hhhhhelen hhhhhayes.

monday was the 24th annual Helen Hayes Awards. for non-DC folks, you can think of this 2 ways... the DC equivalent of the Tonys. or theatre prom.

it is a little of both.

the highlight of the awards portion of the evening was that Reefer Madness (which i designed last july) was nominated for 6 awards. it won 2 of them! Outstanding Director, Resident Musical and it took the biggie it was nominated for... Outstanding Resident Musical.

the party was loads of fun... as captured in the picture (taken by my gal pal Meghan). yes, i know... shock of all shocks, i wore yellow!

i was going to go with a long black evening gown, but it was pouring rain all day and i was not interested in mopping the streets of downtown DC. dress was a happy accident... as was my 1960s hairstyle.

oh, and ps... i have the most attractive friends ever.

it was all good. i stayed the right amount of time. i had the perfect number of drinks. i saw and hugged at least 80% of the people i wanted to see and hug. my date was awesome. i liked my dress. and i got to sleep in on tuesday! i didn't even have to be at work until 3pm. all of these = great time.

one more time with feeling

i promise that this is the last of my shameless self-promotion posts related to Reefer Madness. but, really, if i don't promote myself, then who will? ha!

first up we have The City Paper review by Glen Weldon here. it is mixed. i think the overall idea is "ehh, go see it. especially the square guy in the bow tie" (Larry, pictured at left) Keith did get props for his driving obsession with the show--simplify it so it doesn't suck the way past productions have.

the real love coming my way is from Brad Hathaway over at Potomac Stages. you can read his review here.

and i would like to take this oppurtunity to say that while Potomac Stages isn't regarded as the top reviewing organization on the planet by any means, i strongly respect one thing they always try to do--um... at least mention the design. they are an online publication so, they don't have certain concerns that are entirely unrelated to content that print publications have. like the number of inches they have been given in the style section and the cuts that will make a review fit.

so they are at a slight advantage space-wise, but i also think that they try just a tiny bit harder to touch on the whole production. and i appreciate that. i am not just saying this because this review was good for me. i am saying it because it is true. now the Betrayal review had not word one about my costumes, but they really paid some mind to the lighting, which was a starring element in that show. (unlike the costumes) and that is what i mean. they pay attention and talk more about the production then the life history of the author or carp on about past productions.

so... thank you!

remember that fiber related post i promised?

tonight!

flash!

Washington Times not as Righty as Previously Accused!!!

flash!

Pot Brassieres New Fashion Hit for 1936!

and now the stock market!
click!


the Times review is out, and they were surprisingly kind to the show. the Times pretty much pans anything slightly to the left, and you could say that political satire like Reefer madness is a bit lefty. you can read the review here.

then again, almost no one in America today gives two hoots about pot compared to say... immigration. or terrorism. so maybe the power of this piece is more quaint and entertaining than subversive.

anyway, check out the review. i get a nice healthy full sentence. funny thing is that the reviewer liked my least favourite costumes in the show the best! hm. different tokes for different folks.

heehee.
i made a weed joke.

hello Mr. and Mrs. America and all the ships at sea!

let's go to press! flash!

Washington Post Not as Lefty as Previously Accused!

flash!

Hipster Youth Love Pot and Parody!

and now the weather!
click!

erm....
let take off my 1930s journalist hat for a minute. whew! the reviews are coming out for Reefer Madness. they are mixed, but that is usually the case. the good news is that you can see a picture of Bobby and Chan! please admire her trashy make-up and ample décolletage. i adore that woman.

if you would like to read the reviews, you can Peter Marks' Post review here.

and Missy Frederick over at DCist chimes in here.

funny thing is that thehairyape introduced me to Peter before the show. this made me very nervous because who really wants to shake hands with the designer they are about to critique? we both had a nervous laugh over it and i squeaked out a little "be nice" with a giggle.

talking about looking like the girl who just fell off the turnip truck from ohio!

oh so mad!

we open my next show this weekend. if you love camp, musicals, drugs, or propaganda go see Reefer Madness: The Musical!

the show is based on the 1936 propaganda film of the same name. the cast is wonderful, and i happen to be rather partial to the costumes. ahem.


Reefer Madness: The Musical
by Kevin Murphy and Dan Studney
Directed by Keith Alan Baker
on The Studio Theatre 2ndstage
press opening Sunday July 15, 2007

to read more about the show or buy tickets, go here.

ps- happy friday the 13th.