#since seeing lempicka for the second time

[sassmill]

In Act 2 of Lempicka when Tamara and Rafaela enter Le Monocle for the first time they look around at all the women together and Rafaela says “a room full of nothing but US” and Tamara says “let’s never leave” and guys I just went to a lesbian bar for the first time (okay it’s actually a deli but they turn it into a lesbian bar at night) and GUYS? That is the safest I have ever felt out drinking and dancing and I felt so natural and I was surrounded by other queer women and that’s. That’s the first actual queer space I’ve been to in YEARS and especially post-pandemic. And I’m feeling such an overwhelming mix of emotions right now because I didn’t realize how isolated I felt from the queer community in my day to day life (ie not online). I just. God.

Dedicated queer spaces are so important. Lesbian bars are so important. This is the only one I’ve been to but I’m VERY aware that these days there are fewer and fewer of them but I just. I didn’t know how badly this kind of place and experience and connection to community was missing from my life until I suddenly had it tonight.

[broadwaydivastournament]

Broadway Divas Tournament: Round 1B

Bold and brassy beltress Beth Leavel (1955) burst onto the Broadway stage in 42nd Street in 1985, and has since been in eleven additional shows. She won a Tony in 2006 for her showstealing performance in The Drowsy Chaperone, and was subsequently nominated twice more. Other stage work includes The Prom (2018), Mamma Mia (2009), and Lempicka, slated to open this spring. She is a frequent solo cabaret artist, and regional actress.

Donna Murphy (1959) is a two-time Tony-winning legend of the Broadway stage, with five nominations in all, each for Best Leading Actress in a Musical. Her gripping performance as the chronically ill Fosca in Sondheim's Passion (1994) may have disgusted and disturbed audiences, but earned her immense critical acclaim. Two years later, she won her second Tony for The King and I (1996), and the year after that, earned a Daytime Emmy. She adopted a five-pound dog named Pippi Shortstocking Murphy-Elliott, and it's one of the cutest fucking things you'll ever see.

PROPAGANDA AND MEDIA UNDER CUT:

"With a voice like a foghorn to rival that of Ethel Merman, Beth Leavel is still as strong and brassy as ever. I've been to two of her cabarets, and have fallen a little in love each time. Many women (and men) have done "Before the Parade Passes By," but her version is my personal favorite."

"Beth Leavel Propaganda: Her Closing Night "The Lady's Improving" Just listen to "It's Not About Me" Bandstand: Everything Happens "As We Stumble Along" - Submitted by @puppywritesthings

"She's Donna Fucking Murphy. A certified Sondheim Lady in Red DIVA who Sondheim himself considered one of his greatest interpreters. I cannot stress enough how much I desire this woman carnally. She has spent decades of her life shamelessly dedicated to the no-bra/stiff-nipple combo, and I am appreciating it respectfully. Also, this woman is a Grade A Flirt who knows exactly what she's doing. I am in love, and have been for decades of my life. I saw 150 shows in 2023 and Donna Murphy in Dear World was at the top of the damn list. Beth Leavel, I love you, but I need Donna Murphy to sweep her section of this tournament, because if she doesn't, I will riot. "

[popblank]

More random details from the final Broadway performance of Lempicka:

As I walked in line past the metal detectors at the theater entrance, composer Matt Gould was standing on the other side of the barrier, apparently waiting for someone. The people in front of me also recognized him and stopped for a few seconds to talk to him (from the body language it seemed like they paid him a compliment and he accepted it gracefully).

The merchandise had sold out the day before, but there were stacks of printed “Tamara de Lempicka” signature cards placed at the merchandise stands for people to take.

Prior to the show starting, there was a standing ovation as the creative team entered the theater and took their seats.

From my seat, there were standing ovations during the show for:

Eden Espinosa’s entrance (between the intro and “Unseen”)

Amber Iman’s entrance (prior to “Don’t Bet Your Heart”)

After “Don’t Bet Your Heart”

After “I Will Paint Her”

Sort of after “Woman Is,” but since the lights go up and it was intermission, it didn’t last long

After “Women”

After “Just This Way”

After “In the Blasted California Sun”

Even though ensemble member Nicholas Ward wasn’t in the show that day, I’m pretty sure I saw him come down the aisle and take a seat a few songs into Act I. It’s good that he was still able to be there.

The performance of “Paris” during the last show was especially funny. After the first madeleine Eden Espinosa accidentally spit out a crumb, which made the audience giggle. Thus primed for silliness, the audience laughed again when she turned back to her still life and had to swat at a fly that very obviously had designs on the madeleines. She continued with the “two madeleines” section but broke in the middle of licking the powdered sugar, which made the audience laugh, which made her laugh, etc. etc. There is some audio floating around where you can hear her kind of shakily wheeze out half a line there. In any case she got through the scene and called for Kizette, and now the audience was a bit amped up and gave Zoe Glick enthusiastic, prolonged entrance applause, which then made her giggle while trying to hold her goofy apple-pose which made EE grin (still with her mouthful of madeleine), to which the audience was like “wooooo!” and kept the applause going. After this the scene transitions over to the Baron and Baroness’s first appearance, which was also greeted with a lot of applause. So on the heels of all that the audience was very receptive to Beth Leavel’s ad-lib (“as I was saying…”), and it was a lot of fun to see and be a part of.

When Tamara and Rafaela finally have a chance to talk to each other by the bar at the Dead Rat, Suzy gives them some privacy and heads over to sit and/or flirt with the piano player (aka Charity Wicks, the show’s musical director & conductor). There is a sensitive piano line of two or three notes that is played a few times as Tamara's conversation with Rafaela gets more personal (it sounds very similar to the opening of “I Will Paint Her”) and in the final show it looked like it was actually Natalie Joy Johnson playing it.

