Addams Family on Broadway - A Review

I couldn't wait for the official opening, I had to attend the show in its first week of previews. The verdict? Loved it. Now, in more detail...

From the opening notes of the well-known theme, any Addams Family fan was filled with adrenaline. The curtains paredt with a live portrait of the entire family. The elaborate sets were as much the stars of the show as the performers. (This is not a slight to the actors, but a compliment to the production designers).

Bebe Neuwirth, I can think of no stage actress more suited to the role of Morticia, but the show is clearly commanded by Nathan Lane's Gomez. Keeping the emotional heart of the show was a whimsical Kevin Chamberlain as Uncle Fester.

The basic plot revolves around a grown-up Wednesday Addams (Krysta Rodriguez). She has fallen in love with a (gasp!) 'normal' boy from Ohio, and is bringing his parents to meet the Addams.

I was afraid the overall spirit of creepy and kooky would be watered down for the mass audiences of Broadway. Fortunately, I found the first half of the show's humor deliciously dark (and twisted!). The second half of the show however, wandered back into more conventional musical theater structure. There were several "emotional" family scenes meant to tug at your heart strings that played it pretty straight. Perhaps this was for the benefit of those who were thrown on edge at the first act?

The biggest laughs definitely came from Jackie Hoffman's Grandma. The reputation that preceded her is that she improvises many of her lines during the show. Her prolific jaw can drop as much as yours will at some of the gags coming out of her mouth.

A fantastic 'romantic' scene with Uncle Fester and the moon doesn't exactly move along the story, but the puppetry and effects created a very entertaining bit. Other hand propelled creatures proved to be good co-stars throughout the show. The ghostly ancestors chorus showcased some of the best Gothic and Steampunk costumes for the stylishly inclined.

Morticia looked elegantly dark in a skintight, "Cut to Venezuela" fishtail gown that would make most men pull their hair out. Gomez Addams' dapper suits complemented his flamboyant persona perfectly. The show's use of a yellow dress simultaneously outlined one character's angst, another character's shortcomings and was the subject of one of Morticia's best lines.

Whether you were a fan of the Barry Sonnenfeld movies
, old tv show
, or an admirer of the original Charles Addams cartoons
, the show paid tribute nicely to all three. This one is a must-see folks...Get your tickets soon!

Photos from Broadway.com

Macabre Fashion: Alexander McQueen's Final Show Fall 2010 RTW

In a gilded salon in Paris this week, Alexander McQueen's final collection was shown. 

The four-time winner of British Designer of the Year had started his career as a tailor’s apprentice on Savile Row, worked for Romeo Gigli in Milan, and was made the head of Givenchy in 1996. His own theatrical collections shocked and awed the glamour world with his dramatic runway shows over the years. He lost is mentor and creative muse Isabella Blow three years ago, and had lost his mother a week before his tragic suicide.
This collection was a beautiful and sad presentation of ornate looks that showed his genius.  Elaborate embroideries, brocades and draped satins had a Byzantine influence.  Eerie motifs of angels and skulls touched many guests, many of whom were in tears.
The simple statement from the show notes said it best, “Each piece is unique, as was he.”

Macabre Fashion: Ann Demeulemeester Fall 2010

Belgium produces so many things that I love...Waffles, chocolate and avant-garde fashion. Ann Demeulemeester's runway presentation in Paris was a showcase of dramatic suits and dresses. Collars curled or looked wind-blown. Coils of black whip-like ropes wrapped around the neck and body. Flamboyant feathers looked like they were stained with blood. Blood red leathers also popped the black upon black outfits. Diva? Dominatrix? Whatever works for you.

Wonder-ous Costumes in 3D - Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland

Opening today is Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. The dark prince of Hollywood unleashes another gorgeous film on the screen in eye-popping 3D. One of his most important partners in achieving his style is Colleen Atwood, costume designer extraordinaire. She is the talent behind the looks of Sweeney Todd, Sleepy Hollow, Batman Returns and many of my other favorite films . For Alice in Wonderland, she wanted to stay far away from the cliche "Alice-in-a-bag" costumes you see at Halloween (many based on Disney's original animated version). Instead, her team took inspiration from authentic illustrations by John Tenniel and Lewis Carroll from original 1865 editions of the books.

As reality wasn't a priority, Ms. Atwood designed Anne Hathaway's look as frothy, Victorian "Stepford Fairy Princess". For Helena Bonham Carter's red queen, the designer outfitted her in a stiff, exaggerated Elizabethan collar to create a frame for the oversized head. The actress then was fitted with a prosthetic forehead and a 3 lb heart-shaped wig.  Digital effects did the rest.

