Peter ‘Reveen the Impossiblist,’ manager of Lance Burton, dies at 77

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Peter Reveen and Lance Burton were friends for 30 years.
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Peter Reveen, a popular magician and hypnotist who was a featured performer in “Folies Bergere” at the Tropicana and, later, managed Las Vegas magician Lance Burton, died this morning in his home in Las Vegas of complications related to diabetes and dementia. He was 77.

Adopting the stage moniker “Reveen the Impossibilist,” Reveen was an internationally famous and award-winning stage performer. His days as a performer on the Strip were marked by his appearances in the mid-1970s in “Folies” and also at Circus Maximus at Caesars Palace.

Reveen was a frequent guest on “The Merv Griffin Show” and performed before sellout crowds at Scotland’s Edinburgh Playhouse, the Yonge Street Theater in Toronto, the St. Denis in Montreal and Vancouver’s Orpheum Theater. He was a big hit in Canada, in particular, having immigrated to that country from Australia in the early 1960s.

By the 1980s, Reveen had shifted much of his professional focus on business management of entertainers and helped negotiate Burton’s contract with the Monte Carlo as the resort opened in 1995. Reveen ended his own stage career in 2008 after a tour of Canada.

Burton was a headliner at the Monte Carlo theater named for him until announcing his retirement in 2009.

In a statement, Burton said, “Peter Reveen was a giant in the world of magic. His illusion shows were lavish and innovative. As a stage hypnotist, he had no peer; he was simply the best in the business. As my manager for 20 years, he was my most trusted adviser. Reveen was my very close friend for 30 years. I am sad today. I will miss him.”

Through a spokesman, Burton declined further comment.

Reveen’s daughter-in-law, Cathy Reveen, told the Calgary Herald today that the entertainer strived to keep his show clean and avoided making fun of volunteers from the audience.

“Family was very important to him,” she said. “It was very important to him that he had a clean show and that he was able to present it to multiple generations.”

Reveen is survived by four sons and his wife, Coral. His son, Tyrone, performs magic in Canada. Information on services are pending.

Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at Twitter.com/JohnnyKats. Also, follow “Kats With the Dish” at Twitter.com/KatsWiththeDish.

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