About this Event
Madame Adelaide Herrmann (1853-1932) is a towering figure in magic history, yet her story was lost for nearly a century. Born in London of immigrant parents, Adelaide Scarsez performed as a ballerina and trick bicyclist before marrying Alexander Herrmann, considered by many the greatest magician of all time. The Herrmanns created the first grand illusion show, and Adelaide became the first glamourous, athletic female illusion assistant. The Herrmanns became celebrities in Europe and the Americas, acquiring a private railcar, a yacht, and a waterfront estate in Whitestone, New York.
When Alexander Herrmann died mid-tour at age fifty-two, Adelaide Herrmann stepped into the magician’s role, unheard of for a woman. Madame Herrmann debuted in vaudeville at age forty-five as the Queen of Magic, performing and touring until her retirement at age seventy-four. She spent her final years writing her memoir while residing at Manhattan’s Hotel Arlington, at 18 West 25th Street. Her memoir vanished after her death, finally surfacing in 2010.
Magician and author Margaret B. Steele brings Adelaide Herrmann’s story to life in multi-media homage featuring rare images from the Billy Rose Theatre Division, a video tour of Adelaide Herrmann’s New York, and a performance of Adelaide Herrmann’s signature magic effects with live musical accompaniment and sound effects. The presentation will conclude with a Q & A, after which Margaret will sign copies of her new book, Queen of Magic: The Wondrous, Unstoppable Adelaide Herrmann.
Photo Credit: Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library. "Adelaide Herrmann" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1890 - 1900.
SEATING POLICY | Programs are free and open to all, but registration is requested. Check-in line forms 45 minutes before the advertised start time. Registered guests are given priority check-in 15 to 30 minutes before start time. Five minutes before the advertised start time, all seats are released, regardless of registration, to our patrons in the stand-by line. If you arrive after the program starts, you will be seated at the discretion of our front-of-house staff.
STANDBY LINE | If registration is sold out or has ended, do not fret! We welcome you to come to the Library regardless of registration status and wait in our standby line, which forms 45 minutes before the advertised start time. Five minutes before the program starts, all remaining seats are released. While this is not guaranteed, we will do our best to get you into any of our programs.
ASSISTIVE LISTENING AND ASL | ASL interpretation and real-time (CART) captioning available upon request. Please submit your request at least two weeks in advance by emailing [email protected].
BRUNO WALTER POLICY | Please note that any unoccupied seat will be released five minutes before the show begins and holding seats for anyone beyond that is prohibited. There is no food or drink allowed inside the venue.
AUDIO/VIDEO RECORDING | Programs may be photographed and recorded by and at the discretion of the Library for the Performing Arts and will post signs indicating as such. If you would prefer your image not be captured, please let us know and we can seat you accordingly. Attending any program indicates your consent to being filmed/photographed and your consent to the use of your recorded image for any and all purposes of the New York Public Library.
PRESS | Please send all press inquiries to Alex Teplitzky at [email protected]. Please note that all recording, including professional video recordings, are prohibited without expressed consent from the Library.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts -Bruno Walter Auditorium, Enter via 111 Amsterdam Ave. between West 64th and 65th Street, New York, United States
USD 0.00
