L'Italo-Americano

italoamericano-digital-1-12-2023

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 2023 www.italoamericano.org 32 L'Italo-Americano M a g i c i a n , m e n t a l i s t a n d a l s o d i r e c t o r and screen- writer. It is difficult to define the career of Riccardo Ber- dini, an Italian artist based in Los Angeles where he has lived since 2015 and where, in an almost unexpected way, he managed to turn his pas- sion for the art of illusion into a profession that made h i m a m e m b e r o f H o l l y - wood's iconic Magic Castle in just a few years. After graduating from the Bernstein School of Musical Theater in Bologna, where he had the opportunity to per- f e c t h i s s k i l l s i n a c t i n g , singing and dancing, Riccar- do embarked on a career in musicals. After writing and producing his second musi- cal, A Light in the Dark, he won several awards as best musical theater performer for roles such as Jean Valjean in Les Miserables and Danny Zuko in Grease. And it was during his performances in major theaters in Italy that the young native of Trieste began to cultivate a strong interest in magic and men- t a l i s m . " I o w e a l o t t o Davide Calabrese, a very dear friend, cabaret performer, and a collaborator of Arturo Brachetti, one of the best- known Italian transformers and illusionists," Riccardo t e l l s m e . " H e w a s t h e o n e w h o s h o w e d m e t h e f i r s t t r i c k s ; h e o p e n e d u p t h e world of magic to me, and when I arrived here I thought I would carry it on. And so I did." O n c e h e l a n d e d i n t h e United States, Riccardo Ber- dini quickly became one of the most successful mental- ists and magicians in town, eventually appearing in the fourth season of the TV show Penn and Reller's Fool Us on the CW television channel a few years ago. Riccardo, what kind of magic do you do? I n t h e b e g i n n i n g , I d i d what is considered classical magic, that is, I performed with cards, coins, and so on. Later on, my interest was c a p t u r e d b y m e n t a l i s m , which is the magic of the mind. Mentalism is a form of magic that is not simply limited to tricks but involves different techniques. It is mind and body reading, it is hypnosis. It consists of vari- ous experiences that are not only magical, there is also a component of realism. W h a t l e d y o u t o explore mentalism? Just being a performer who shows what he can do d o e s n ' t s a t i s f y m e , w h i l e m e n t a l i s m g i v e s m e a chance to get to know peo- ple, engage them and shock them, which is exactly what magic is supposed to do. Do you ever get to per- form in front of celebri- ties? Every week. I remember t h e v e r y f i r s t s t a r I p e r - f o r m e d i n f r o n t o f w a s actress Evan Rachel Woods at a private party. That night changed my life because I realized that magic could become a career path. Other famous people for whom I performed were Ben Kings- ley, James Corden, Bono of U2, the Black Keys, musi- c i a n M a t t h e w B e l l a m y o f Muse, and Charlize Theron. How much study and preparation is behind a performance? A lot of study, and a lot of preparation. It's funny, in fact, when magicians, at the b e g i n n i n g o f a s h o w , s a y "I've been a magician for 25 years and in this 20-minute s h o w y o u w i l l s e e a l l t h e work of these 25 years!" I haven't worked that hard and I'm lucky because I have a natural inclination, but in the early years, I didn't leave the house because I spent my time reading and study- ing magic. Often, on Sunday nights, I would go to clubs to t r y f r e e t r i c k s , t e s t t e c h - niques, and gain confidence in myself. How would you define t h e k i n d o f m a g i c y o u do? I have characterized my performances by combining music and magic, and now I have a show called Mesmer- ize that I do in a jazz club, t h e V i b r a t o , i n B e l - A i r . I perform once a month with a live band with all Italian m u s i c i a n s , w h e r e I s h o w that music is the real magic of life. I create songs togeth- e r w i t h t h e a u d i e n c e , I reveal details of their lives, and much more. There is a d o u b l e c o m p o n e n t i n m y performances: mind influ- e n c e a n d m i n d r e a d i n g . Through music we under- s t a n d w h o w e a r e , m u s i c describes and speaks to us, it is an incredible subcon- scious vehicle and can also influence the subconscious, just like it influences our mood. W h a t b r o u g h t y o u here professionally? After my first play, Incan- tesimo - which I did at the Hollywood Fringe Festival, also winning the audience award - and another play I did at the Rockwell in Los F e l i z , I c a m e t o p r o d u c e Mesmerize, which is sort of a n e v o l u t i o n o f b o t h . I noticed that peopl e often have a hard time seeing you as a performer who mixes two arts, so in order not to confuse the audience, I pre- sent myself as a mentalist who uses music as a tool to read and influence the mind. That was the key and a big turning point. What are the most dif- f i c u l t c h a l l e n g e s y o u have faced? D e f i n i t e l y l e a r n i n g t h e English language and fully understanding the American culture, which is completely different from ours. It was not easy at first to under- s t a n d w h a t i s c o n s i d e r e d humor here. There are often things Americans laugh at that we Italians would not find funny. Mastering the language for me is also cru- cial because I like to impro- vise a lot and connect with people. I have a script but I always go off the cuff and change things according to the audience I'm performing for. W h a t g o a l s d o y o u have for the future? I recently became a moti- vational speaker. Through mentalism, I figured out how to help people understand themselves, help them clear their minds of their fears, and figure out how to deal with life in a much easier and lighter way. This has been a great success for me. In addition to this, I founded my own production compa- ny and produced my first film, and I will soon be mak- ing my first film as a direc- tor. In the meantime, I am enjoying the journey by rein- venting myself continuously, w h i c h i s o n e o f t h e m o s t beautiful things ever. A portrait of Riccardo Berdini. He explains his shows mix music and magic on stage (Photo: Riccardo Berdini) Between music and magic shows, the story of mentalist Riccardo Berdini SILVIA GIUDICI LOS ANGELES ITALIAN COMMUNITY

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