Utah Shakespeare Festival 50th Season Highlights

This past weekend I returned to Cedar City to see the fall shows, which were phenomenal. The Winter's Tale is definitely in my top three Shakespeare performances to date (also including Macbeth and Henry VIII at the Globe). And so, here is a list of my personal favorite highlights or moments from the 50th Anniversary season of the Utah Shakespeare Festival, in no particular order.

-Brian Vaughn and Melinda Pfundstein's performances as Leontes and Hermione respectively in The Winter's Tale. Specific scenes include Hermione's final words to Leonte's at her trial, Leontes' reaction to his infant (I cried) and to the news of Hermione's death and the final scene. Well done Brian and Melinda!

-Matt Mueller as Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet. Awesome doublet, awesome character.

-The Music Man. Seriously, my favorite musical, I grew up on the movie, but Brian Vaughn as Harold made me forget Robert Preston and the dance break for 76 Trombones made me cry for some reason, oh yeah! Because I love musicals.

-Rhett Guter as Thisbe in A Midsummer Night's Dream. As assistant costume designer and stitcher for the fall season I got to see Rhett's performance progress until I could hardly stand the last performance I saw of Midsummer at the end of the summer season because I was laughing so hard.

-Kymberly Mellen (above right) as Queen Elizabeth and Leslie Brott (left) as Margaret in Richard III. The women in this one stole the show.

-The sound design for Richard III by Barry G. Funderburg. At points the sound escalated into strange and unearthly versions of WWII bomber engines that crescendoed just until it was unbearable.

- David Ivers as Tony in Dial 'M' for Murder. So charming and so skeezy. The girl next to me at the second intermission said she didn't know if she wanted Tony to get caught or not because she knew he was a bad guy and should, but was also drawn to the idea of such an evil and calculating character actually getting away with it.

-Ben Livingston's restrained performance as Lord Capulet in Romeo and Juliet. Where many Lord C's toss and smack Juliet around when she defies him, Livingston's Capulet controlled himself to the point that it was even more terrifying than physical violence.

-The willow tree for Midsummer designed by Bill Forrester, made possible by the scenic, lighting and prop crews. Truly a magical set.

-Rick Peeple's portrayals as Buckingham in Richard III, Peter Quince in Midsummer, and Friar Lawrence in R&J were all remarkably different and fantastic. I love Rick's voice! He used it so differently for each part!

-Dan Molina's Hispanic accent and Spanish interjections in Midsummer. Having seen it so many times I caught a lot more of his character than many of the audience member's who concentrated on other characters in the scenes. Some of my favorite stuff.

-Quinn Mattfeld as Young Shepherd and David Ivers as Autolycus in The Winter's Tale. So incredibly funny. Their running gags together and apart were just the sort of out of the box comedy that makes Shakespeare so fun.

-Puck's broom from Midsummer. Seriously, the coolest, most mystical broom ever.

All photos taken from USF's website, bard.org. Check the site for ticket info and info about their 2012 season!

Too bad they go for short women.

One of life's great tragedies is that all men don't look like Tom Selleck or Howard Keel. 6'3", broad, wavy run you fingers through it hair, delicious baritone voices and legs that go on for miles. Such a pity. Also, don't you think that Matthew Quigley research probably included a bit of Adam Pontipee?

Other tragedies: pleated pants, the discontinuation of hat wearing, Crocs.

Consuelo Duchess of Marlborough, née Vanderbilt

One of the last places my London program visited last spring was Blenheim Palace, the seat of the Duke of Marlborough. We had a tour and our guide told us about Consuelo Vanderbilt, wife of the 9th Duke. This portrait is in Blenheim and we were told it was commissioned as sort of bait for the aristocracy. She married the Duke when she was 18 and had two sons.


Isn't she gorgeous? I've been fascinated with her since I heard about her at Blenheim. Her mother arranged her marriage to the Duke, making her one of many (one source says 200) Anglo-American marriages during the Edwardian period that combined American money with English titles.


Winston Churchill's American mother was another such American heiress that married Consuelo's husband's uncle, making Churchill and Consuelo cousins by marriage. I LOVE this photo because it's so casual and I can't get enough of young Churchill, so great!

Consuelo and her husband didn't love each other, so after giving the duke an heir and a spare they separated in 1906 and were divorced in 1920. Her money helped restored Blenheim, and she dedicated herself to charitable work in London.

Awesome book you should read: High Society: Photographs 1897-1914 by Terence Pepper with 107 society photographs, including excellent captions.