During “Women,” after the Duchess de la Salle says, “I could use something for my entryway,” everyone looked at Suzy, Suzy looked at the audience knowingly, and the audience cracked up before she made the joke.

At the end of “Women” I think Rafaela and Tamara normally stand in the recessed semicircular seating area and briefly kiss each other. But since the applause kept going, well, so did they.

When Baroness left the stage after “Just This Way,” Beth Leavel looked very emotional and instead of just touching the Baron she stopped to give him a full arms-around-the-neck hug.

During “In the Blasted California Sun” Eden looked as if she were going to burst into tears through the entire song; the sense of sadness and loss was unusually palpable. (Which is one reason why “PUT THE PHONE DOWN” was so jarring.)

When the cast members circled by Tamara in the finale, it looked as if EE tried to give each of them a personal acknowledgement.

A photo during Raja Feather Kelly's speech:

Stuff I brought home:

(I purchased the pin before the Saturday matinee. By that evening everything was sold out.)

One last pic of the marquee later that evening:

[gabrielazemiite-blog]

Art Deco and Organic Design

Art Deco

Art Deco was a modern design style during the twentieth century that came to worldwide prominence in the inter-war years. (Art Deco 1910-1939, C. Benton, T. Benton and G. Wood, 2003. Page 13). The Art Deco style impacted almost all forms of visual arts, including fine art, film, interior design and architecture. The Art Deco movement was globally dominant until the start of the Second World War - which called for functional architecture and resulted in the fall of the Art Deco era. Tamara de Lempicka was one of the most influential artists for the Art Deco movement. She painted portraits of many prominent figures, drawing inspiration from the popular painting movements at the time, like cubism. (Widewalls, Dačic, 2015.)

History.

We are familiar with  style Art Deco since 1920's, to be more specific, it marked a defining  moment in its evolution in  Paris Exhibition in 1925.  Lets not forget that The 1920's were an age of dramatic social and political change. For the first time,more people lived in cities than on farms. People from  coast to coast bought the same goods thanks to nationwide advertising and the spread of chain stores. These events helpt this style to spread all over western Europe and US. The intention of Art Deco was to create a sleek and anti traditional elegance that symbolise wealth and sophistication. However after Jazz was born and the Chrysler building was built  human civilisation entered it's darkest, bloodiest chapter 1930's. 1930's most people know as the time when US was in “The Great Depression” but it was also a time of a great architect Frank Lloyd Wright  who made popular Organic Design that ensures harmony between manmade and nature, the main inspiration to this style is nature.

Comparison                                                                                                                  Art Deco and Organic Design are two different design eras which have very contrasting purposes. Art Deco was intended for decorative aims it had a modern concept and characterized glamour and luxury whilst also highlighting the growth of technology within its designs. Art Deco used bright, bold, block colors and incorporated geometric and angular shapes; as well incorporating stylized imagery and using simplistic, streamlined form, however this movement of design died out in the 1940s. On the other hand whilst Organic Design did collapse in 1945 due to natural material shortage after WW2, it became apparent again in the 1960s and is still relevant today. Organic Design has a sustainable and ecological purpose; the design takes inspiration from nature and works with naturally occurring structures, using natural materials and seeing form and function as one. It opposes from Art Deco by using smooth and flowing forms and the main purpose resonates with being sustainable whilst Art Deco was solely meant for an aesthetic purpose.The question remains how did organic design outlive the famous renowned Art Deco movement, after it inspired so many iconic structures like the Chrysler building (designed by architect William Van Alen). However as timeless as this building is we should remember that the Art Deco movement was in fact a reaction to the historical, political and socioeconomic circumstances of the time, for example, the end of World War One, increase in industry and a newfound faith in social progress. This strong association of the Art Deco art movement with this period of time may play a key role in the explanation of its demise. Being recognisable as part of an era in history may make this movement less adaptable than say something like organic design and therefore more short lived. Architect Eugene Tsui believes society is returning to nature and voluntary simplicity with the personal search for meaning and fulfilment. There is a need to infuse our institutions with environmental sensitivity and switch styled confirming for something coherent organic and durable. The broad term of organic design allows for much wider and subjective interpretation in comparison to art deco and artists will driver be able to draw upon natural form for inspiration as it evolves and grows throughout history, allowing organic design to be more flexible and adaptable throughout time. 

[amiebaldwin-blog]

AD3023 Art Deco and Organic Design

Art Deco and Organic Design

Art Deco

Art Deco was a modern design style during the twentieth century that came to worldwide prominence in the inter-war years. (Art Deco 1910-1939, C. Benton, T. Benton and G. Wood, 2003. Page 13). The Art Deco style impacted almost all forms of visual arts, including fine art, film, interior design and architecture. The Art Deco movement was globally dominant until the start of the Second World War - which called for functional architecture and resulted in the fall of the Art Deco era. Tamara de Lempicka was one of the most influential artists for the Art Deco movement. She painted portraits of many prominent figures, drawing inspiration from the popular painting movements at the time, like cubism. (Widewalls, Dačic, 2015.)

History

We are familiar with  style Art Deco since 1920's, to be more specific, it marked a defining  moment in its evolution in  Paris Exhibition in 1925.  Lets not forget that The 1920's were an age of dramatic social and political change. For the first time,more people lived in cities than on farms. People from  coast to coast bought the same goods thanks to nationwide advertising and the spread of chain stores. These events helpt this style to spread all over western Europe and US. The intention of Art Deco was to create a sleek and anti traditional elegance that symbolise wealth and sophistication. However after Jazz was born and the Chrysler building was built  human civilisation entered it's darkest, bloodiest chapter 1930's. 1930's most people know as the time when US was in “The Great Depression” but it was also a time of a great architect Frank Lloyd Wright  who made popular Organic Design that ensures harmony between manmade and nature, the main inspiration to this style is nature.

