Mark Clearview was bewitched by magic at three years old when a magician performed at his birthday party in Toronto. Now, at 28, he is continuing to take the magic community by storm.
Clearview started actively practicing magic at the age of 5, doing simple magic tricks such as the cut and restored rope trick and the wand levitating from a wine bottle trick (though Clearview has no recollection of how he managed to get his hands on a wine bottle).
At the age of 6, he secured his first paid gig, which truly reinforced that performing magic was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life.
“It’s strange to have hands that have actually been doing magic and before I can remember learning how to do it,” said Clearview.
Over the past 20 years, Clearview has honed his craft, leaning into the absurdity that can come with magic. At age 12, he opened for four-time Guinness World Record Holder Scott Hammell, who began to take Clearview under his wing and introduced him to his famous “straitjacket escape.”
Years later, in 2014, Clearview gained a lot of attention for making a great straightjacket escape of his own.
To raise money for The Michael J. Fox Foundation, Clearview set the world record for living strapped inside a straitjacket for 14 days and escaping on live television.
“I was wondering what the fastest rate I could escape is, and I think at the time it was five seconds or something, so I asked [Hammell], what if I did the longest straightjacket escape, that would be more my style,” said Clearview. “From there, we realized that it didn’t just have to be a gag. It was a very real element of endurance required to spend a long time in the straitjacket because that’s the most uncomfortable part. I’ve always kind of been a super fan of Michael J. Fox and ‘Back to the Future,’ so we linked it to Parkinson’s disease research because I thought it was kind of a good metaphor for the restrictive nature of those types of degenerative diseases.”
Thinking back on that experience, Clearview admits that it wasn’t the most comfortable time in his life.
“I spent two weeks in a straightjacket when I was 18 and I still can’t believe that’s true. It was awful,” said Clearview.
Since then, Clearview has built up an impressive career for himself, performing shows at iconic venues such as Caroline’s on Broadway, The Chicago Magic Lounge and The Magic Castle in Los Angeles, as well hosted private shows for celebrities like Seth Rogan, Rami Malek, Usher and Neil Patrick Harris, He also had a run on the TV show “Canada’s Got Talent.”
“I have turned down a lot of these talent shows over the years because it’s hard to believe they had anything to do with talents anymore. I eventually said yes because I think what interested me was trying to distill my style into five minutes,” said Clearview. “I thought, if I’m gonna introduce myself to the world, what would that look like if I had to get it down to a five-minute moment?”
Clearview ultimately ended up impressing the judges, winning the Golden Buzzer from Howie Mandel and the accompanying $25,000 prize.
Currently, Clearview has a residency at Keys & Heels on the Upper East Side. What Clearview loves about Keys & Heels is that while the speakeasy-type of venue has grown in popularity, this space keeps the original vibes that a speakeasy offers.
“My dream was to move from Toronto to New York City and to get a magic show at a speakeasy. I thought speakeasies were the coolest thing ever. This was six years ago, and they’re still cool, but they’re everywhere with neon lights,” said Clearview. “I think a secret place with a secret show is the epitome of success.”
Clearview wholeheartedly believes that New York City truly lends itself to magic unlike any other city, with part of that coming from the mainstream appeal that magic is attaining as well as New York City’s current position in the entertainment industry with live comedy.
“[Magic] has become kind of sexy like there’s this experience and, and people have leaned in the direction of holding that mysteriousness in a higher regard, not a cheesy way but in a way that’s actually interesting to people, so it’s kind of having this resurgence of cool,” said Clearview. “It is still a bit cheesy, and the comedy that comes from that, I think New York really holds both of those things. New York has that mysteriousness.”
“New York has its own secrets, and magic is built on secrets,” Clearview added.
Throughout the fall, Clearview will be performing at Keys & Heels, as well as throughout Brooklyn and Manhattan, with trips up to Sleepy Hollow as well. For more information, visit www.MarkClearview.com and follow him on Instagram and YouTube.