For Johnny Depp’s Mad Hatter, Colleen Atwood created his look as a blend of Edwardian hat maker (the ones who actually did go mad from mercury poisoning) and a watercolor illustration created by Depp and Burton himself.

Go see the movie, or check out many of Ms. Atwood’s costumes and sketches in person at the Tim Burton retrospective at the MOMA.

Gareth Pugh Fall 2010 - Techno Goth Fashion

If you are a regular reader, you must be used to my love for this bad boy designer. Dark, edgy, unapologetic. His recent collection had severe, sculpted cuts, part alien/part cyber armor. There were a few looks that had thin, dripping, web-like fringe. The male and female models were almost androgynous, with the slicked down hair and pale lips. The clothing was sexy and flattering...I couldn't wait to get to the soiree and wrap myself around them all!

Macabre Fashion: Emilio Pucci Fall 2010

I have a Pucci beach bag. I purchased it because it was in terry cloth and had a brightly cheerful, busy print.  It was exactly what I expected from Pucci, and I use it when I don't want to scare away the kiddies on the sand.  However, the Italian designer surprised me this week with their showing of very dark, dramatic looks.  The classic geometric wavy prints were reinterpreted in a tonal black rendition.  Fringe, fur, feathers and velvet took the place of the floating silks I had come expect.  Has this iconic design house joined and come to the dark side? You be the judge...

Vintage Book Handbags from Rebound Designs

Mixing literary with the fashionable may seem to be an odd couple. One does not often think Edgar Allen Poe and a Purse, or Jane Eyre and chic. Dorothy Parker was a woman of dark wit and quite a stylish sense of fashion. She never failed to match irony with sarcasm.
Caitlin Phillips of Rebound Designs has salvaged unloved vintage books of great prose and given them new life fashionable handbags. She takes the covers and bonds them with coordinating fabrics, beads and hardware to create brainy bijoux.
Are the words lost inside? No. She takes titillating passage and creates brooches as well.

Macabre Travel: Steampunk Clockwork Ball in North Carolina

Looking for a Steampunk party in North Carolina? Take yourself down to Chapel Hill for a night of dancing and music for "Pilots of Airships and their Crews, Mad Scientists, Explorers of the Unknown, Admirers of Verbosity, Respecters of the Strange, Those Lost in the Throes of Opium or Absinthe, Teetotalers, Scallywags, Ladies and Gentlemen, Dandies, Fops, and Urchins..."
The event is produced by the dandies of the Clockwork Cabaret and takes place March 6, 2010.

Doors at 8pm; Music begins at 9pm
Admission: 18+, 21+ to Drink; $5/$7
Appropriate Attire is Encouraged

MANSION 462
462 West Franklin Street
Chapel Hill, NC 27514

The Wolfman: Gothic Costume in Film

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If you saw my Anti-Valentine guide posts in the past few weeks, you might think that I am not a romantic. You are wrong, for I love a passionate dark romance. Unfortunately the feedback on this film was beastly. Was it the performances? The direction? It certainly was not for lack of style. The costumes by Milena Canonero (Marie Antoinette) were meticulous and set a deliciously dark tone to the Victorian setting.
Benicio Del Toro's flamboyant fur coat hints at his forward animal nature in a sea of conservative gentleman. Anthony Hopkins wears a patterned silk cravat and tie indicating a classic, sophisticated upbringing. However the soft, unstructured shoulders indicate a softer, perhaps tired soul. Emily Blunt's character, the fiancee of Lawrence Talbot (aka The Wolfan) wears formal, structured silhouettes. However the dark colors and curved lines frame her face and body for strong femininity.

Photos courtesy of Clothes on Film by Chris Laverty. A fantastic site about costume design in movies.

Rivithead - Affordable Punk/Goth Fashion for Boys & Girls

1Alas, one of the toughest things about being a fashionable Gothic Diva, is the toll it takes on your purse. The delicate details that make Gothic fashion so special is also what drives the prices up. Let's face it, a simple t-shirt does not take much effort to make, but laced up, tailored, sculpted corset seams and hardware CAN make everything expensive.

What a nice surprise to find an online boutique that sells intricately designed pieces that had nice fabrics, great style AND came into price points most people could afford? Rivithead's clothing, footwear and accessories for both women AND men ranged from extreme punk to Gothic-tinged styles you might be able to get away with at the office.

A few select finds:

Batwing Handbag for $21...Red Flame Boots for $55

Men's D-ring Imported Cotton Coat for $95, the Women's Attitude Punk Fitted Corset-styled jacket is only $40