Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Film fans sit up and listen to Edith | Lifestyle/Features | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

Film fans sit up and listen to Edith Lifestyle/Features Chron.com - Houston Chronicle


Film fans sit up and listen to Edith
Audience interacts in A Conversation With Edith Head
By EVERETT EVANS Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
Oct. 23, 2008, 6:31PM



Movie buffs likely will gobble up A Conversation With Edith Head like a box of gourmet chocolates or, more to the point, a 24-hour Barbara Stanwyck marathon.

Susan Claassen's affectionate solo show portraying the legendary costume designer — who worked on more than 1,100 films from 1923 to 1981 and won a record eight Oscars — is at Theater LaB through Sunday.

Claassen certainly looks the part, sporting Head's trademark dark-rimmed, tinted glasses topped by black bangs and a tightly wound bun. She creates a distinctive voice characterization. She projects the drive, toughness, candor and unpretentious authority that make you buy her as Head.

A small, eccentric-looking yet powerful woman, Head always suggested a catlike inscrutability — the air of someone who knows where the bodies are buried, isn't going to tell, but uses the knowledge to her advantage. That's the most crucial quality Claassen conveys in her portrayal.

As the show's setup has it, Head's appearance takes place in 1981, during a break in her work on Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid, which will turn out to be her final film. It's just a few weeks before her death, but no one knows that tonight.

Jonathan McVay, playing her Houston host, introduces the legend and hands her a stack of cards with questions submitted by audience members before the show. Answering those questions, sometimes directly, sometimes rambling far afield, cues an evening of mostly random reminiscence, with McVay politely veering Head back to the point when she grows too besotted with memories.

The audience participation angle is well-employed and fun, with Head asking who supplied each question, commenting on each person's sense of style (or lack thereof), even asking a few to step onstage for more extensive analysis.

One kibitzer whom we soon realize is a plant, asks the most challenging questions (i.e., didn't assistants do more design work than she on certain films?), even contradicts Head on dates and facts, to the point he gets on her nerves. The device is amusing but would work better if used more sparingly.

The fun stems mostly from Head's fond — if at times, tart — recollections of iconic stars and films. She speaks of form-fitting costumes to Mae West's full figure: "There was not one costume in which she could lie, sit or bend." We hear how Head solved Stanwyck's "figure challenge" to give her a new glamorous look in The Lady Eve. How Head put Dorothy Lamour in her first sarong in The Jungle Princess, the sarong becoming ever after Lamour's trademark. Of Hedy Lamarr's ravenous appetite on the set and Head creating her famous peacock feather cape in Samson and Delilah.

With its content derived from the book Edith Head's Hollywood, by Head and Paddy Calistro, the show is a skimming, lightly humorous stroll along cinematic Memory Lane. There are no bombshells, no big secrets revealed, either about the designer or the stars she dressed. Head believed in keeping them.

To the question "How would you describe your private life?," she responds:

"In a word ... private."

In later passages, the show flirts with deeper implications. Head hints at a psychic pain in being the woman behind the stars, in the intentionally subdued style she adopted so as not to compete with those mighty egos, a virtual self-effacement. Claassen strikes the evening's most poignant note recalling the impact of Gloria Swanson's performance at the premiere of Sunset Boulevard — and wondering whether her design work will be remembered as that of the stars on screen.

But Head is too practical a personality to indulge in self-doubt. She closes reasserting her supremacy — "perhaps not Hollywood's most endearing costume designer, but its most enduring." Who could argue?

Of course, this Conversation is more of an entertainment than a play. But for those who share Claassen's fervor for those great old classic films of yesteryear, it's certainly entertaining.

everett.evans@chron.com

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Play channels classic costume designer Edith Head | Lifestyle/Features | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

Play channels classic costume designer Edith Head Lifestyle/Features Chron.com - Houston Chronicle


Getting inside her head
By EVERETT EVANS Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
Oct. 21, 2008, 7:23PM


Famed Hollywood costume designer Edith Head returns, after a fashion, for A Conversation With Edith Head, opening tonight at Theater LaB Houston.

Susan Claassen has been channeling Head since originating the solo show in 2002 at Tuscon, Ariz.'s Invisible Theatre Company, where Claassen is managing artistic director. Claassen has performed the work from San Francisco to Chicago to London, where she had an acclaimed monthlong run this summer.

