Ms. KariCostume Goddess
(The above is a title my costume crew bestowed upon me. Hee!)
Its been six weeks of 12 hour days….
My house is a mess, my boys have barely seen me, Ive neglected my husband, and my friends never heard from me unless they came down to the costume area or if we ran into each other at ARC or Savers. I ate badly and barely. Sleep (when it happened) was filled with exhaustingly busy dreams, and I woke with a start in the mornings thinking of costume details and a to-do list so long it made me leap out of bed in a panic. I had silver spray paint under my fingernails and glue gun burns on my hands. My voice was hoarse from answering three thousand questions from 50 teenagers per day and my brain was spinning with all the tiny details to finish, solve or forget.
And I loved Every. Single. Minute.
The play 42nd Street was a roaring success. Audiences shot to their feet for standing ovations at each of the full house performances. I heard comments such as: This is the best show in town! I have never seen a high school musical THIS good! Ive seen 42nd Street six times in many different venues, and this was one of my favorites! (And yes, the quality and quantity of the costumes were part of nearly every comment. Very gratifying! The costume crew beamed happily.)
It was a wild and wonderful ride from the first are-we-going-to-really-pull-this-off rehearsal to the final glorious night on Saturday.
I could not be more proud of these amazing kidscrew and cast alike. My face still hurts from smiling. My heart is full and I feel buoyed by those delicious moments and memories that money cant buy.
Heres some photos .
Follies Girls in beginning rehearsal with Julian the director, and Mac the stage manager. (Many of the clothes we used were from my own collection of vintage stuff. We tried to stay within the 30sbut took a little license and stretched the truth of that overall. The little red and white check number is an actual playsuit (with bloomers!) from a long-ago decade (and a vintage outfit that I somehow dared to wear for fun in my teen years..)
The girls at the Gypsy Tea Kettle. (My red jacket, blue jacket and most of my hats.)
Peggy the hopeful ingénue.
Getting Out of Town
The opening for Dames. We had 33 girls to dressand trying to stay within the 30s for each costume was a bigger challenge than I could take on. So we used costumes from many eras before the 1930’s. It worked!
This was one of my favorite little detail scenes. The ragamuffin girls had just found a dime.
Were in the Money Later in this number the kids rolled over-sized dimes and a giant quarter onto the stage to tap-dance on. Very cute.
Shuffle off to Buffalo A fun little wedding scene on the back of a train.
Then the crew (dressed in engineer jumpsuits) rolled the train open to reveal a row of curtained sleeping berths and girls in pink pajamas. More cute.
One of the final scenes for the number 42nd Street.
This is SOOOO exactly what I want to be doing in my life right now.
I will get back to the telling and photos of our trip to Barcelona—but my immediate life has gotten in the way right now.
(AND on top of all of this is that I am right in the midst of all my craft fairs for this season.) AAAUUUGGGHH!
Life is wild. Wonderful—but wild.
I am looking forward to the January calm and touching base with all of you again.
:)xo
Adagio
Brava! Brava!!! It looks absolutely AMAZING!!! I am in awe of you, girlie. I really am. 😉
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I can certainly see how “it worked.” Gosh darn it all, it ALL worked, Adagio. This is spectacular! You know, when the adults of this world pay attention and GIVE THEIR TIME to our teenagers, like you so wonderfully do, the kids just shine and show us so dramatically what they can accomplish. Wonderful! Kudos plus to the costume goddess. Three cheer to all! : ) ….. Encore!
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wow, so amazingly lovely. of course, that red check jumpsuit caught my eye immediately, before i read your description. heh. good job! i am so excited with your fun work. ryn: i am amazing? moi? how puzzling. heh. must reread that entry. my book is now 42,472 words! loving it. so loving it. and yes, my place is a mess, food has been random, but I am writing!
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Un-frickin’-believable. So cool! Congratulations!
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Oh, those are wonderful costumes! What a talent you have! And endurance, too.
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Well done to all! It looks absolutely fantastic!
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Lovely, lovely, lovely. Great job!
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You. Are. Amazing.
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I love love love seeing pics of your costume creations! And broadway baby, you’ve done it again! I look forward to more tales and pics of Barcelona (*swoon*) but I really enjoyed these sooo much! Costume Goddess, indeed;)
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The nickname certainly fits and you sound like you are having the time of your life.
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This gave me shivers! How wonderfully awesome! Be well,
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…you are sooooo in your element! Mahvelous dearie! Dare I ask…what show will you be the costume designer for next year! 🙂 Well it’s just a bit over a month until January so try to keep your sanity. I have a question and would love it if you had the time for an answer. If so…how did you do the collage in your Barcelona entry. I did the same thing while we were in Vegas and put together
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…a collage in PhotoSuite but since it’s not a jpg or the other one that Snapfish recognizes…I can’t upload it to post. HELP! 🙂
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…never mind! I just figured it out! I’ll have to let you know when I post it because YOU were my inspiration!
