Le Grand David facts for kids

"Le Grand David and His Spectacular Magic Company" was a famous magic show that ran for a very long time! It was even recognized by Guinness World Records as the longest-running stage magic show in the world for a while. This amazing, family-friendly magic show started in the 1970s thanks to a magician named Marco the Magi (Cesareo Pelaez). The show mostly happened on Sundays at the Cabot Street Cinema Theatre and sometimes on Thursdays at the Larcom Theatre in Beverly, Massachusetts. The shows continued until the spring of 2012.

About the Magic Shows

The "Le Grand David and his own Spectacular Magic Company" show first opened on February 20, 1977. It ran for an incredible 35 years! In 1985, the company started a second show. This new show was two hours long and featured magic, music, comedy, and dance. It took place at the Larcom Theatre, another old theater in Beverly.

These shows were truly grand! They used over 1,000 costumes and featured 100 classic magic tricks. There were also 45 different painted backgrounds for the stage. Marco the Magi was the creative genius behind it all. He produced, directed, designed, and even choreographed the shows.

In the spring of 2012, it was announced that the magic shows at both the Cabot and Larcom theaters would stop. The Cabot Street Cinema Theatre went back to just showing movies. Both theaters and their nearby spaces became available to rent for events. Many of the show's props, artwork, and other items were sold at an auction on February 23, 2014.

Who Was Marco the Magi?

Marco the Magi, whose real name was Cesareo Pelaez (born October 16, 1932, died March 24, 2012), was the founder of the magic company. He was also the main producer, director, designer, and choreographer. Plus, he was a star performer in both of the company's big shows!

Marco started putting his magic group together in the early 1970s. He brought them to Beverly, Massachusetts. In 1976, the old Cabot Cinema became available. Marco's company bought the theater to make it their home. A book about Cesareo Pelaez, called "Wonderful Surprises," was published in 2007. It shared stories about his childhood in Cuba and how he created the "Le Grand David Spectacular Magic Company."

Who Was Le Grand David?

Le Grand David, whose real name is David Bull, started as Marco's student in the early 1970s. He was younger than Marco. Magic historian Stuart Cramer said that Le Grand David was an "extraordinarily skillful magician and showman." He brought a youthful energy and graceful movement to the show. Cramer even said that David's performance of the "Zombie" trick (where a silver ball floats) was the best he had ever seen!

History of the Company

By 1976, the Cabot Cinema was an old movie theater showing cheap films. A group called White Horse Productions was formed to buy and fix it up. Marco the Magi led this project with help from his friends. The Cabot was kept open as a movie theater, but it was renamed the Cabot Street Cinema Theatre and showed new movies.

At the same time, the magic group worked hard to fix up the theater's stage. It had been unused for 50 years! They turned office spaces above Cabot Street into workshops. Carpenters, painters, and seamstresses created hundreds of props and stage pieces. These were slowly used in rehearsals after the movie theater closed for the night. Soon, ads began to appear, announcing the magic show's debut after the 1976 holidays.

On Sunday, February 20, 1977, "Le Grand David and his own Spectacular Magic Company" had its first show. It was a snowy day, but the theater was full of excited people. Marco and his student, David, led the company of many performers. They gave weekly Sunday afternoon shows until mid-May. Then, they added a second Sunday show in the evening. By mid-summer, even two shows weren't enough! The show, called "The Whirlwind of Enchantment," sometimes had eighteen performances in just two weeks. People from the Boston area and local news started to notice the magic in Beverly.

It took three years for the story of the show to become known around the world. Magazines like TIME and Smithsonian wrote about it. Magic experts were also very impressed. Robert Lund (1920–1995), who started the American Museum of Magic, called it "the finest magic show in the world today."

The Le Grand David Spectacular Magic Company quickly became a very important cultural group. They performed seven times at the White House in Washington, D.C.! Over 40 magic magazines featured them on their covers. Robert Lund also wrote that "Le Grand David" had the best claim to be called "America’s national magic company." A British magic historian, Dr. Edwin Dawes, called the Beverly magicians "magicdom’s most incredible venture."

Because of their success at the Cabot Theatre, the company bought the Larcom Theatre in 1984. It was only four blocks away. They started an even bigger renovation project there. The Larcom Theatre was completely fixed up, from the balcony to the basement. In October 1985, the Le Grand David group started a second show there. It was a mix of magic, music, comedy, and dance, all done in the style of the early 1900s. This show, called An Anthology of Stage Magic, continued to play there.

In 1995, the Le Grand David Company opened a new part of the building next to the Larcom Theatre. This new area included a beautiful lobby called the Grand Salon, decorated with oak, marble, and brass. It also had rehearsal spaces, three galleries showing Le Grand David's magic equipment and posters, a library, a meeting room, a guest suite, and an apartment for a caretaker.

Special Recognitions

• The Le Grand David group was called "America’s national magic company" by historian Robert Lund. Their 30 years of continuous shows made their community very proud.
• TIME magazine wrote a two-page article about the show in 1980. It said, "With the crash of a gong, the curtain flies up and smoke billows out from the stage as a team of magicians begins 2½ hours of joyous entertainment that recalls the most opulent days of vaudeville . . . . Spectacular it is . . . The real magic about Le Grand David is the cast and their locale. The show goes on not on Broadway but in Beverly, Mass., a Boston suburb, though it looks as lushly endowed as any Great White Way musical."
• The Theatre Historical Society of America visited Beverly in 2006 to see the Cabot and Larcom Theatres. They gave Marco a special award. It was the first of its kind, given for "CREATING THEATRE HISTORY By Contributing To The Rich Legacy Of America’s Historic Theatres."

See also

• American Museum of Magic
• Houdini Museum
• List of magic museums