Since Claassen has absorbed pretty much all there is to know about her subject, we decided to have our own conversation with "Edith Head."

Q: You've been described as discreet but also tough and driven.

A: I've had to be to survive six decades in the Hollywood boys' club. People have accused me of being a master of self-promotion. I suppose I am. I hate modesty, don't you?

Q: How would you sum up your philosophy of costume design for film?

A: It must fit the character. At the same time, I've always designed for the actor. How good the clothes look on screen depends on how comfortable the star is wearing them.

Q: Is that why you've sometimes been willing to adapt your designs, to change a detail, to keep the star happy? Producer Hal Wallis said you had "great rapport" with the stars you dressed, especially the women.

A: I never walked off a set in a huff. Early on, I learned the value of understanding their (actors') vulnerabilities. I know how to keep people's secrets.

Q: What designer influenced you the most?

A: Travis Banton, who was the head of Paramount's costume department from 1927 to 1938. (Head was his assistant in those years, replacing him at his departure to become the first woman to head a major studio's costume department.) I learned everything by studying his work, especially the way he created the signature look for the three graces of Paramount: Marlene Dietrich, Carole Lombard and Claudette Colbert.

Q: You've been quoted as saying that you were sometimes a better politician or diplomat than designer. Could you give an example?

A: On Vertigo, Kim Novak said the one color she absolutely hated to see herself in was gray. Alfred Hitchcock always came into a film with very detailed ideas about what he wanted. And naturally, for a key scene in Vertigo, he had distinctly said, "I want her in a gray suit." So it was up to me to find a way to bring Kim around, showing her swatches and swatches of different grays, until we finally came to a lavender-gray for the suit, and she loved it.

Q: How would you rate yourself among your fellow designers?

A: There probably have been greater designers. No one could surpass the glamor of Adrian designing for Greta Garbo. But where some excelled chiefly at one type of film, I've enjoyed being a chameleon who can do any type of picture, from Westerns to monster movies, musicals to biblical spectacles. Designing gorgeous gowns for Grace Kelly to wear in To Catch a Thief is one kind of thrill. But in The Country Girl (the drab character role for which Kelly won her Oscar), to make Grace Kelly look plain was a challenge unto itself.

Q: How important is authenticity to period or locale?

A: That depends on the project and the director. For The Heiress, I did the kind of research (director) William Wyler wanted, because he was adamant about authenticity. But on the Road pictures, if Bob Hope wanted to wear something just because it was funny, nobody gave a damn. Cecil B. DeMille never made an "authentic" picture.

Q: On House Party, you were known for being frank with the audience members. Such as telling a portly lady, "Go on a diet!"

A: The sponsors requested that I be nicer to the ladies. I tried.

Q: Was it part of your "self-promotion" to make cameo appearances as yourself in films like Lucy Gallant and The Oscar? Did you enjoy being on the other side of the camera for a change?

A: I hated doing them. It's difficult to portray yourself. You have to keep repeating the same thing. I did them because they (the studios) wanted me to do it. When you're under contract to a studio, you do what they tell you to do. After those experiences, I had a greater respect for actors.

Q: What would you like your legacy to be? Is there a single film, even a single costume, that you'd most want to remembered for?

A: For the whole body of work and the recognition it achieved. I worked hard to get the profession recognized. Remember, for the first 21 years of the Academy Awards, there was no category for costume design.

Q: I gather that, unlike some in the industry, you take awards very seriously.

A: They're my pride and joy. There's nothing like eight Oscars for putting the fear of God into an actress who thinks she knows everything about dress design.

Q: Is there a thought you'd like to leave us with? Anything you'd tell young people who aspire to careers in film or design?

A: You can be anything you want in the world, as long as you dress for it.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Claassen's 'Conversation With Edith Head' Goes on Tour After UK Run (BroadwayWorld.com)

Claassen's 'Conversation With Edith Head' Goes on Tour After UK Run (BroadwayWorld.com)


Claassen's 'Conversation With Edith Head' Goes on Tour After UK Run
by BWW News Desk





Arizona-based actress SUSAN CLAASSEN has just returned from a highly successful engagement on London's West End as legendary Hollywood designer Edith Head in "A CONVERSATION WITH Edith Head". Presented by Anthony Field Associates, the limited West End engagement at the new Leicester Square Theatre ran from July 29 through August 31, 2008, earning rave reviews. This engagement was preceded by a sold out run at the 2007 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. (see reviews below)

