News from Mark Mitton

Just returned from a quick trip to Shanghai. Left on Tuesday morning and returned Saturday morning. It was my very first time in Mainland China, and I am already eager to return!

I was part of a very large event to celebrate the opening of Mrs. Prada’s Miu Miu store there. It was a spectacular evening which included a fashion show, a variety show, a rock concert, and dancing into the wee hours.

On the last day, I was able to slip in some sightseeing. There is an extraordinary connection between new and old at every turn in the city.

Here are a few photos from the trip:

[Click to enlarge]

I am in Rome for a few days this week, to attend the opening of the Calder exhibition at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni (coinciding with ‘Alexander Calder - Monumental Sculpture’ at the Gagosian Gallery in Rome), and to participate in a panel discussion tonight with Sandy Rower (Calder’s grandson and the President of the Calder Foundation) and art historian Elizabeth Hutton Turner on ‘Calder and the Art of Perception‘.

Last night I performed at an after-party hosted by Larry Gagosian at the Palazzo Doria Pamphilj, a spectacular Roman palace.

The alumni of a hospital here in the area had me entertain at their annual dinner last night. This is a group of doctors from all over the world, and they love to have fun. They have a special song about “Style” that they sing to welcome people into their group. I did strolling magic during the cocktail hour, and then performed a stage show after dinner. I was quite moved when, at the end of my show, the entire audience serenaded me with their alumni song!

Thank you, dear doctors, for a great evening!

There is a new Calder show at the Whitney Museum. I highly recommend seeing it. It features his work from the Paris years (1926-33), including drawings, paintings, wire sculptures and, of course, the famous circus. My absolute favorite Calder piece - Small Sphere and Heavy Sphere (1932-33) - is also on display. It is Calder’s earliest mobile, and it is in fact an interdependent performance piece.

With Mary Rower, one of Calder’s daughters, in front of the piece:

My friends Elliot Washor and Dennis Littky from Big Picture Schools held a fancy fundraiser at JWT in New York tonight. Marc Ecko, who is on the board, gave an inspired speech and talked to the students. I performed magic tricks for the guests and supporters.

The Towers of Light, which illuminate the sky over Manhattan every September 11th, are a very powerful and beautiful image. They make us stop and remember. This year, I happened to be driving back from a corporate show in New Jersey, and I took these pictures.

Jules Fisher, the award-winning lighting designer, explained the secret of creating the two parallel beams on the panel discussion about ‘Masters of Theatrical Illusion’ at the Philoctetes Center earlier this year. If you want to find out how he did it, check out the video on YouTube.

I am doing a promotion for Dos Equis beer all around the country this month with comedian Russell Steinberg. This weekend we’re performing in Houston.

Last night, at about 2 in the morning, while our production crew was packing our car, Russell and I decided to walk over to the nearest restaurant for a snack. It happened to be a Jack in the Box. A friendly woman named Tiffany from Clear Lake, TX, took these pictures of us walking through the drive-thru. When she drove by I did a couple of card tricks for her and her boyfriend.

Thanks for sending the photos, Tiffany!

Recently I had the pleasure of meeting Tim Ferriss at a friend’s house in East Hampton, and then seeing him speak a week later at a conference I was attending. Tim wrote a bestselling book called The 4-Hour Workweek, which is about finding the right balance between your work and your life. He is a very tech-savvy guy who is all about efficiency and productivity, and a real expert on social media marketing, blogging, etc. I enjoyed learning about his ideas and am already starting to put some of them into practice.

Thanks, Tim!

My good friend, comic juggler Michael Davis, put together a variety show over the weekend at the Napa Valley Opera House, an old and beautiful vaudeville theater in Napa. The show featured tapdancer Joe Orrach, hula-hoop artist Mat Plendl, comedian Scott Meltzer, and juggler Katrine Spang-Hanssen. We had an absolute blast, and so did the audience!

Here is the poster for the show:

And here are the performers backstage: