New York City-based magician for kids: Mario the Magician (with an OBM discount!)

New York City based magician for kids: Mario the Magician

Offbeat enthusiasts may recognize Mario and Katie from their faaaaabulous vaudeville wedding feature on Offbeat Bride (July 2009), and I am beyond ecstatic to share their New York City-based, kid-centric magic business–Mario the Magician–with you today.

As you might have guessed, Mario performs the tricks, and Katie acts as the business director, though, as she told us, she finds herself getting chopped into three pieces from time to time. Mario offers a thirty-to-forty minute one-man Children's Magic Show ($350) that Katie describes as his "pride and joy."

He shows up at your door with an old, beat-up little suitcase, a somewhat disheveled suit, and his trusty top hat. Almost every prop used in the performance was hand-crafted by Mario himself. He draws influence from old time vaudeville and slapstick performers and has been called a modern day Charlie Chaplin.

The Children's Magic Show is best for ages 2 to 10, but as Mario and Katie point out–there need to be a few children who are at least four in the audience, as Mario routinely brings up volunteers from the 4 & up crowd. There are also two add-ons available for the Children's Magic Show. One of these is the Balloon Animal Session (appropriate for ages 3 to 7), a 10 to 20 minute balloon twisting treat. The other is the Mini Magic Lesson (appropriate for ages 5 and up), in which Mario teaches each child a magic lesson of their own using crafts or everyday household items.

Mario also offers magic lessons for children ages 5 to 10. Each lesson is an hour long and includes both DIY instructions and sporadic performances. The best part (besides the kickass magic, I mean)? The program design is completely up to you and your child(ren)–you can book lessons individually or as a set for up to ten children at a time.

Lest you think the games are only for the kids, Mario partakes in adult magic parties.

Yeah, party performers in NYC are a dime a dozen. But there are also a ton of offbeat parents here who truly care about what kinds of experiences they create for their kids, and we've found our niche amongst these folks, who have artistic sensibilities and an appreciation for performance art and, above all, imaginative expression.

While Mario and Katie are NYC-based, they are definitely open to the possibility of travel and would love to talk over the details with you! On top of that, they're offering $50 off when Offbeat Mama is mentioned at time of booking–so get over to the website and book 'em up!

Definitely not your average card tricks!

VISIT MARIO & KATIE:

• Website
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Frequently Asked Questions