Marco Alessi

Marco Alessi
Neighbours character
Portrayed by	Felice Arena
Introduced by	Don Battye
Duration	1992
First appearance	5 May 1992
Last appearance	18 November 1992
Classification	Former, regular
Profile
Home	Italy
Occupation	Coffee Shop Assistant
Family Father Benito Alessi Mother Cathy Alessi Brothers Rick Alessi Sisters Lindsay Steiner Uncles Frank Alessi Cousins Christina Alessi Caroline Alessi Other relatives Andrew Robinson

Marco Alessi is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Felice Arena.^[1] He made his first on-screen appearance on 5 May 1992 and departed the series on 18 November 1992.

Casting

Felice Arena previously guested in Neighbours as Bob Cooper under name Fashia Arena (a credit typo, not a name by choice) in 1991. In March 1992, Arena won the role of Marco Alessi, cousin of established characters Christina and Caroline Alessi but quit due to disappointment with the direction of his character and filmed his final scenes that October. In an interview with TV Week, Arena told Mark McGowan "I sat down with the producers and the writers and it was decided the storylines weren’t going to go on. They are leaving it open for the character to return". Arena moved to the UK to star in several West End musicals, including Jesus in Godspell, but eventually found his true calling in writing. He is now one of Australia's biggest selling children's authors, best known for the Specky Magee and the Farticus Maximus series. ^[2]

Storylines

Marco first appears when he is mistaken for a burglar at Number 32 Ramsay Street by Faye Hudson (Lorraine Bayly). Faye's brother, Doug Willis (Terence Donovan), rushes to her aid and confronts Marco. Marco explains that he thought that Number 32 was where his cousin Christina Robinson (Gayle Blakeney) and her husband Paul (Stefan Dennis) lived.

After settling in with the family at Number 22, Marco helps out in the coffee shop and befriends several of the locals including Brad Willis (Scott Michaelson), Beth Brennan (Natalie Imbruglia and Lucy Robinson (Melissa Bell). One day, Marco accidentally overhears Christina's sister, Caroline's (Gillian Blakeney) conversation with Paul about a kiss they shared. Marco threatens to tell Christina everything unless Caroline comes clean. This results in Caroline fleeing to Milan.

When Paul and Caroline's affair is revealed over Andrew's (Shannon Holmes) baby monitor, Christina throws Paul out and takes legal proceedings against him. Marco is then asked to testify in court about Paul harassing Christina but cannot lie under when the judge asks whether Paul has been aggressive to Christina, as Marco has seen no such evidence.

When Beth moves to Erinsborough full-time, Marco is smitten with her but she rejects his advances as she prefers Brad. Rick (Dan Falzon), Marco's teenage brother, arrives in Ramsay Street after being expelled from boarding school and asks him for a job. Marco refuses and insists Rick attend Erinsborough High School. The brothers later move in with Cameron Hudson (Benjamin Grant Mitchell) at Number 32 in order to give Paul and Christina some space to reconcile.

Benito (George Spartels) and Cathy (Elspeth Ballantyne), Marco and Rick's parents arrive in Ramsay Street to get Rick to come home but with very little success. In the end, The Alessis move into Number 22 after Paul and Christina renew their vows and move to Hawaii.

After hearing his parents talk about a daughter they gave up for adoption when they were only 16, Marco goes to track down his sister, Lindsay Steiner. Marco brings Lindsay home and Benito and Cathy assume that she is Marco's girlfriend,. The truth is revealed and things are awkward between Marco and his parents for a while, but Lindsay agrees to keep in touch with her new family.

Later in the year, Marco finds himself indebted to loan sharks who make threats against him and his family including phone calls and ransacking the house. When Rick and his girlfriend Debbie Martin (Marnie Reece-Wilmore) win tickets to see Michael Jackson, who is touring in support of his album Dangerous in London, Marco agrees to go as Rick's chaperone and flees several days after arriving. Benito and Cathy are worried when Rick and Debbie return without Marco, but are relieved when he later sends a postcard from Italy, where he is staying with relatives.

References

1. ^ Robson, Ben (31 July 2008). "Specky Magee creator lands on Border". The Border Mail (Fairfax Media). http://www.bordermail.com.au/news/local/news/general/specky-magee-creator-lands-on-border/1231362.aspx. Retrieved 29 December 2010. 
2. ^ McGowan, Mark (10 October 1992). Two Quit Ramsay Street. TV Week.