Fashion for Relief Haiti Runway Show
Photos courtesy of Timothy Clary/Getty Images and Stuart Ramson/AP
Duckie Brown Fall 2010
Photos courtesy of Andrew Thomas
Richard Chai Love Fall 2010
Photos courtesy of Marcio Madeira / FirstView.com
Ports 1961 Fall 2010
BCBG Max Azria Fall 2010
Photos courtesy of Marcio Madeira / FirstView.com
Love Is In the Air
With all the leftover Valentine’s Day cards, candy and stuffed animals littering the shelves at Duane Reade and Walgreens, the remnants of the world’s biggest day of manufactured adoration is still lingering in the city, but are special shared menus, boxes of chocolate and Hallmark cards true representations of love? Love is more than corporate displays of affection. Last Friday, I attended the opening performance of “all about love”, an off-Broadway production at the Paradise Factory Theater.
Donysha Smith
“all about love” is an engaging and truthful exploration of love and its many facets. Written by Donysha Smith, who is also making her directorial debut, “all about love” is a wonderful reflection of a lifetime labor. “I used to put on plays at three-years-old. I used to put the tablecloth around my neck and become a different character and perform for my family and extended family at cookouts,” she says. Smith is a Philadelphia born playwright, producer and actress. She earned a B.F.A in Dramatic Writing from the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. She has held several roles in NYC Theater, Media and Fashion. “This is all I ever wanted to do my entire life and I’m finally at a place in my life where it’s like this is what I’m going to do,” Donysha adds.
Wesley Voley, Zdenko Slobodnik and Aubyn Peterson
“all about love” is a tapestry that combines three perspectives of love. The first, Three Point Stance at the Edge of the World, journeys into the psyche of soldiers living for the love they receive through letters from family and lovers at home. Zdenko Slobodnik, an Iraq War soldier, and Wesley Voley, a Union soldier during the Civil War, provide a harsh glimpse into the alienation, somber, stressful and loveless existence that a soldier during wartime endures. Sometimes love is a desperate thing. Through Slobodnik’s and Voley’s narration of the letters they send home the audience can feel their desperation and frustration to get home, back to the people they love. The choreography in this scene is sharp and aggressive and compliments the performances given by these two actors.
Bianca Lemaire and Erickson Dautruche
The second, Carmelita 1:13, provides a modern “Thorn Birds” look at love. The scene involves a young couple in the throws of a break up. Carmelita’s love for the lord is driving a wedge between her relationship and is pushing her and her man to the brink of insanity. When falling in and out of love, one can sometimes forget how another person’s upbringing and religious beliefs can affect their views on love. Carmelita 1:13 is a poignant observation of a relationship from the other side of the spectrum. As the characters played by Bianca Lemaire and Erickson Dautruche share memories while also expressing anger and confusion, the audience is reminded of how a breakup is just as multi-dimensional as a relationship and sometimes people must break apart in order to find their way back to each other.
Jeff Kozel and Warren Katz
After a brief intermission, the audience is treated to an amusing display of Casual Addictions and Lost & Found, the third and final scene. Lost and Found is a touching story about acceptance and unconditional love. While shopping for a family dinner, an elderly gay couple comes to grips with failed past relationships, a disapproving daughter and dementia. As the scene ends, they learn the only way to move forward is with love, and a dance doesn’t hurt either. Jeff Kozel, Warren Katz and Aubyn Peterson are extremely convincing and moved me to the brink of tears.
Aiding in the transition of the scenes are video interludes and the music of Stevie Wonder. “I think that Stevie’s music is hopeful, it’s honest [and] it is resonant,” Donysha explains about the use of Stevie Wonder’s music in the show, “He’s one of those artists that everybody loves. Everyone knows a Stevie Wonder song. No matter what their age, class [or] race, everybody can hear one of his songs and is like that is my jam.” The video contains footage of New Yorkers talking about their perception of love and their experience with it, and creates a love letter to New Yorkers in general.
A percentage of ticket sales from “all about love” will go to the Fistula Foundation, www.fistulafoundation.org. The Fistula Foundation a nonprofit corporation dedicated to raising awareness of and funding for fistula treatment, prevention and educational programs worldwide.
“all about love” will be playing at the Paradise Factory Theater until February 21. I suggest all FAMERS get a dose of love before this productions ends.
To purchase tickets for “all about love”, please visit www.allaboutloveshow.com.
Photos courtesy of D. Austin
2010 Fall Collection George McCracken
New York City painter turned designer George McCracken showed 20 looks – tan, brown and gray blazers, a vibrant red sweater and tan, mushroom, and gray topcoats. Models stood on wooden boxes rotating after five minutes.