"A CONVERSATION WITH Edith Head", based on Edith Head's Hollywood by Edith Head & Paddy Calistro, is a feast of delicious behind-the-scenes stories about Hollywood's greatest stars that provide an intimate portrait of Hollywood's legendary costume designer. In her six decades of costume design, Edith Head worked on over eleven hundred films; dressed the greatest stars of Hollywood; received 35 Academy Award® nominations, and won an unprecedented eight Oscars®. Edith Head's story is as fascinating as the history of the film industry itself, filled with humor, frustration and, above all, glamour. This diva of design helped to define glamour in the most glamorous place in the world - Hollywood!

Ms. Claassen will next bring her 'intimate portrait' of Edith Head to Houston on October 22nd, opening Theater LaB Houston's 16th season with a 5-performance engagement. Performances are Wednesday, October 22nd @ 8pm; Friday, Oct. 24th @ 8pm; Saturday, Oct. 25th @ 8pm; Sunday, October 26th at 3pm and 6pm. Tickets at $20 ($25 on Saturday night)) are available at Box Office at (713) 868-7516 or by visiting www.theaterlabhouston.com. Theater LaB Houston is located at 1706 Alamo (off 2100 Houston Ave.)


Up-coming performances of "A CONVERSATION WITH Edith Head" include:


March 5-8, 2009

Invisible Theatre, 1400 North Frist Avenue, Tucson, AZ

520 882-9721

www.invisibletheatre.com


March 13, 2009

Tubac Center of the Arts, 9 Plaza Road, Tubac, AZ

520.398.2371

http://www.tubacarts.org/performing_arts.asp


June 19-20, 2009

Coronado Public Library, 640 Orange Avenue, Coronado, CA

619-522-7390


June 22-23, 2009

Repertory Theatre, 987 lomas Santa Fe Drive.,

Solana Beach, CA

858.481.1055

http://www.northcoastrep.org/

Edith Head was a Hollywood costume designer for more than 60 years. 44 of those years were spent at Paramount Studios, where she worked with the most famous actors of the time, from Mae West and Clara Bow to Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn and Bette Davis. When Paramount failed to renew her contract in 1967, Alfred Hitchcock stepped in and Ms. Head was invited to join Universal Studios. At Universal she costumed Robert Redford and Paul Newman in "The Sting" and won the first-ever Oscar® for a film without a female lead. Her eight Academy Award® celebrated her artistry in "The Heiress" (her first Oscar®), "Samson & Delilah", "All About Eve", "A Place in the Sun", "Roman Holiday", "Sabrina", "The Facts of Life" and "The Sting". Edith Head died in October 1981, still under contract to Universal Studios, having just completed the Steve Martin film, "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid".

Susan Claassen was inspired to write and star in "A CONVERSATION WITH Edith Head" while watching a TV biography of Ms. Head. Susan Claassen said: "Not only do I bear a striking resemblance to Edith, but we share the same love for clothes and fashion. Edith survived the boy's club of Hollywood to enjoy a 60-year career, during which she worked on 1,131 films, earned 35 Oscar nominations and won eight. She stitched Dorothy Lamour into her sarong; put Bob Hope and Bing Crosby in kilts in "The Road to Bali"; created Bette Davis' glamorous Margo Channing; made teenage girls swoon over ElizaBeth Taylor's white ballgown in "A Place in the Sun"; dressed Ingrid Bergman in "Notorious", Grace Kelly in "To Catch A Thief", Kim Novak in "Vertigo", Gloria Swanson in "Sunset Boulevard" and Sean Connery in "The Man Who Would Be King". There are many myths about her but she was a discreet, tenacious personality. She knew whose hips needed clever disguising and made sure those legendary stars always looked the part. Our show gives the inside scoop on Edith and the Golden Age of Hollywood."

"A CONVERSATION WITH Edith Head" premiered at the Invisible Theatre in Tucson, Arizona in January, 2002 and was subsequently presented in Chicago; Key West, FLA; at the American Film Institute in Silver Spring, MD; Hartford; San Francisco; Nantucket, and Scottsdale, as well as in Tbilisi in the Republic of Georgia and a 'sold out' engagement at the 2007 Edinburgh Festival Fringe (Out of the 2,000 shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival only 200 were officially designated 'Sold Out' engagements.)