Comparison                                                                                                           

Art Deco and Organic Design are two different design eras which have very contrasting purposes. Art Deco was intended for decorative aims it had a modern concept and characterized glamour and luxury whilst also highlighting the growth of technology within its designs. Art Deco used bright, bold, block colors and incorporated geometric and angular shapes; as well incorporating stylized imagery and using simplistic, streamlined form, however this movement of design died out in the 1940s. On the other hand whilst Organic Design did collapse in 1945 due to natural material shortage after WW2, it became apparent again in the 1960s and is still relevant today. Organic Design has a sustainable and ecological purpose; the design takes inspiration from nature and works with naturally occurring structures, using natural materials and seeing form and function as one. It opposes from Art Deco by using smooth and flowing forms and the main purpose resonates with being sustainable whilst Art Deco was solely meant for an aesthetic purpose.

Why did organic design outlive Art Deco?

The question remains how did organic design outlive the famous Art Deco movement, after it inspired so many iconic structures like the Chrysler building (designed by architect William Van Alen). However as timeless as this building is we should remember that the Art Deco movement was in fact a reaction to the historical, political and socioeconomic circumstances of the time for example the end of World War One, increase in industry and a newfound faith in social progress. This strong association of the Art Deco art movement with this period of time may play a key role in the explanation of its demise. Being recognisable as part of an era in history may make this movement less adaptable than say something like organic design and therefore more short lived.

Architect Eugene Tsui believes society is returning to nature and voluntary simplicity with the personal search for meaning and fulfilment. There is a need to infuse our institutions with environmental sensitivity and switch styled confirming for something coherent organic and durable. The broad term of organic design allows for much wider and subjective interpretation in comparison to art deco and artists will driver be able to draw upon natural form for inspiration as it evolves and grows throughout history, allowing organic design to be more flexible and adaptable throughout time.

[periwinkles-shop]

December Warm Winter Wishes Christmas Tree T-Shirt

Wanna hear a December Warm Winter Wishes Christmas Tree T-Shirt funny story I made a 140 order on children’s place yesterday for 12 items and used four place cash coupons so I only paid 80 for my entire order great right I was charged the money came out of my bank account only to get an email 20 minutes later saying that my order was cancelled I called today they could not give me a reason as to why it was cancelled and to wait 48 hours to see why she also told me that the money was never charged only placed on a hold my bank account shows otherwise and she told me to wait until the 21st to see if the money gets refunded and then hung up this is the second time now that I have not received items that I paid for with them online the first time I spent over 160 with them no coupons used and no one could tell me where my package was they eventually refunded me the money after 10 phone calls because I opened a paypal dispute I figured it was a one time thing guess not. Eminem augmented app augmented reality experiences launching at coachella ar experiences for all summer dates bonus at home lenses shady sr eminemaugmented. Show naeem khan aw15 lead james boehmer for nars cosmetics look naeem is celebrating his 10th anniversary this season he wanted the makeup to be dark sensual and incredibly glamorous I thought about the artwork of tamara de lempicka the women depicted in her paintings still seem so modern and I borrowed colors from her signature palette the eye is architectural yet soft a smoky eye without any hard edges or strong definition and without mascara or brows the lip is a deep matte chocolate red that is classic naeem skin is glossed and shiny on the cheekbones to add dimension without color or depth

Source: December Warm Winter Wishes Christmas Tree T-Shirt

December Warm Winter Wishes Christmas Tree T-Shirt, Hoodie, Sweater, Longsleeve T-Shirt For Men and Women

December Warm Winter Wishes Christmas Tree T-Shirt

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I am a December Warm Winter Wishes Christmas Tree T-Shirt customer at victoria’s secret since years I used to buy in store and placed a few orders online shipped to an us address I never had any problems with it I got all freebies or rewards with my orders and in store purchases qualifying the amount to spent I did the same 2 weeks ago I placed 2 orders both qualifying for the actual 20 giftcard with a purchase of 40 one order was 75 the other 150 so both of them matched the asked purchase from 40 and more to qualify both orders came without the giftcard what never happened before I called customer service for the one parcel they double checked and confirmed I qualified for the giftcard and they kindly sent it to me to my email account the second order came the next day nov 11 again no giftcard called customer service again again double checking and confirmation about qualifying again it should be sent to my email within 48h but I didn’t receive the email with the 20 giftcard for this order yet so I called customer service again today today I got told I didn’t qualify for the giftcard because I am not a us resident and don’t have an us bank account and I wouldn’t qualify for any reward even I would live in the us and the shipping address was inside the us fyi i’m a frequent us traveller going for and back and just spent 3 month over there coming back by end of the year the amount of my purchases at victoria’s secret online or instore just for 2018 was more than 700 yet furthermore I got told I shouldn’t have received any giftcard all the years and month before because I paid with a non us visa card or bank account and probably not in store too does my money stink is it less worth than others’ wherever I went inside a store and the items I would like to purchase aren’t in stock the associates tell me I can place an online order and have it sent to my actual residence hotel apartment or house and I will get the giftcard and qualifying freebies for what reason does a purchase not qualify just because of the bank’s nationality aslong it is purchased inside the us I paid the same amount as everyone else did I had an inside us shipping to my nc adress I am about to spend the giftcard reward when back in december and have it shipped to my us address again like I always did I never had those problems before and I was always satisfied with my purchases but this is weird and makes me upset. Repost cleowade as I prayforlasvegas I pray for us all find each other out there let’s help each other through these times it is always okay to ask for support one way to do so below you can text hello to 741 741 if you feel you need a little help and would like to talk to a counselor it’s free and confidential text I love you. Released as a single from human touch in 1992 the ex u s roll of the dice single features the live version of leap of faith heard in the music video as well as a rare studio track 30 days out these tracks now make their digital debuts on a special ep See Other related products: December Warm Winter Wishes Christmas Tree T-Shirt

[parsleysoda1984]

💗 for Orwhistle and 💝 for Eswell!!

