they do need to "pass on the baton" to a younger generation, while using their name recognition, decades of experience and box office appeal to continue promoting their show. Just my humble opinion.

[shaggy eel]

,,, Pamela Anderson's bashing gays!

[Shermy]

Steve Wynn already making overtures to the S & R show employees to come over to his new hotel.

MGM won't keep the Mirage empty for months waiting for Roy's outcome. What they'll do, I haven't a clue. If you've been to the Mirage you know what I mean.

Rumors of a Dixie Chicks show, Dennis Miller opening...

[Pokey78]

I hope Roy gets well, because the world can't take Sigfried & Gore.

[Dianna]

But the possibility of Siegfried performing on his own is out of the question. "It is Siegfried and Roy and that's the way it began and that's the way it will always be," said Yuman.

This quote would seem to contradict the title.

[Shermy]

Don't pay attention to the brackets.

Roy was the animal handler of the two. Siegfried did little.

[jammer]

Said cat remains in quarantine at the casino, pending an investigation by the federal Agriculture Department.

I know it's only a small thing, but what the heck does the federal government have to do with this?

[MotleyGirl70]

I know it's only a small thing, but what the heck does the federal government have to do with this?

I'm not the author of this article. Perhaps you should ask him.

[WorkingClassFilth]

"Roy was the animal handler of the two. Siegfried did little."

Who is Little?

[ALASKA]

Who is Little?

Don't know, but with Roy in the hospital, I'm staying out of Vegas!!

[ETERNAL WARMING]

Latest local news says that Roy was able to sit up today. He still can't talk, but is alert and can use his fingers and toes.

As for the show, it's already been canceled. It's a thing of the past. 267 employees are now looking for work.

The fan's Candlelight prayer and vigil continues nightly. Lots of people showing up. Reports that Roy is very touched. He can't see the fans, but he knows they are there for him. God speed, Roy.

[jammer]

I doubt he knows. I was just throwing it out to see if anyone knew.

[Kenny Bunk]

You right wing conspirators just never seem to to get it right. Steve Wynn and Siegfried have explained this once and for all.

Roy was not attacked by a tiger. The tiger, part of Nature's Own Fashion Police, was trying to spare Roy the sight of some really bad hair. The tiger, rather heroically, got between Roy and the fright wig, knowing full well how sensitive Roy is about this sort of thing.

Then the striped fashion critic merely picked Roy up by the scruff of the neck and carried the guy well out of harm's way. Don't you see? A malicious animal would have attacked the gal with the o-so-out-of-it big hair.

And rightly so. Fropm now on, tourists with big hair (like Don King) should register their do's with the LVPD.