Next?
Next on my plate is Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet. Sounds like this play would be right up my alley, you know? Romantic gowns, luscious velvet coats and finery, cool Shakespeare-y hats, men in tights and all those fun Elizabethan details.
BUT nooooooo no-no-no! It’s a contemporary play–a “concept” play. The play is bi-lingual, with the Spanish and English being translated on a screen above the stage, and the heads of the two households, the Montegues and the Capulets– are strong single mothers. The director doesn’t want it to take place during any time period, in any particular country or region, nor does she want it to be about a gang clash between cultures. She wants it to be “a timeless and romantic love story”.
The director was so pleased to be giving me the “gift” of complete artistic freedom with the costumes. Instead I stood frozen in the headlights. *No particular country or cultureexcept the Capulets ARE Spanish/Latino on stage (and in real life)–so thats happening somehow. No particular time in history .hmmm. But somehow we have to tell the families apart maybe cool colors for the Montegues and warm colors for the Capulets .* Wait, whats that you say? Mercutio is a scrappy street-savvy girl? The Prince character is an old wise woman? Oh, and twelve of the characters all carry knives not little plastic toy daggers, but big, honkin scary metal knives in sheathes that we rented from the fight choreographer? *Okay so well need belts. (Whew! ONE thing I can grab onto!)* Plus it all takes place in the heat of the summer? *okay, scrap the velvets * Oh yes, and by the way, the Apothecary is also a girl .? *reels*.
I stared at the director, huge-eyed and rather distraught. She grinned, patted me on the arm and said: Youre a genius. I totally trust you to figure it out. *Auuuuggghhh!* So when I did start to move, it was more like desperate, flailing starts and stops.
But now I think Ive finally got it (which is good, because at this point we have only a month to pull it all together).
Our design concept is this: Frida Kahlo meets vintage Fleetwood Mac. (Can you kinda see it?)
:)xo
Adagio
You’re going to nail this one. I know it. We all know it. And I, for one, can’t wait to see………. : )
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That’s quite a challenge! If anyone can do it, m’dear, it’s you! 🙂 xo
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You are just the person for this job!
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Ahahahahahaha! I never have understood, when one is attempting a “concept” piece, why you wouldn’t get your production team on the same page as the director BEFORE rehearsals began. I don’t envy you this one at all…and I can’t wait to see what you come up with!!
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Yes, but you must add some vintage “Romeo & Juliet” clothing as homage to its roots….perhaps a velvet “pimp” hat on Romeo? Or would that be Mercurio? 🙂 The easiest way, of course, is to give them street colors on their jackets. RYN: How did you know I was thinking of you? 🙂 Everyone loved their flamingo ornament! Palm trees next year? 🙂 We keep this up, I’ll have a vintage Florida tree! LOL! Yes, I’m okay. The eyes give out so easily, but I’m rested and even lost some of the weight I gained when I quit smoking a few years back, so I’m feeling as if I’m regaining lost ground, if that makes sense. I’ve resigned myself to live with the collapsing neck bones. The only remedy is fusing the bones together and I’m allergic to operations, you know. More importantly, how are YOU? I know your soul is being fed creatively and I know you are well loved, but are you doing okay with the breakneck pace? How are your handsome sons? Still thriving? Stay warm up in them thar mountains, girl! Temps dropped to freezing here in FL, so I think I might have to move south…
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Nothing quite like being stretched creatively, right? This kind of reminds me of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet with Leonardo DeCaprio and whoever, set in 1960s(?) Miami with guns. Yeah. Only more challenging!
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Yup, I can see it. And I can’t wait to see how you pull it off (which I know you will….fabulously as always)
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oh dang. and I was all looking forward to the period costumes 🙁
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sorta Westside Story…
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…you are a genius and I can’t wait to see the pictures that prove it!
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I read a few entries back where you showed pics of the play and of your home. I was on my iPhone at the time. Wanted to tell you that your home has me very jealous! I love all the creativity inside it!
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I can’t wait to see the pictures. 😀
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“Frida Kahlo meets vintage Fleetwood Mac. (Can you kinda see it?)” Yes! Thanks for showing us your human side, though, not immediately grasping it, but needing time to fully foment your amazing creativity… Good luck! I look forward to seeing this new age concept!
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Oh I really deeply love romeo and juliet, having just read it last semester (on my own time, disgruntled that my shakespeare professor didnt assign it, grr). but happy I read it! I still have a quote from Juliet on my goal bulletin board. 🙂 which recently got redone and updated. 🙂 you might like this – I put my belly-dancing gold coin chain on it – it’s to bring in abundance, as many of thepictures have symbols of abundance for me (I map it out according to a feng shui map). i do like the frida kahlo-fleetwood mac idea. very flowy?
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