Interview: SO NOW YOU KNOW with Mark Nadler

EXUBERANCE, a noun meaning the quality of being full of energy, excitement, and cheerfulness. If you've seen Mark Nadler on stage, you know he is the quintessential living and breathing definition of this word.

From the moment Mark enters the stage until the second the lights go out, the exuberance Mark gives to his audience is captivating. He is so proficient on the piano, that you might think there is another person playing as his full body's energy does not seem to turn away from the audience while he's accompanying himself.

Besides always being dressed to the nines, Mark pays attention to every detail of his shows. Song choices, choreography, patter, staging, props, angle of the piano are all specific choices that have been well-rehearsed so that the focus can be on connecting with the audience.

While he has been a staple in the New York Cabaret scene for many years, Mark has traveled the world performing his shows in England, Ireland, Scotland, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Israel, and Australia. He is now doing a daily digital song entitled "A Daily Bit of Mark". Click HERE to subscribe.

"So Now You Know" is a digital interview comprised of ten questions that begins with the performer starting with five identical questions that are consistent for each artist and then five alternating questions that aide in showing us the person under the on-stage persona and what truly inspires them.

NA: Who is your mentor and what would you like to say to your mentor?

MN: I guess I've had many mentors, of sorts. The one that comes to mind at the moment is Dawn Hampton. She was a brilliant cabaret performer - singer and songwriter. I heard her the very first week I spent in New York when I was 16 and I was knocked out by her ability to turn every song she sang into a brilliant three-act play.

NA: What would I like to say to her?

MN: Thank you for always being honest, always being entertaining on stage and off, and always showing up in every way!!

NA: What has this business given you and what has it taken away?

MN: It's given me my livelihood, my life, ENDLESS hours of extreme joy, and, frankly, something to do to keep me off the streets!! It's taken away my ability to watch any performance uncritically.

NA: What is the hour like before you go on stage?

MN: Usually it's spent backstage going over lyrics, chords, and lines and drinking licorice tea. I never dress until 15 minutes before I'm to go on, so as not to wrinkle whatever I'm wearing.

NA: If you could experience one performance over again, which one would it be and why?

MN: I did a concert at The Mann Center, which is an outdoor concert space in Philadelphia. There were 6,000 people in the audience. It was an entire two-act concert with just me and the New York Pops - a 75 person orchestra. Stephen Reineke was the conductor. All the arrangements were mine and Maestro Reineke and I chose the material. It was truly the thrill of a lifetime!

NA: What are you most proud of?

MN: I guess the thing I'm most proud of is that when I do a show, I spend a long time and a lot of thought putting it together and I really CRAFT my shows. I work for months on them. They always have a point and they always have layers. Everything is interwoven and has a reason from the song choices to the arrangements to, of course, the patter.

NA: Where did you study how to play the piano?

MN: I learned to play by ear before I studied. I started playing when I was about 4. When I was 6 my mom got me lessons from a WONDERFUL teacher who worked at The University of Northern Iowa (UNI) named Jvone Maxwell. I studied from her until I went to the Interlochen Arts Academy for high school. (I only studied piano there for a semester. I was a theater major with a voice and dance minor.)

NA: Were you a theatre kid growing up? If so, what shows were you in and who did you play?

MN: I did community theater and, even more, theater at the University. I was one of the princes in "The King and I" when I was 6. I was Giardino in the UNI production of "Gianni Schischi" and Oliver in the UNI production of "Oliver".

NA: What was your journey to get to live in New York City?

MN: I did a senior off-campus apprenticeship with The Writers' Theater for the first semester of my senior year. As soon as I graduated, I came right back!!! (That was exactly 40 years ago...oy!)

NA: What is your favorite song to sing and why?

MN: I honestly don't have a favorite. Sorry. It's impossible to answer this.

NA: If you could have lunch with one of your idols, who would it be and what would you ask them?

MN: Bette Midler!! I almost put her down as my mentor, because her early recordings (particularly "Live at Last") really shaped who I became as an entertainer. I wouldn't so much want to ask her anything as I'd like to tell her that she made it clear to me what it was I wanted to do with my life and showed me how it should be done!! Her bravery, honesty, and HUMOR spoke to me and speaks to me.

Mark's Inspirational Quote: Honestly, one of the quotes I find most inspiring is from the movie (the first one!!) of "Mary Poppins": "For every job that must be done, you find an element of fun. You find the fun and, SNAP, the job's a game!"

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