💝: Who spends more time(possibly overthinking) what presents to get the other?

[@countolafnph The Orwhistle one is here, but I FINALLY managed to get two spare seconds to finish the Eswell half of this! ]

If you have ever returned to an old hobby – swimming, perhaps, orhosting masquerade balls, or hiding inside musical instruments in order to gainentrance into the green rooms of certain opera houses – then you have probably heardthe phrase “like riding a bicycle.” As I am sure you are aware, propellingone’s body through water requires very few of the same skills as propelling atwo-wheeled vehicle down a busy road. Furthermore, a pair of tight-fitting shortsrarely constitutes appropriate attire for overseeing an evening of formal butanonymous entertainment, and it is generally inadvisable to pump one’s legs upand down while concealed beneath the lid of a grand piano, particularly if oneis not alone. In fact, very few experiences can accurately be compared toriding a bicycle, which is why this particular phrase has come to refer morebroadly to any skill that, once acquired, is never forgotten.

Georgina Orwell had never owned a bicycle. Dangling from thegrappling hook she had secured to the maintenance hatch in the glass dome highabove, it occurred to her that it had been years – decades, even – since thelast time she had found herself in this position, but as she shinnied down thelast few feet of rope, she smirked to herself.

Just like riding abike.

Pain pulsed through her wrists and twinged down into herfingers. That hadn’t been a problem twentyyears ago. Then again, she thoughtruefully, prowling down the wide and silent corridor, things change. Allegiances. Intentions. The base of her left thumbbegan to throb. Joints. Twenty yearsago, she might have broken into the Municipal Museum of Modern Art to decode asecret message in a still life, or to attend a cramped clandestine rendezvousinside an unusually large sculpture.

Tonight, she was picking up a present.

Georgina’s eyes slid from painting to painting. Sharp lines,vivid colors, dramatic angles – anyone of the works on display would look at home at 667 Dark Avenue for as longas Art Deco was in. Rounding thecorner into the hall dedicated to temporary exhibitions, however, she foundherself face to face with the only one that stood a chance of remaining inEsmé’s collection once it was out.

LA BELLE RAFAËLA,read the placard beside it. T. DeLempicka. Oil on canvas. 1927. Georgina smiled, remembering.

So you like modernart, she had commented sometime during the soup course on their firstevening together.

I’m a collector,Esmé had replied, as though that amounted to the same thing. Tamara De Lempicka, at the moment. All mylife I’ve simply adored her work,and I have it on good authority that it’s going to be in soon, so I’m planning to make a few new acquisitions.

Any favorites? Itshould have been mildly stimulating small talk, but stimulating turned out to have been an understatement. By the timeEsmé finished rhapsodizing about the glow of naked skin and the visual stylizationof sensual pleasure, they had been midway through the rack of lamb, and therehad been nothing mild about the tingling ache between Georgina’s thighs.   

She stood back to examine the painting. The lighting struckher as Dutch, or possibly renaissance Italian, but the model’s blunt black bobmarked her as modern. Lush but stark, intimate but detached, and unequivocally,unapologetically carnal – even if she hadn’t heard it described down to thevery finest detail, Georgina might have guessed that the piece in front of herwould be Esmé’s favorite.

It was also the most inconveniently displayed. Lit fromabove by a pair of spotlights, it hung alone on the far wall across from theentryway, in full view of any passing security guard.

Better get going, then.Stepping forward, she flicked open her switchblade. Standing in a pool of lightwith her back to the door, she felt almost unbearably exposed, but she didn’tdare rush this, didn’t dare risk ruining it with a shaky hand or a sloppy cut. Medical school all over again, shethought wryly. ‘We’ll start the incision inthe upper left…’

The steel was sharp, lethally so, slicing through the canvaswith a sound like a whisper. One slow, smooth movement separated the top of thepainting from its gilt frame. With a twist of her wrist, she sliced down theright-hand side. Another twist. The knife had just finished its painstakingjourney along the bottom edge when a sudden telltale chill prickled up her neck.

How appropriate.The heat of the spotlight beams beat down on the back of her head. An audience.

At least the guards weren’t armed, she reminded herself. That gaveher the advantage. Keeping her back turned, she forced herself to continuecutting. Best to keep the element of surprise. Best to let them come closer,lure them within range of her knife. Footsteps closed in behind her, her griptightened, she whirled around, and –

“I’d really rather you didn’t, darling,” commented Esmé, glancingdown at the spot on her chest where the tip of the switchblade dimpled her dress.

“Christ.” Georginalowered the knife. “I thought you were a guard.”

“Well, as positively fetchingas I’m sure I’d look in the uniform, I’m afraid there aren’t any guards in thismuseum tonight, at least not anymore. So go on, which piece struck your fancy?”The canvas had begun to furl around itself, obscuring the image, but when shecaught sight of the placard, her face turned stormy. “La Belle Rafaëla? But that’s the one I – ”

Wordlessly, the optometrist raised an eyebrow.

A long moment passed and the storm clouds lifted, but beforeshe could identify the expression that took their place, Esmé was kissing her. “Youremembered?” she asked, pulling back wide-eyed.

As if I could forget,Georgina wanted to say, but she nodded instead. “You’ll want to save a littleof that shock for later, now that you’ve spoiled the surprise.”