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Oh Wow! Oooh! Ooh ooh ooh ooh OOOOHHH!!! 😀 You are awesome! Brava! Brava!
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Oh my god, that looks amazing, woman!
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WOW! The costumes look amazing, and the whole show just looks FUN! Well done, Ms. Kari! :o)
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It all looks SO fabulous! Congrats 🙂 xo
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This is FANTASTIC! WOW. Those kids will remember you all of their lives. ALL OF THEIR LIVES, isn’t that fantastic? You’re wonderful, sweet friend.
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Costume Goddess Extraordinaire! Methinks you’ve definitely found your cricket.
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All hail the Kari, the Costume Goddess! What’s rather amazing is that you still have outfits from your teen years! I am curious; obviously, the chorine outfits must’ve been sewn, but were any of the individual dresses or coats (that didn’t belong to you), sewn? If not, where were you able to scrounge them up from? Ryn: Glad to oblige – they were way too hilarious to keep to myself! 😉
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I can see why you were named the Costume Goddess! The show looks absolutely wonderful and I envy that you are able to find this endeavor that you are so passionate about!
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*clapping* What high school put this on? I live in a Denver suburb…
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My, My Big Sis, I can see it now….lights, action, broadway, you belong there. I am proud of you and I remember that dress. I hope we can see you all soon. Love your brother JA
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Fabulous!! Fabulous!!
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High School? Looks just like Broadway to me. You did GOOD! These pics look like everybody enjoyed the entire project. Watch out! New York will be coming after you!! My most sincere congratulations on a job very well done!
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Stage, movies, television – what will be your niche? I think you will be in big demand as word of your talent gets out there. I guess you will see the lights of broadway one day. But then again it seems half your fun is helping the students have a wonderful time. No matter what, where or when, Ms. Kari will create wonderful things to her freinds great delight.
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This brings back fond memories of being a part of this musical when I was in Highschool. Looks like a roaring success. I’ve fallen victim to the no-sleep, eating-poorly, missing-in-action syndrome myself, but it’s worth it in the end.
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well at least you are having a good time. LOL 🙂
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Wow!!!
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Wow, wow, and wow! This is so great! Full of life, creation, expression. There’s no holdin ya back gal! 🙂
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Wow. Just wow. How in the WORLD did I miss this entry. You can tell even from these still photos that these kids are genuine actors. I’m so impressed by the costumes. I don’t think I ever got around to thanking your for that hilarious “lard ass” card, Kari. I took it with me to my class and giggle quietly in my front row (because that’s where they put me) seat. I hope you’re on the downward slope.
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Outstanding! Surely you had a videographer recording every moment of the big night! Beautiful work.
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Dec. 20 – just dropping by, Adagio, to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and the Happiest of New Years! : )
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Dearest Adagio! Just quick note to wish you and yours very merry X-mas, etc etc… RYN: Shopping cart? very funny lapse in taste but somehow very apt too, yes? Manchild desirous of decorating Spookidli, who scoffing at such idiocy and responding in typical but ENTIRELY appropriate feline fashion: leaving abode for balmy outdoors, lol. Maybe you could have shopping cart in front of white house? 😉
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Happy Hohoholidays, O busily absent one! 😉 We miss you, but wish you the very best Christmas yet!
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Best Wishes to you and yours – Ms. Kari. I hope you all have a very special time today. Love R xo Please give my love and best wishes to your sister J too.
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I know this is your very, very busy season — that makes your thoughtful notes even more valuable to me. Thank you so much, Adagio, for seeing into my little life experiences and sending you loving thoughts. Wormtongue is a fitting name, now that you have given it to her. We use that name when talking about her and it gives us some power against her acts. Thank you again and again. Love,
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ryn: Yeah, I so agree with you, two year olds plugging something in, eek! And what also concerns me is that they wont know the difference between the tree plug and the lamp plug next time, and why not pull that plug? Too young to make such distinctions. I wish they could get one of those strips, because I know giving the boys chances to have power and ability to do something is important right
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now, but it’s not my option. I just work there. I just knew it was important to make a polite, respectful stand about how I cannot let the boys be at risk like that when I am in charge of them. She talked to me today to say she fully understood that the children being hurt would be a considerable fear for a nanny and respected my choice on this. It was nice of her.
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Hey 🙂 Have a Happy New Year! Hope it’s a fun weekend of celebration for you.
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Incredible costumes! Such an awesome production! : )
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