Photos courtesy D. Austin of G Studios NYC
Alexander McQueen 1969-2010 A Retrospective
Photos courtesy of Marcio Madeira for Style.com
The Fashion World Loses McQueen
The start of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week begins on a somber note. This morning the fashion world awoke to the tragic news that future icon Alexander McQueen was found dead in his London home. A statement released by his office stated: “On behalf of Lee McQueen’s family, Alexander McQueen today announces the tragic news that Lee McQueen, the founder and designer of the Alexander McQueen brand, has been found dead at his home.”
The company’s communications director, Samantha Garrett, discovered the body of the 40-year-old designer. Scotland Yard was called to McQueen’s address at approximately 10:20 a.m. by an ambulance service after it had been reported that a man was found dead. They said, “The death is being treated as non-suspicious.”
The sudden death of Alexander McQueen is sending shockwaves around the fashion world and Hollywood. McQueen designs were a favorite among fashion trendsetters like Sarah Jessica Parker, Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Penelope Cruz. He was also set to show McQ’s fall 2010 collection, McQueen’s contemporary label, at New York Fashion Week today, but it was cancelled.
British fashion designers have always been known for their risqué, daring, outrageous and sometimes bizarre take on fashion; McQueen was no exception. Starting in London’s West End, he created his own label in 1992 where his clients included Prince Charles and Mikhail Gorbachev. In 1996, he became head designer for the prestigious Givenchy design house. In 2000, he re-launched his Alexander McQueen line after Gucci Group acquired 51% of the company in a partnership deal with McQueen, who remained the creative director. McQueen had his own boutiques in New York, London, Los Angeles, Milan and Las Vegas.
McQueen built an empire with his bold fashion and irreverent British bloke behavior. His antics and early designs earned him an early reputation of “L’Enfant terrible”, but it wasn’t long before his genius would overshadow his tomfoolery. McQueen was one of the youngest designers to named “British Designer of the Year”, a title he won four times between 1996 and 2003.
Alexander McQueen and his mother Joyce
It has been reported that McQueen’s death is an apparent suicide. He was scheduled to attend his mother’s funeral Thursday morning; she died on February 2. The death of Alexander McQueen stings now, as the shock of his demise is still being absorbed. The true effect of his death is still to come. The company will rally, announce a new creative director and continue on his legacy, as Versace did after the horrific murder of Gianni Versace in 1997. However, no one will be able to replace the talent that was Alexander McQueen. We did not just lose a great designer; he was a visionary with a distinct voice. Today we lost an artist.
The Interactive Art of Broadway
“The Lullaby of Broadway” from the musical 42nd St is one of the most recognizable songs to ever be sung on a theater stage, but in the wake of the digital age, the adaptation of this lullaby is being delivered differently than when the tune was originally written.
It is fair to say that the internet has become a bit of a conundrum to those in the arts and entertainment field. Industries like publishing and music have suffered while trying to decipher how to adapt and maximize the new way in which the world receives art and information and ultimately remain profitable. Broadway has not been exempt in this digital wave, but here to navigate Broadway and off-Broadway productions through vast wilderness of the internet is Art Meets Commerce.
Starting with one client, a small off-Broadway production at the SoHo Playhouse titled Room Service, three years ago Art Meets Commerce has grown into a multi-services company that provides internet marketing, web design, advertising and video packages to an array of Broadway and off-Broadway shows. Their current client roster includes Fela!, A Little Night Music, Stomp, Rock of Ages and the upcoming revival of Promises Promises.
The AMC team is comprised of individuals with a wealth of knowledge and experience within the entertainment industry giving them an advantage when crafting exclusive, boutique campaigns designed for needs of each show. With their deep understanding of internet branding, Art Meets Commerce’s clients are not only exposed to Generation Y, but other generations as well. Their hands-on approach allows them to cultivate a following for the shows that transfer over when a client takes a show from off-Broadway to Broadway, as was the case for Fela! and Rock of Ages.
“I think it is very important to reach out to new audiences, to get them excited about the shows we work on. There is a misconception that the internet and social networking is for kids, [but] I completely disagree,” states Jim Glaub, AMC’s interactive creative director, “I think it’s an easy tool to communicate and that’s why people of all ages are grasping on to it. It’s still very new; it’s changed so much from just a year ago. There are so many things that have changed with how to use social networking [and] the internet. For me it is about trying to keep on top of the changes and meanwhile test and try new things for each of the clients.”
There is nothing like the experience of live entertainment whether it is a play, a musical or a performance from a dance ensemble or Grammy award-winning artist. The energy that is shared between the audience and the performers on stage creates a spark of electricity that cannot be duplicated making each performance a unique journey. It is this exact distinct power that is can be lost when trying to translate live theater to the internet and sites like You Tube, and it is this dynamism that Art Meets Commerce infuses into social networking sites and other client sites. As a person that has had a lifelong love affair with the arts, it appears to me that Art Meets Commerce is a necessity for any show. By remaining on the pulse of live theater and the internet, AMC ensures that the lights of off-Broadway and the Great White Way remain luminous for decades to come.
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