“I’ve hardly spoiled it,darling.” Esmé bent to pick up the switchblade, which had clattered to themarble floor somewhere around the time Georgina’s fingers had sunk into herhair. “And anyway,” she added, handing it over handle-first, “we both you you’remore than capable of finding someother way to surprise me.”

Let’s see. Alone in anunguarded art museum for another – her watch confirmed it – four hours. Georgina accepted the knifewith a sly smile. “Oh,” she replied, “I’m sure I will.”

[art-deco-organic-design]

Art Deco and Organic Design

Art Deco was a modern design style during the twentieth century that came to worldwide prominence in the inter-war years. (Art Deco 1910-1939, C. Benton, T. Benton and G. Wood, 2003. Page 13). The Art Deco style impacted almost all forms of visual arts, including fine art, film, interior design and architecture. The Art Deco movement was globally dominant until the start of the Second World War - which called for functional architecture and resulted in the fall of the Art Deco era. Tamara de Lempicka was one of the most influential artists for the Art Deco movement. She painted portraits of many prominent figures, drawing inspiration from the popular painting movements at the time, like cubism. (Widewalls, Dačic, 2015.)

We are familiar with style Art Deco since 1920's, to be more specific, it marked a defining moment in its evolution in Paris Exhibition in 1925. Lets not forget that The 1920's were an age of dramatic social and political change. For the first time,more people lived in cities than on farms. People from coast to coast bought the same goods thanks to nationwide advertising and the spread of chain stores. These events helpt this style to spread all over western Europe and US. The intention of Art Deco was to create a sleek and anti traditional elegance that symbolise wealth and sophistication. However after Jazz was born and the Chrysler building was built human civilisation entered it's darkest, bloodiest chapter 1930's. 1930's most people know as the time when US was in “The Great Depression” but it was also a time of a great architect Frank Lloyd Wright who made popular Organic Design that ensures harmony between manmade and nature, the main inspiration to this style is nature.

Art Deco and Organic Design are two different design eras which have very contrasting purposes. Art Deco was intended for decorative aims it had a modern concept and characterized glamour and luxury whilst also highlighting the growth of technology within its designs. Art Deco used bright, bold, block colors and incorporated geometric and angular shapes; as well incorporating stylized imagery and using simplistic, streamlined form, however this movement of design died out in the 1940s. On the other hand whilst Organic Design did collapse in 1945 due to natural material shortage after WW2, it became apparent again in the 1960s and is still relevant today. Organic Design has a sustainable and ecological purpose; the design takes inspiration from nature and works with naturally occurring structures, using natural materials and seeing form and function as one. It opposes from Art Deco by using smooth and flowing forms and the main purpose resonates with being sustainable whilst Art Deco was solely meant for an aesthetic purpose.

The question remains how did organic design outlive the famous renowned Art Deco movement, after it inspired so many iconic structures like the Chrysler building (designed by architect William Van Alen). However as timeless as this building is we should remember that the Art Deco movement was in fact a reaction to the historical, political and socioeconomic circumstances of the time, for example, the end of World War One, increase in industry and a newfound faith in social progress. This strong association of the Art Deco art movement with this period of time may play a key role in the explanation of its demise. Being recognisable as part of an era in history may make this movement less adaptable than say something like organic design and therefore more short lived.

Architect Eugene Tsui believes society is returning to nature and voluntary simplicity with the personal search for meaning and fulfilment. There is a need to infuse our institutions with environmental sensitivity and switch styled confirming for something coherent organic and durable. The broad term of organic design allows for much wider and subjective interpretation in comparison to art deco and artists will driver be able to draw upon natural form for inspiration as it evolves and grows throughout history, allowing organic design to be more flexible and adaptable throughout time.

[popblank]

Lempicka at the Longacre Theatre, Part 1:

This is a longwinded recap of my experience seeing the show and what I remember from it, with commentary (only a first part for now covering Act 1, because this post was getting way too long):

The original plan for my trip was to see The Who’s Tommy on Friday, Lempicka on Saturday (tickets pre-purchased), and then had a time slot open on Sunday where I was thinking about seeing another. But after the show I went back to my hotel room, stewed a bit, and ended up buying another ticket for the next day. Then on the way home I plotted how soon I could come back again, knowing the production wasn’t doing well in grosses and closing could be imminent. And then a few weeks later I took a red-eye across the country for the second time in a month to see the last three performances.  So it is fair to say I am Very Not Normal about this show and the post below reflects that.

It turned out that I first saw the Broadway production the weekend that Eden Espinosa was out sick, so at both of the initial shows I attended, Mariand Torres played Tamara. There were probably some fans who were disappointed that EE was out, but MT was very good in the role (especially vocally) and afterward I thought her take on Tamara was an interesting contrast to EE’s. In the Sunday 4/21 show, Ximone Rose played Rafaela, and I was also interested to see her version of Rafaela since she had played the role for the last two weeks in La Jolla but I had not seen her there. On that Sunday, at 1:30 the line to get into the theater for the 2 pm show had already turned the corner at Broadway, with no forward movement at all. Maybe 15 or 20 minutes later, I overheard someone who had walked from the direction of the box office saying that the two leads were out, which I assumed could only mean Eden Espinosa and Amber Iman. (It says something about the lopsidedness of the love triangle that this was the most reasonable assumption.)

Spoilers everywhere below the cut:

Walking in, the first thing the audience sees is an enormous backdrop of Autoportrait: Tamara in a Green Bugatti:

There is a bench and an easel on the stage, and to the right, a white arcing structure that was also present in La Jolla. Some of the musicians, including the conductor, were set up in the box seats on either side of the audience:

The overture starts with a nervous ticking beat that bursts into a propulsive electronic theme; the cast is revealed behind a transparent scrim, standing on the multilevel set and gazing steadily forward. This was one of my favorite moments in the show. It is not an overture that leisurely carries you through all of the themes and motifs, it’s just – here are the characters – here is the scenery – let’s GO. And then it’s only Tamara, sitting on the bench.

