If you happened to peek behind the red curtain at the David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center at around 10:55AM on Saturday, December 1st, you’d have seen a rare moment of calm for a young, suspender-clad gentleman known as Mario the Magician. He was five minutes away from stepping onstage for his feature performance on that chilly Saturday. A swarm of antsy children were already assembled right in front of the stage, their grown-up counterparts filling up the rest of the Atrium to capacity. A line had begun to form outside as well, of parents and children willing to brave the cold for the off chance that they may gain entrance before the show concluded. Inside, a musical trio, cleverly dubbed the “Sleight of Hand Band,” warmed up the audience with their artful jazz.
This was Nyack-resident Mario Marchese’s second time as the featured artist at Lincoln Center’s “Meet the Artist Saturdays”, a free series sponsored by Neuberger Berman. On December 1st, the show went off as it always does, full of energy, a beautiful cacophony of slapstick and magic that always end in perfect harmony at the end of each routine. The faces of the audience were aglow. The enthused screams of the children could undoubtedly be heard by passersby on the sidewalk outside. Mario’s show was accented sweetly by the Sleight of Hand Band, led by acclaimed bassist Chris Donohue. The appearance of Mario’s beloved sidekick, Mozzarella the Dove, was met with delighted squeals.
After the live performance, a short, five-minute film about Mario, entitled Building Magic, was shown for the first time ever. Building Magic was created by another Nyack local, filmmaker Kal Toth.
Mario (“the Magician”) Marchese is a full-time performer for the young and young-at-heart. He performs regularly at public and private events in NYC and beyond, and has been a staple at our local Nyack Farmers’ Market and other community events. Mario will be performing on January 20th as a part of ArtsRock’s “Movies, Magic, and More” event at the Lafayette Theater in Suffern. For more information about Mario, visit mariothemagician.com or facebook.com/mariothemagician.