Angel

I recently watched Angel on Netflix instant play starring Romola Garai and Michael Fassbender. I don't want to spend too much time on the film bc I didn't like it much. I can appreciate melodrama as a genre, but those who say that this movie is a melodrama satire don't explain away all the issues I had with this one. Basically Garai plays an obnoxious but gifted Edwardian writer who marries the love of her life (Fassbender) which leads to her ruin. I say Edwardian, but Angel's character's costumes are all over the place from the 1870s to never really much later than the turn of the century although the other character's fashions progress. I don't really take issue with this. As you can see above, my favorite dress, while out of period, is absolutely spectacular. If you watch the scenes with this dress, and then later with this red one you've pretty much seen what's worth seeing in the movie, unless you have a thing for self destructive behavior, or Michael Fassbender. Also, mild adult content. Also Sam Neill. Also, they should have died Garai's eyebrows darker, super annoying.

1958 McCall's: Not feelin' it

This is as far as I got on my dress in Nebraska. I also started putting the skirt lining together. I forgot about the need for an opening for the zipper and french seamed the skirt closed. I stopped after this discovery last night and woke up in the middle of the night to think about a solution (which is probably recutting it). I'm still excited for the dress, but am worried about the fit over the hips even though I spliced the pattern with my skirt sloper. I just have huge angular hips. I'm anticipating it being too small over the hips, aaaaaaaand it might only be a fast Sunday dress because the waist is my size when I wake up in the morning, not after any kind of meal.

So I got the bodice finished. I'm not happy with the yoke, and it's a lot fuller than the pattern makes it look, but here's hoping it works with the nipped in waist. The fabric frays like a mother and drives me nuts. I'm pretty over this dress right now which is super disappointing because I was so excited about it. BUT I don't believe in half finished projects cluttering up my life so I'll have it done before I go back to Cedar City, I promise! As for what to wear to church, I'll probs default to my 1940s summer dress with the incorrect shoulder alteration that chokes me but makes me look oh so slim and cute. Someday I will make a knockout perfect dress...someday.

1958 McCall's: Fabric and cutting

I'm in Nebraska and went fabric shopping for my dress almost first thing. The idea was to get a floral print that was very seasonal but could also be formal (if I ever get the chance to attend something semi-formal). I found a brilliant lilac and blue small floral at Joann in a poly (of course) that was a very light satin, but there wasn't enough. I went to Hancock's and Hobby Lobby but hated everything and was very upset. I went back to Joann the next day after calming down and got a very large print fuchsia and purple floral on a peach/ivory back. I've grown to really like it and am excited about it.



I cut the dress at the end of last week and began the bodice front. The material frays like crazy (since I'm doing seam finishes, not surging)and I was in no mood so I only got the front bodice done. Shame on me. Then, in the middle of the night some time after I realized that on my shoulder alteration I taped the yoke and the bodice together at the cut line, not the seam allowance. I don't think this should make a huge difference, at least in this case, but I'm still a little frustrated at myself for doing it wrong.



I will hopefully get more done today. I was going to work on it yesterday night for a long bit, but got a migraine, and while I do have a Rx now that knocks me out for an hour and it's gone I wasn't in the mood afterward.

New Project: 1958 McCall's

I trace a lot of the vintage patterns from the costume shop, and just finished making a 1940s summer dress at the beginning of May, but alas alack I have no pictures of the process or the product! I know, I am a bad blogger. But now I have a new pattern that I absolutely adore!



Introducing this McCall's 1958 dress with gathered front and back bodices into neck and waist yokes with an optional gathered front skirt. The dress also includs bodice and skirt stays, onto which the gathers are seamed. I'm blessed with having the measurements of a vintage size 12 in the bust and waist. As far as hips are concerned...let's just say it's best to go for full skirts, unless I want to alter.

But I alter anyway! I'm VERY tall AND lopsided (from years of holding babies on only one side) and so if I so choose I can alter my patterns for those variations. As it so happens I've spent the week altering the bodice of this pattern for my sloped left shoulder and square right shoulder, which alterations I'll blog you through when I have the time. I have also lengthened the bodice and plan on splicing my skirt sloper (including my high left hip) with the pattern.

I am leaving for Nebraska on Sunday and so will make the dress over the three weeks I am in Corn Husker land. The deadline I am giving myself is August 7th, my first Sunday back in Provo, when I will WOW my ward with my impeccable dress. Fabric is yet to be determined, but I'm thinking the pale blue fabric of Titania's cape from the Utah Shakespeare Festival or a flowy floral. Either way the fashion fabric will be rather chiffony so the dress will needs be lined, what joy.

I plan on constructing this dress using all my fashion techniques and am very excited to have the time to do it! Huzzah! Stay posted!