British magician and digital illusionist Keelan Leyser is bringing a distinctly technological vision of magic to the Las Vegas Strip with his new production, HACKED.
Now playing at Ivan Kane’s Forty Deuce inside Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, HACKED combines traditional magic and mentalism with artificial intelligence, robotics, live screens and a retro-futuristic atmosphere inspired by the 1980s.
The show represents the fulfillment of a dream that began when Leyser was only four years old. His journey from watching Lance Burton on television to starring in his own Las Vegas production was recently detailed in an exclusive interview with Melanie VanDerveer for The Blast.
A Childhood Dream Inspired by Lance Burton
Leyser’s interest in magic began after seeing Lance Burton portray a Las Vegas magician on an episode of Knight Rider. The appearance inspired him to request his first magic set and begin learning everything he could about the art.
Several years later, Leyser watched a world-champion magician perform an elegant dove act on television. He eventually realized that performer was also Burton.
The young magician began modeling his aspirations on the Las Vegas legend, although moving from the United Kingdom and opening a show on the Strip seemed almost impossible.
Years later, Leyser contacted Burton and shared videos of his work. Burton responded with a letter of recommendation that became part of Leyser’s effort to obtain a United States green card. Support also came from Teller, Uri Geller and the president of The Magic Circle, alongside Leyser’s British awards and television credits.
That assistance helped him relocate to Las Vegas and move closer to the dream he had carried since childhood.
HACKED Combines Magic With Modern Technology
The idea behind HACKED began developing approximately a decade ago. Leyser already had experience incorporating contemporary technology—including tablets, drones, holograms and virtual reality—into his performances.
As artificial intelligence and advanced robotics became part of everyday conversation, he saw an opportunity to build a theatrical magic experience around the questions those technologies create.
Can audiences still trust what they see? Could an artificial intelligence predict someone’s decisions? Would viewers recognize a deepfake? What parts of human creativity and connection can never be replaced by a machine?
Rather than simply adding technology to a conventional magic show, HACKED uses those questions as part of its story. According to the official production website, the show is part live magic performance, part cyber-mystery and part immersive theatrical experience.
Meet LILA, the Show’s Live AI Character
One of HACKED’s central characters is LILA, the Lazer Interactive Logical Assistant.
Designed with a retro-futuristic personality reminiscent of early visions of artificial intelligence, LILA is presented as a live AI presence that watches, listens and responds inside the theater.
Leyser told The Blast that the character is not particularly fond of magicians, despite being forced to work alongside one. LILA scans the room, interacts with guests and humorously targets audience members as part of the production.
The character also helps the show explore serious concerns surrounding AI-generated content and deepfakes. Those themes are balanced with comedy, magic and a broader message about qualities technology cannot reproduce—including empathy, imagination, human touch and the ability to dream.
Humanoid Robots and a Magic-Performing K9
LILA is not the show’s only technological character.
The production also features Navitron, an autonomous humanoid robot that appears alongside Leyser during the performance. The official website describes Navitron as an adaptive robotic operative capable of observing and responding in real time.
A four-legged robotic K9 unit also enters the action and performs an unexpected magical feat of its own.
Leyser says these appearances represent the first humanoid robot and robot dog to perform magic on the Las Vegas Strip. Those claims give HACKED an unusual position in a city already filled with innovative illusion shows.
The technology does not replace traditional magic. Audiences can still expect sleight of hand, mind reading, mentalism and interactive routines alongside the robotic performers and digital effects.
An Intimate and Interactive Las Vegas Experience
HACKED is presented inside Ivan Kane’s Forty Deuce, an intimate cabaret-style venue located at Mandalay Bay.
The room initially presented some challenges because magic must be carefully staged around audience sightlines. Leyser adapted the production to embrace the venue instead of trying to transform it into a conventional theater.
The smaller space allows guests to remain close to the performance and gives Leyser opportunities to interact with people throughout the room. Numerous audience members are invited to participate, while others may find themselves incorporated into LILA’s surveillance-themed presentation.
That intimacy is especially useful for a show combining close-up magic, mentalism and behavioral observation. Guests are not watching the production from a distant seat in a massive showroom—they are placed inside the experience.
Vegas Navigator Helped Leyser Build His Audience
Many Las Vegas residents and visitors know Leyser through a very different identity: Vegas Navigator.
After moving to the city, Leyser recognized that producing a show was only part of the challenge. He would also need to create an audience capable of supporting it.
He launched Vegas Navigator as a social-media platform highlighting Las Vegas attractions, events and experiences. Instead of making the account entirely about himself or his magic career, he focused on the city.
The strategy allowed him to build relationships with local creators, public-relations companies and members of the Las Vegas entertainment community. Leyser described the project as becoming his own “marketing machine,” providing him with a Vegas-focused following before revealing his new production.
Interestingly, many of his social-media followers knew him as a Las Vegas content creator without realizing that he had spent decades working as a professional magician.
A Modern Show With a Nostalgic Heart
Although HACKED explores some of the newest developments in entertainment technology, the show also looks backward.
Its ’80s-inspired aesthetic connects the production to Leyser’s childhood and to an era when artificial intelligence, home computers and robots were still largely the subjects of science fiction.
The combination gives the show a distinctive personality. Audiences encounter modern AI and robotics through the visual language of an earlier generation’s imagined future.
Beneath all the screens, lasers and robotic characters, however, HACKED remains a story about a magician who refused to abandon a childhood dream.
From watching Lance Burton on television in the United Kingdom to starring in his own production at Mandalay Bay, Keelan Leyser’s journey is an inspiring reminder that the most ambitious ideas can become real through persistence, creativity and years of preparation.
Where to See HACKED in Las Vegas
HACKED is playing at Ivan Kane’s Forty Deuce inside Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, located at 3950 South Las Vegas Boulevard in Las Vegas.
Show information and tickets are available through the official HACKED website.
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