The show uses elderly Tamara de Lempicka reflecting on her life as the framing device (“Unseen”), though aside from the framing device the story is a mostly linear timeline.

From there, the story got off to a strange start for me. On the first viewing, it was very difficult to stop comparing and contrasting what I was seeing to what I remembered from the La Jolla production, and some of the material did not seem to pull me in as well as it had before, or just felt awkward. However, once Act 2 started that feeling pretty much disappeared, and on the second viewing I barely noticed. I wonder if something like this was what many of the critics experienced as well, except that they presumably only had time to see it once (as most of the audience would as well). So I think I understand some of the reviews, even if I disagree with them overall.

“Our Time” starts with a young Tamara and Tadeusz in St. Petersburg talking about their upcoming wedding. This song felt very, very expository, but it does a lot of work – it has to establish their personalities, situation, and relationship and then tears that world apart (or at least puts some serious cracks in it) by the end of the song. We see that Tamara is already so obsessed with painting that she is doing so on her wedding day, in her wedding dress (maybe a hint that she is comfortable with risk); we see that Tadeusz is very attached to his aristocratic inheritance and what he feels belongs to him (“this land, my family’s for centuries”) so that his support of the Tsar and later foray into Polish nationalism makes more sense. Another thing this song did reasonably effectively was to tell a story of Tamara and Tadeusz together as an actual couple who actually like each other, so that when Rafaela shows up later the first leg of the triangle has a little more solidity to it. Beth Leavel made her first appearance in this scene as Tamara’s mother and got entrance applause when she stepped in. When the song continues from the point of view of the Russian revolutionaries, the tone is much angrier and aggressively triumphant. After Tadeusz is hauled off to jail, Tamara bribes, cajoles, and finally offers her body to the revolutionary guards in order to free him. The last guard is played by George Abud, who will appear later as Marinetti.

Beth Leavel and George Abud both made brief appearances as seemingly minor characters from Tamara’s early life here, which I assume is intended to draw parallels to the roles their primary characters later play in Tamara’s life. Her mother (like the Baroness later) is the person who steadies her and keeps her moving forward on her path; the third guard is the person whose situational power pushes her into a terrible bargain and takes away her control. Marinetti ends up being her teacher and offers her a space she can control in terms of art, but also represents an artistic and ideological position that she is in an ongoing push-pull with throughout her life.

In some ways I preferred the La Jolla version of “Our Time” where the revolutionaries started out straightforwardly hopeful and over the course of the song moved to vengeful and threatening even as the language of the revolution remained the same. It reminded me of “At the End of the Day” from Les Misérables (incidentally, another show I can’t evaluate with objectivity) in depicting the setting and society, while the Broadway version was more narrative-driven and more focused on Tamara and Tadeusz, and the revolutionaries seemed more one-note and cartoonish. With the Broadway version I felt like I got a clearer and more concise understanding of the story at the expense of an interesting idea and a stronger emotional reaction to the song. Having this as the first plot-driving song also set a tone that didn’t quite work for me.

We follow the Lempickis on the night train to Paris surrounded by other refugees as they sing of “Starting Over” after their world has been upended – and only at the end do we get a little note of personal discord as Tadeusz wonders, “what did you do to get me out?” I really liked that bit – it is obvious foreshadowing (and continues in “Paris”) but is not signposted with neon lights, which is sometimes how “Our Time” felt.  I liked this song much better than the La Jolla version, where Tadeusz started in on the repeated questioning during the train ride and ended up seeming like an annoyance. Here he’s going on about some of his anger and resentment at his situation, but he and Tamara also have some moments of togetherness that made them seem like a couple who are very much in it together. There is the specific moment I mentioned in an earlier post, where they desperately cling to each other as they sing, “oh, and we’re free, a long dark night with you by my side”; hearing it in the theater, it was a brief & perfect expression of harmony while they are otherwise struggling with anxiety, fear, and uncertainty.

In “Paris” (“the ugliest beautiful city I’ve ever seen,” observes Tamara), once again a lot of things happen. In short, Tamara encounters Paris and sings about three things: work, women, and pastries, in that order. (In a way this could be an “I Want” song.) The work: the Lempickis manage to find an apartment but need to pay for rent, food, etc. Tadeusz is not particularly receptive to the idea of getting a job and his rumination takes a dark turn as he considers how Tamara could have gotten him out of prison when his influential father couldn’t; she deflects the question and in an ensuing argument he raises a hand to strike her but stops himself just short. Tamara goes out to look for work but her aristocratic life has not exactly given her marketable skills: “I’m… a very charming hostess!” Response: “We need cleaners, overnight shift.” Someone hands her a bucket. Bucket in hand, she sings about all of the women on the street showing their skin, which she rationalizes as being normal in a warmer climate (sure, Tamara). Though more seriously, she is seeing in them a freedom that she herself doesn’t have yet, so maybe that makes this more of an “I Need” song. On that note, she also sings about pastries, because she is surrounded by bakeries in Paris and has never been so hungry. Here I believe is where she sees a street artist painting at his easel. In a couple of the shows Eden Espinosa pulled a very funny “yikes” face before walking up to him and unthinkingly insulting his painting. So she decides to take up painting again after seeing that there is demand for it (even for an artist whose use of perspective is all wrong – I mean if that dude can sell a painting, why shouldn’t she?).

