The incredible story of Siegfried & Roy, the superstar magic duo known for their dazzling illusions and majestic white tigers, is being brought to life in a spectacular new opera premiering at this year’s Sydney Festival. Siegfried & Roy: The Unauthorised Opera traces the German-born illusionists’ journey from traumatic childhoods and humble beginnings to becoming the highest-paid act on the Las Vegas Strip – until a shocking tiger attack in 2003 brought their illustrious career to an abrupt end.
Opera singers Kanen Breen and Christopher Tonkin portray Roy and Siegfried respectively, and have been hard at work mastering real magic tricks to perform live on stage. “Every magician is riding a razor edge between magic and catastrophe,” Breen explains. “You are always a split second away from making yourself look like a dickhead or disgracing the art form.” The duo have been training with professional magic consultant Adam Mada to nail down illusions punctuating key moments in Siegfried & Roy’s story.
From Cruise Ship Encounters to Princess Grace’s Palace
Siegfried & Roy’s early years are operatic in their own right. Both boys grew up with abusive, alcoholic fathers in post-World War II Germany. As young men, a chance meeting between the aspiring magician (Siegfried) and animal trainer (Roy) on a cruise ship sparked a partnership that would last a lifetime. In the 1960s, “Siegfried & Roy” began dazzling European audiences with their unique blend of magic and exotic animals.
We’re really leaning into the whirlwind of their lives: two traumatised boys meeting on a cruise ship, playing the clubs of Europe, performing for Princess Grace of Monaco and ending up in Vegas. ‘Operatic’ barely describes it.
Constantine Costi, Director & Co-Writer
Conquering Las Vegas with Mega-Illusions & Royal White Tigers
But it was in Las Vegas where Siegfried & Roy became global superstars. Their acts at the Mirage Hotel & Casino were the hottest tickets in town, known for featuring elaborate illusions and their trademark royal white tigers and lions. The duo even worked with the composer of Forrest Gump, Alan Silvestri, and the King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson, to add spectacular music to their shows.
At their peak, Siegfried & Roy were the highest-paid entertainers in Las Vegas, with a staggering 14-year run grossing over $1 billion. Their over-the-top extravaganzas set the standard for modern Vegas shows. Famed stage designer John Napier described the magicians as “Gay Wagner” after first meeting them – an insight that served as a creative touchstone for the opera’s production team.
A Brutal Tiger Attack Brings an Abrupt End to a Magical Era
But on October 3, 2003, the Siegfried & Roy saga took a tragic turn. During a sold-out show on Roy’s 59th birthday, a 7-year-old white tiger named Mantacore bit Roy’s neck and dragged him offstage in front of a stunned audience. Horn suffered life-threatening injuries, including a crushed windpipe and damage to an artery carrying oxygen to his brain, leaving him partially paralyzed and ending the duo’s illustrious Vegas career.
Despite the harrowing incident, Roy insisted the tiger was actually trying to protect him after he suffered a mini-stroke on stage. He bravely fought to recover and made a miraculous final stage appearance with Siegfried and Mantacore at a 2009 charity event. Sadly, Roy passed away from COVID-19 complications in 2020 at age 75. Siegfried died just months later in 2021 from pancreatic cancer at 81.
Capturing The Siegfried & Roy Phenomenon on the Opera Stage
Siegfried & Roy: The Unauthorised Opera aims to explore the very nature of the “&” that bound these two singular entertainers. “It’s been really fun and fascinating discovering how two completely different people can still be thought of and packaged as a single entity,” says co-writer and composer Luke Di Somma. “It’s wonderful fodder for an opera.”
- The opera captures Siegfried & Roy’s magic through live illusions performed by the singers portraying them
- Music is carefully crafted to hold and punctuate key moments and “ta-dah!” reveals
- The whirlwind story spans from the duo’s difficult childhoods to chance meeting, early career in Europe, and reign as the Kings of the Las Vegas strip
- Roy’s brutal tiger attack takes center stage as the shocking incident that ended an era
Director Constantine Costi summarizes the opera’s unique tone: “We’re working in a style where we take the ridiculous incredibly seriously while treating the very serious things with a touch of the ridiculous. I think that’s the key to the whole Siegfried & Roy phenomenon.” With dazzling illusions, heartfelt drama, exotic animals, and an abrupt twist of fate, Siegfried & Roy: The Unauthorised Opera has all the ingredients of an unbelievable true story turned epic stage spectacle – perfectly capturing the magic of the original duo themselves.
