News from Mark Mitton

We just had Fashion Week here in New York. Carolina Herrera was kind enough to invite me to her runway show in Bryant Park to see her beautiful new collection. I also had fun performing for Austrian supermodel Iris Strubegger and Marc Jacobs and his team at the premiere of the new fashion movie La Demimondaine at The Box. This innovative new film was shot on the Red Camera, a camera that is changing the fashion industry because it can shoot digital video, audio and stills at the same time.

Click here to watch the movie (shot at The Box) and here to watch a short clip about the making of the film.

The next part of my trip took me to the lovely town of Ayr in Scotland, where I shared haggis and magic stories with Andrew Galloway, a legendary misdirection expert who studied with the master John Ramsay. We had so much to talk about! Thank you, Andy, for your wonderful hospitality!

I have always wanted to see a pantomime in Scotland, and this year I was lucky enough to catch a performance of Robinson Crusoe and the Caribbean Pirates at the King’s Theatre in Edinburgh. The show did not disappoint… It was filled with topical references and outrageous comedy. Allan Stewart (as Robinson Crusoe’s mother) and Grant Stott (as Blackheart the Pirate) had the audience rolling in the aisles, and one of the highlights was when Stewart did his spot-on impression of ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ superstar Susan Boyle.

(Find out here what happened when the real Ms. Boyle came to the show a week later).

Just managed to get a copy of this picture taken at the Galerie Gmurzynska party in Miami. This is the moment when Sylvester Stallone discovers that the signed and ripped-up photo of Rambo in his hand is now restored and mismatched, like a David Smith sculpture. That’s his lovely wife Jennifer beside him in the black dress. Peter Stevens of the David Smith Estate is looking on in the left of the picture.

Photo by Joe Schildhorn of the Patrick McMullan Company.
[Click to enlarge]

Two nights later, I found myself working at Michael Capponi’s home on Sunset Island, at a benefit for hip hop producer Russell Simmons’ Diamond Empowerment Fund.

Here I am doing a trick for Russell – if you look carefully you’ll see that the magic wand is actually a diamond bracelet (specially created for the D.E.F. event) in the hand of the woman on the right.

Photo by Christopher Fay.

Art Basel Miami was amazing this year. I am so grateful to the Galerie Gmurzynska for bringing me down to perform at their party for Sylvester Stallone and Princess Michael of Kent at the Setai. What a night it was. There were mermaids in the pool, and fabulous people all around.

I did a trick for Mr. Stallone where I had him sign a photograph of himself, ripped it up, and asked Peter Stevens – the Executive Director of the David Smith Estate – to hold the pieces in his hand. Then I had three women, including Jennifer Flavin (Mrs. Stallone), “weld” the pieces back together in Peter’s hand in a “new unity” (a tribute to David Smith), and when he opened his hand, Sylvester’s signed photo was restored but all the pieces were mismatched.

Sylvester Stallone was a delight to spend time with. He told me stories about growing up in Hell’s Kitchen in New York, the neighborhood where I studied magic with Slydini. Princess Michael was lovely and charming, and told me all about her new book.

I finally saw the play Equus this week, starring Daniel Radcliffe (a.k.a. “Harry Potter”) and Richard Griffiths. It is closing this Sunday. My friend Lorenzo Pisoni plays the part of a horse named Nugget, and he is amazing. Not only is he striking, powerful and horse-like in his movements, he also carries Daniel on his back and gallops, wearing a large metal horse’s head… Imagine doing that night after night! Luckily, Lorenzo is a trained acrobat and he is in excellent shape. In addition to his equine gig, he has been hard at work rehearsing for his one-man show, Humor Abuse, about growing up as the son of a clown, which opens on February 19th at the Manhattan Theatre Club.

Catch both shows if you can! Equus is an incredible play with effortless acting by Griffiths, and a very strong performance by Radcliffe. Humor Abuse is funny, beautiful and poignant. If you have ever wondered what it’s like to grow up in a circus, this is your chance to find out.

Congratulations, Lorenzo!

 
(L) Daniel Radcliffe and Lorenzo Pisoni in ‘Equus’;
(R) Young Lorenzo with his father Larry Pisoni (click to enlarge)

Greg Calbi, who was a panelist on my round-table discussion ‘Masters of the Senses‘ at the Philoctetes Center last year, just hosted his own panel there this past weekend. The subject was ‘Deep Listening’. Greg is an amazing mastering engineer at Sterling Sound in New York, and he has worked on albums for the greatest legends in music, such as John Lennon, David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, U2, John Mayer, Norah Jones, etc.

He assembled a panel of top experts on music, recording and sound (Steve Berkowitz, Evan Cornog, Michael Fremer, Kevin Killen, Craig Street), and it was a fascinating afternoon.

Check out the video on the Philoctetes website or on YouTube. It’s 2 1/2 hours long, and well worth it!

Rainer Hosch, the talented Austrian photographer who works in New York, Los Angeles, and Europe, and took pictures of me last year, was kind enough to send me another portrait. You can find two other shots on his website here and here.

St. Malachy’s Church on West 49th Street, in the heart of New York’s Theater District, is also known as The Actors’ Chapel. It is a place of worship for the entertainment community, and for the dynamic population of Midtown Manhattan. Last night the church held its annual Father George Moore Benefit Dinner at Sardi’s Restaurant, and I was on hand to add some magic to the evening. Lorne Michaels of Saturday Night Live, and Philip J. Smith of the Shubert Organization, were honored for their commitment to community service, dedication to the arts and love of people and community.

Here is a slide show of the event:

The Fall is a great time to go to the circus. In the past week, I attended the dress rehearsal of New York’s own Big Apple Circus in Damrosch Park behind Lincoln Center. It is a fun show in a real circus tent, with some great acts. The fabulous juggling twins The LaSalle Brothers (who performed at our big extravaganza just last weekend!) dazzled the crowd with their amazing acrobatic and balletic juggling.

Then on Sunday, I drove to Bethlehem, PA, to see my friend, the comic bicycle acrobat Justin Case, star in Ringling’s Boom A Ring show. This is a circus that travels around the country performing in sports arenas. It is a slick and impressive operation, and most importantly: it’s a great show! Try to see it if it comes to your town.