Then we get a funny little mid-song interlude with the madeleines. Tamara takes three madeleines out of a bakery box and arranges them on a plate in order to paint a still life. “Three madeleines,” she sings, then goes on and on about their lovely buttery goodness, leans in slowly to take a long, deep whiff of said buttery goodness – then abruptly crams one into her mouth with Cookie Monster levels of om nom nom. It is evidently very satisfying. Suddenly she looks at her now-disturbed still life, shrugs, and carefully rearranges the two remaining madeleines. “Two madeleines,” she sings, describing the elegant dusting of powdered sugar… then pauses to take a slow, deliberate lick of said sugar – then stuffs another one in her mouth. Next: “One madeleine –“ GULP and we are left with one very happy Tamara kicking her feet on the couch in delight, and an empty plate. But still needing something to paint, with a mouthful of madeleine she calls for Kizette (now a little more grown up) to pose for her. Part of the fun was that Eden Espinosa was clearly not actually eating all of the madeleines, though I don’t know if that was for performance reasons or for comic effect or both.

While showing her work on the street she meets the warmly supportive Baron and the skeptical Baroness, and he gives her a recommendation for Marinetti’s class at the Académie des Beaux-Arts. Later as she paints in the apartment, Tadeusz complains of the smell but Tamara dismisses it, saying they can’t afford a studio for her to paint in. Kizette agrees with her mother that oil paints smell good and Tamara seems pleased to have Kizette take her side, though when Kizette ropes her father into an impromptu dance Tamara looks on somewhat wistfully at his easy relationship with Kizette. When she finally sells a couple of her paintings (to the Baron), she starts to see a path and a future in this city where she now feels she belongs.

At this point there has been a whirlwind of setup so it is nice to settle down a bit for a late night at the art school. Marinetti drops in on Tamara and she gets a lesson on what a painting is (canvas, pigment, “Plan and Design,” among other things) and what it is not. The audience gets a glimpse at Tamara’s need for control. I really liked this scene a lot as a teaching scene, and as an introduction to both the artistic and musical themes that will get repeated later in the show. The way Tamara sings “…or a glittering sky…” as the music shifts from isolated notes punctuating Marinetti’s statements to flowing chords and strings, you really hear and feel that this new, big idea has finally clicked in her mind and she is opened up to a new way of thinking and a whole new reason to make art other than survival.

Rafaela makes her first appearance performing on the street (as indicated by a projected caption and a car prop) in “Don’t Bet Your Heart.” I didn’t care for the car; it’s a fitting symbol of the fast pace of technological progress and industry, but every car I’ve seen physically represented on a stage looks really static. I liked the song though – both Amber Iman and Ximone Rose did a great job, and of course Natalie Joy Johnson as Suzy Solidor is chaotic fun as she attempts to collect money from the audience in her uh, conquistador helmet (?). Here though was another example of neon-signposting: when Tamara shows up in the middle of the song, she runs in squarely in the center of the stage on the middle platform just behind the action, her jaw drops and suddenly everything is in slow motion for just a moment when she catches her first glimpse of Rafaela and asks, “Who - is - she?” It draws attention to an important point that the audience might have missed otherwise (because everyone is looking at Rafaela), but it still felt a little jarring that Tamara appears and takes so much focus, even if she quickly fades into the background again as she stares at Rafaela and gets jostled by the raucous crowd.

Everyone runs off at the sound of a police siren, but Tamara’s mind has been blown and she vows to herself “I Will Paint Her.” Mariand Torres killed on this song both nights, and on the second night her singing in the final lines gave me chills up and down my spine. Then in a later show I saw Eden Espinosa perform it and acted it with such depth of feeling that I thought, “wait… is this my favorite song in the show now?” even without the sheer vocal fireworks. (I feel extremely lucky to have been able to see both of them play Tamara.) In both cases it felt like there was a bit more emphasis on the whole “Tamara has totally fallen for Rafaela but doesn’t realize that’s what has happened” premise of the song, and the Broadway audience definitely got the humor where the La Jolla audience didn’t seem to; perhaps it was played straighter there, so to speak. There was a huge audience response to this song.

So now it is time for the first group art show that Tamara is a part of, and the verbal descriptions of her paintings are pretty funny, especially the one of Kizette (Tadeusz: “a demon child”; Marinetti: “strange little girl”; Suzy: “that little girl is PISSED!”). We get our first direct introduction to Suzy while she serves drinks to the art show guests and makes very, very broad double entendres. (If the Monocle show I briefly dropped in on at The Friki Tiki is an accurate indication, NJJ is playing a not-very-exaggerated version of herself.) Marinetti shows up and is his usual abrasive and cynical self, and when the Baroness questions him about the role of art in shaping society (for the worse) it starts a bit of an argument which is the lead-in to “Perfection.” Tadeusz wants to leave but when Marinetti says, “Beauty is an engine – beauty is power” you can see Tamara’s antennae going up and she waves Tadeusz off, saying she’ll be home soon.

Halfway through the song, Rafaela shows up and Tamara leaps to ask her to model, offering her a chance at immortality such that people in the future will ask,”Who - is - she?”

George Abud is such a fun presence in the show and “Perfection” is still (maybe?) my favorite song; it was as entertaining and alarming in person as it had been listening to the 2022 track on repeat for the past two years. However it was also here where the costumes and choreography were particularly confusing. Dance is not really my thing so there is probably a vocabulary of movement that I am not getting, but there were several dance moves that to me looked like weakly punching the air and making airplane arms while stepping to the beat, and I thought, “wait are they trying to represent machines? Like pistons and engines and actual airplanes?” I honestly do not understand what the intended effect was; I was not getting a story of speed or power or a glorious technological future from it but I am curious how others saw this. Costumes were a little distracting but I can talk myself into thinking that this is a world where the avant-garde is made visible and present everywhere and people just put on their costumes of daily life over it. (Though I do think it would have been easier to process the show overall if the ensemble costumes were a bit more period-representative.)

