Parade – Personality

 

 

 

 

 

 

Parade Personality

I recently saw a CBS-TV special with “Melinda, First Lady of Magic. Who is this beautiful and talented woman? How did she learn all those tricks at such a young age, and is she planning any more shows?—Roy R., Milwaukie, Ore.

“When I was about 13, I had a dream about being a magician that felt so real, I thought it was some kind of spiritual sign ” says Melinda Saxe, 30, who grew up in Las Vegas, where her mother was a showgirl and her father was a musical director. Melinda studied magic with Gapy Darwin, who has coached many of the top magicians in Las Vegas. She made her professional debut as a dancer in the Siegfried & Roy Show but was headlining her own magic act in Las Vegas by the mid-1980s.”For a woman in the world of magic,” Melinda tells us, “you have to walk a fine line between glamour and sex. If you’re not glamorous enough, people won’t be interested. But if you’re too sexy, they won’t take your magic seriously.” She is divorced from her husband, magician Lance Burton, and lives on a Florida ranch with her manager-boyfriend, Steve Zadrick—plus horses,Melinda: Makes it hard to dogs, cats, a leopard, a tiger and three cougars. Future plans for the 5-foot-7 blonde include performances in Mexico City and a Christmas show on Broadway.