AS MANCHESTER COMES to terms with last night’s horrific attack, Mancunians are doing their utmost to lift each other’s spirits and extend a helping hand.
Among those out on the street today showing what the city is all about was Emlyn Lewis, a Cavan man known unofficially as the Mario Busker.
Lewis, who is half-Welsh, told DailyEdge.ie that he has been busking in costume since 2012. “Not full-time. Some years full-time, some years juggling jobs and life,” he explained.
The film and television graduate went viral in 2014 when he dressed as Sonic The Hedgehog and raced the Luas. He has also been known to perform dressed as Darth Vader, but has retired that until the franchise returns to cinemas later this year.
Lewis relocated to the UK in September 2016 and moved to Manchester earlier this year.
Since then, he has been treating Mancunians to street performances while dressed as Super Mario.
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And today was no different.
Despite last night’s attacks, Lewis donned his costume and hauled his equipment into the city centre to do what he did best.
“I was not expecting posters and security everywhere,” he told us. “The atmosphere was chilled on Market Street until around 11:15am 200 people run from something, creating panic and shops closing for 40 minutes.”
Arndale Centre was evacuated this morning, resulting in scored of people running through the streets of the city.
“I had music gear so had to stay put and hope that it was a false alarm.”
At first, Lewis said people were too “stressed” to properly enjoy what he was doing, but that soon changed.
Forty minutes later, things calmed down and I began to see people’s faces open again so I decided that was the perfect time to lift their spirits.
His antics were captured by Joe.co.uk writer Noorudean Choudry and went viral, garnering hundreds of retweets.
If you can’t see the video, please click here
The Mirror went so far as to say that the gesture showed “why terrorists will never win”.
“Busking as Super Mario beside a “WE LOVE MANCHESTER” sign in the city centre was risky, of course, and I don’t blame the old woman who disrespected completely what I was doing, but 90% of the people got entertained in this stressful time,” Lewis told DailyEdge.ie.
And it sure seems that way.
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