After all that, “Wake Up” sung by Tadeusz is a big contrast. Marinetti is at a point where he wants to wrest control of the future and turn it toward his purposes with an army of sleek backing dancers in corsets and leather bustiers, meanwhile Tadeusz is only just now dragging himself out of passivity and possibly depression to put on a very traditional three-piece suit and go apply for a job at a bank. I suppose one can’t expect that everyone’s going to be like Tamara, belting through adversity and charging forward on a path of artistic and emotional discovery. I do actually like this song because it tells me more about Tadeusz than I knew before and provides some character growth; the song helps give him an arc in the show where I don’t recall there was much of one before. In terms of pacing, it is breather after several high-energy songs in a row.

In an amusing montage, Tamara stalks the Dead Rat for days on end trying to find Rafaela, only for Suzy to break the news each time (in typically comic fashion) that Rafaela is not there. It turns out that the show’s conductor is also the piano player at the Dead Rat, because sometime before this scene, she moved out of the box seat and down to the stage. What I found neat was that the video monitor camera either went with her or switched views so that she could still conduct while on stage.

Tamara gives up pestering Suzy for a bit to go paint, with Kizette modeling. In “Mama Look at Me,” Kizette quietly begs her mother to actually see her, but as usual Tamara is absorbed in her work and keeps viewing her daughter in terms of the parts of the image she is creating. Giving up after one last “Mama…”, Kizette eventually changes tack and asks why Tamara has told people Kizette was born in Warsaw (rather than Petrograd). Tamara explains the microaggression toward Jews that drove her answer (a modern variant might be “where are you really from?”) and provides a capsule history of the independent Polish state complete with morphing background projections, which I found clunkily expository the first time I saw it but appreciated more in subsequent viewings since I am sadly not nerdy enough about European history.  It also sets up some of the background of Tadeusz claiming his Polish identity, which will lead to conflict later. Tamara further explains her tactic of deflection where she deliberately makes people focus on the thing she wants them to see. (Come to think of it, the show itself has done this a few times.)

There is a fun scene transition where Rafaela shows up and Suzy calls out “she’s here!” from across the stage to Tamara while she’s still in the studio with Kizette, and Tamara being Tamara she promptly ditches her adoring, needy daughter to go meet Rafaela at the Dead Rat.

Tamara and Rafaela drink and converse and find common ground and gradually the conversation turns to more personal topics, as Tamara alludes to the story of the third guard. Seeing some kinship in Tamara’s vulnerability, Rafaela offers Tamara opium to help her relax, and asks the musicians for “Bracelet, in A.” As Rafaela sings “The Most Beautiful Bracelet” (basically directly to Tamara, even as she’s feeling up the other patrons of the bar), Tamara is staring back at her with naked longing.

(Note: I did miss the song “Stillness” from previous productions and the buildup it provided for the relationship between Tamara and Rafaela, but understand why it would be removed since it did kind of kill momentum. This version works even with the seduction happening sooner.)

After the song, Tamara is tongue-tied and loopy. In this state of confusion she again falls back on the language of art to express her attraction by professing a fascination with Rafaela’s lipstick color, which leads to a kiss, which leads to Tamara bringing Rafaela back to her studio where, to the sound of a sweeping romantic instrumental, they start removing their clothing (Tamara appears to be briefly awestruck when Rafaela is standing before her in only a slip) and climb into the bed with Tamara sitting atop Rafaela.

I must talk about this lighting effect now (but bear in mind I know exactly nothing about stage lighting). For most of the love scene it is dimly lit, evoking nighttime with some sort of limited external light such as street lights, or perhaps a full moon through a window. Onstage there is a row of smallish circular bluish-white lights running the length of the top of the stage which start out pointing downward toward the stage. As Tamara moves her body against Rafaela and slowly extends her arm upward in an expression of passion, the row of lights rotates upward to point toward the audience. As they rotate it appears they are getting brighter (or maybe it is just due to the lights shining more directly at the audience) and the light becomes blinding as Tamara reaches (a very strongly implied) orgasm. At the same time, the lighting below dims, the music diminishes, and Tamara, Rafaela, and everything on stage fade from visibility into a nearly opaque wall of cloudy blue. It was very cool to look at and I don’t think I am doing it justice with my description.

Later I was thinking about how that might work; when the audience comes in at the beginning of the show, I did notice this fog-effect going on at the top of the stage:

So I wonder if they can maybe crank that fog machine (or whatever) up and let the vapor diffuse throughout the stage area for this scene, then when the time comes they can hit the area with lights such the light scatters in a particular spectrum, or maybe they can just use colored filters, I don’t know. But then how do you ensure that the wall of haze is uniform and stays where it needs to be? Anyway, maybe a lighting designer has explained it somewhere on the internet.

It’s still nighttime, and Tamara wakes and exits the room to gather her thoughts, when unexpectedly a slightly drunk, apologetic Tadeusz shows up to give her flowers. Wracked with guilt over how she has betrayed their relationship, Tamara goes back into her studio intending to end the liaison right then. But when she sees the sleeping Rafaela illuminated by a gentle light, she forgets everything else as she launches into “Woman Is.” And who can blame her? There is a very cool visual sequence during the song when Tamara sings “I want to feel your soft lips, your sharp teeth” etc. and piece by piece the lighted edges of the set behind her start to come alive (partly visible in this video from Production Stage Manager Cody Renard Richard).

Finally the song ends, the curtain falls and when the lights go up we see the imposing image of “La Belle Rafaela” throughout intermission.

(Part 2 coming soon-ish)