MOVIES, THEATER, TV et al (August projects!)

It’s been a busy time for us. Some movies we worked on are finally opening this month! Catch “Julie and Julia”, "My One and Only" and “ I Sell the Dead” (we are NOTHING if not versatile!) “My One and Only” is NOT related to the oh-so-long-ago 1983 Broadway show of the same name, which we also happened to work on. Helen (of course, she was only a child then!) even personally styled Twiggy in the promo pictures… wearing our clothes, of course!

The film takes place in the 1950’s and stars Renee Zellweger, who came to our place for fittings (a lovely, sweet woman). The premise of the movie is actually based on a true childhood experience of actor George Hamilton, about a beautiful and eccentric Mom tooling around country looking for a rich husband for her and her sons.

Above, Renee Zellweger in one of our many dresses that she wears in the picture!

We are also working on the world premiere of “The Retributionists” (by Daniel Goldfarb) at Playwrights Horizon, which opens for previews on Friday, August 21 with an Opening Night set for Tuesday, September 15 at 7PM. The limited engagement will run through Sunday, September 27 at the Mainstage Theater (416 West 42nd Street).

Set in spring 1946, the play is daring, new romantic thriller inspired by actual events. A band of young Jewish freedom fighters attempts to avenge a society's wrongs with a simple plan: a German for every Jew - if only they can keep from tearing each other apart in the process.

On the left, fittings at our place with actress Margarita Levieva and the design team lead by the delightful (and always fabulously-dressed!) Susan Hilferty (costume designer for the Broadway show “Wicked”) . On the right, Margarita and Susan.

Another project we are beginning to work on is a modern feature film, but the lead actress will be wearing vintage touches, so the costume designer came to chose outfits for the actress fittings. More on the movie (and the mystery actress) at a later time.

In other news, we seem to be doing a real mélange of projects this month:

. An opera, “Hotel Casablanca” for the Seagle Music Colony’s 94^th season in the Adirondacks

. A short film re-enacting a newsboy scene from the early 1900’s for a “Marine Museum” exhibit

. An HBO documentary about the Barnes Museum - we dressed the elder Mr. Barnes, played by Robert Downey Sr. (yes, you DO know who his son is!)

. A commercial for U.S.Bank

. A forthcoming ESPN documentary about “Jimmy the Greek” to air November 3

. A “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” episode (can anyone stay up late enough to see our knit 1920’s men’s bathingsuits?)

. A break-out music video for Russian singer Nastassiya

On the right, stylist/costume designer Beth Anne Kelleher finding items for the Nastassiya music video

. A WISK DETERGENT TV commercial starring a little boy in period garb

. “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” at the Sage Theater in Times Square , running the end of August.

. A nutty British 1970’s sci-fi movie called “L.V.J.”, or as the movie site puts it “ Starsky and Hutch meets Independence Day with a touch of the X-Files”. We are even on their production blog with a picture: http://lvjmovie.wordpress.com/ Check it out!

On the left, the director, Chris; the art director, Reynaldo and the producer. Mark. By the way, Chris and Mark each wear MANY different hats in this labor-of-love film: actor, animator, composer- you name it!

. A vintage scene in a documentary about basketball called “On the Shoulders of Giants”, which also happens to be the name of the book by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Coincidence?

. A few pieces for two productions at the Roundabout Theater: “After Miss Julie” and “ Present Laughter”

( below at our place: "After Miss Julie" designer Michael Krass with assistant Tracy Christensen)

. A contemporary TV show called “White Collar”, providing some 1930’s flashback clothes.

Projects that have ended for us are “Blithe Spirit” on Broadway, and “Freud’s Last Session” at Barrington Stage Company about a hypothetical meeting between Sigmund Freud and C.S. Lewis. Though closing, the play will be re-mounted next month.

On a personal note, our summer internship program is drawing to a close so we regretfully say good-bye to Tracy and Jennifer, though we hope to see them again and perhaps even have them back this coming year.

(L)Tracy working on her hat project

(R) Jennifer sizing dresses

Our interns become part of our large extended family, so we also recently said a sad good-bye to Kim, who interned with us last summer and fall semester.. She dropped in to have lunch with us before she leaves New York for good and returns to San Diego.

On the left: Jennifer, Tracy, Kristen and Kim. On the right: Kim and Kristen