So how does this super-busy
entertainment impresario manage to
maintain his sunny disposition amid
the crushing demands of a fast-paced
business with a multitude of moving
parts? His simple answer is, “I love what
I do. Everything about it. I’m blessed
with a lot of energy.”
Maybe some of that “energy” is in the
family genes, Carl speculates. “My dad is
95 and my mom is 90. They completely
take care of themselves. So I ’m blessed
with that kind of energy and hopefully the
longevity. I just had my 60th birthday and
I certainly don’t feel 60.”
During Carnival, Carl and his staff are
continually busy making and fitting out
costumes for the krewes and organizing
Mardi Gras-related events. He also has
his hands full planning and making
arrangements for the 2nd Annual Krewe
of Stars Ball at the Jefferson Performing
Arts Center in Metairie on January 26.
As captain of the two-year-old Krewe
of Stars, which he co-founded with
Marshall Harris, he is largely responsible
for overseeing the ball’s details, from
costumes to catering to entertainment
and “whatever else needs to be done,” as
he put it.
The Krewe of Stars Ball lovingly
subtitled “The Ball for All,” will feature
live entertainment, food, dancing and a
tableau staged for incoming and outgoing
royalty and an audience. This year’s king
is Al “Carnival Time” Johnson and the
queen is Irma Thomas.
The 2018 ball theme is “Legendary”
and its tableau will include tributes to
such legends as Frank Sinatra, Louis
Armstrong, Madonna, Michael Jackson
and others. Other entertainers will be
burlesque dancer Bella Blue and local
celebrity performers Becky Allen and
Marshall Harris. There will also be a
runway fashion show narrated by Bonnie
Broel of the House of Broel.
Prior to his arrival in the Crescent
City, Carl studied at Rochester’s
Eastman School of Music, becoming
proficient on drums and xylophone.
While performing in Jackson Square he
expanded his repertoire of entertainment
skills to juggling, face painting, balloon
twisting, pantomiming and basic magic
tricks. People who saw him perform
started hiring him to entertain at parties
and, from there, his repertoire expanded
even further.
With the guidance of his late business
partner, Ty Johnson, he began booking
other entertainers, including stiltwalkers,
little people, sword swallowers,
fire-eaters and walkers sporting oversized
papier-mache heads. These expanded
offerings required costumes that needed
to be made and stored afterward. This
was the beginning of Carl’s accumulation
of costumes and other festive apparel
and accouterments, and they were put to
good use.
“All through the ‘90s it was the
heyday of theme parties,” Carl recalled.
“People were doing ‘Grease’ or voodoo or
Storyville or Cajun, but whatever theme
it was, we would make costumes to fit
the theme.”
From there the next logical step was
Mardi Gras. As Carl explained, “That was
the most popular theme, so I organized a
collection of costumes in purple, green
and gold and hired revelers: people
to pump up the crowds and get that
Mardi Gras theme going.” And it wasn’t
just during Carnival Season either.
Conventioneers coming to New Orleans
year-round began hiring Carl Mack
Presents to stage Mardi Gras-style miniparades
through the French Quarter.
“By this time I was amassing a large
collection of costumes and making them
for whatever request came along and so
I ended up with thousands of them,” he
said. Storage for them eventually became
impractical in the houses he owned in
the Faubourg Marigny, so he set up shop
at two previous locales in the French
Quarter before finally arriving in his
current location.
In addition to locals and tourists,
the museum is also getting a fair share
of school groups touring the facility
and learning about Mardi Gras and its
traditions. After the tours, the children
get a hands-on opportunity to make
their own masks with materials and
instructions provided by the museum’s
staff.
Carl Mack with actor Drew Varrick
Carl Mack with 2018 Krewe of Stars
Queen Irma Thomas and King Al
"Carnival Time" Johnson and Krewe
Lieutenant Marshall Harris
“My goal is to have people leave
the museum with much more of an
understanding that Mardi Gras isn’t just
a million people out on Bourbon Street,”
Carl explained. “There is a Carnival
season that permeates all layers of the
community. Different neighborhoods
and cultures have their own way of
celebrating Carnival. There’s not just
one way to do it and one of the most
fun things about exhibiting is telling the
story and showing the deep textures of
this variety.” ��
The Mardi Gras Museum of Costumes
and Cultures, at 1010 Conti Street
in the French Quarter, is open from
10 am-5 pm, Monday-Saturday and
is also available for guided tours and
school groups. For more information and
admission prices call (504) 218-4872,
visit www.themardigrasmuseum.com,
email info@themardigrasmuseum.com or
go to their Facebook page.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRISTOPHER HORNE
JANUARY / F E B R UARY 2 0 1 8 breakthrumediamagazine.com | BREAKTHRU MEDIA | 21