As an actress, some of Susan's most memorable roles have been Bella in "LOST IN YONKERS" Alice B. Toklas in "Gertrude Stein AND A COMPANION" Hannah in "CROSSING DELANCEY", Shirley in "SHIRLEY VALENTINE" and Trudy in "THE SEARCH FOR SIGNS OF INTELLIGENT LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE". In addition to her work with the Invisible Theatre she has been a consultant and director for the Waterfront Playhouse and The Red Barn Theatre in Key West, Florida, and directed Steve Ross in "I WON'T DANCE" at New York's famed Rainbow and Stars Cabaret and St. Paul's prestigious Ordway Theatre. As Managing Artistic Director of The Invisible Theatre in Tucson, Arizona, Susan has produced more than 335 productions and directed more than 50. She is the recipient of the 1985 Governor's Award for Women Who Create; the 1993 Humanitarian Torch Award for her efforts on behalf of people living with AIDS, and a 1996 Distinguished Service Award from the State Federation for Exceptional Children for her commitment to arts education for special populations. Susan was the 1999 City of Hope "Spirit of Life" recipient (as was Edith Head in 1976), and performs as a clown in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. She was recently selected as one of Tucson Lifestyle's 10 Most Admired Women and will be honored by The Jewish Federation in 2009 as one of Tucson's 13 most remarkable women.

Much of the dialogue in "A CONVERSATION WITH Edith Head" comes directly from the famed designer. When she was asked to write the authorized posthumous autobiography, Edith Head's Hollywood, Paddy Calistro acquired more than 13 hours of recollections recorded by Edith Head – including her own snippy "Edithisms" as Ms. Head referred to her own sayings, such as: "I hate modesty, don't you?" and "Good clothes are not a matter of good luck." The show also features insights from Hollywood insiders who knew Ms. Head best: costume designer Bob Mackie, who once worked as Ms. Head's sketch artist; her dear friend Edie Wasserman, wife of the late Universal Studio head Lew Wasserman, and Art Linkletter, award-winning host of TV's "House Party", who brought Edith Head into the homes of America. Edith would stroll through the studio audience with Linkletter, offering brutally critical fashion, diet and grooming advice - all this half a century before the current mania for on-screen makeovers. "Go on a diet!" she would instruct an overweight woman, while instantly making her look ten pounds slimmer by pulling her shirt out of her trousers, whipping a belt around her middle and swapping her cheap gold jewelry for her own signature pearls. Young fans of Pixar's "The Incredibles" will recognized the superhero outfitter Edna Mode as an affectionate tribute to the legendary Hollywood costume designer.

Co-author Paddy Calistro is one of the leading authorities on the life and work of Edith Head and is the co-author of Edith Head's posthumous autobiography, Edith Head's Hollywood. She was selected as Ms. Head's official biographer based on her experience as a fashion journalist. A former fashion and beauty writer for the Los Angeles Times, Paddy wrote the weekly "Looks" column in the LA Times Magazine for four years. She was the West Coast reporter for Allure and has written for Glamour, Mademoiselle, House Beautiful, Elle, Four Seasons Magazine, Fitness and Los Angeles Magazine. For more than a decade Paddy was the lead interior design writer for LA Magazine, and was also the editor of American Style, a bilingual fashion magazine sold in Mexico and South America. The co-founder of Angel City Press, an independent book publishing company based in Santa Monica, she currently serves as its Publisher and Editor-in-chief.

For additional information about "A CONVERSATION WITH Edith Head" go to www.edithhead.biz.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Hollywood glamour part of Theater LaB's new season | Fine Arts | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

Hollywood glamour part of Theater LaB's new season Fine Arts Chron.com - Houston Chronicle



Hollywood glamour part of Theater LaB Houston's new season
By EVERETT EVANS Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
Oct. 3, 2008, 4:10PM


An intimate portrait of legendary Hollywood costume designer Edith Head, Houston's first look at the work of up-and-coming playwright Adam Bock and two offbeat musicals that found favor at this year's Toronto Fringe Festival and New York International Fringe Festival will make up the 2008-09 season at Theater LaB Houston.

As always, the intrepid little venue at 1706 Alamo is offering all Houston premieres, which Theater LaB chief Jerry LaBita has found off-Broadway, in London and at various arts festivals.

If there's any guiding theme, LaBita says, it's that "after Hurricane Ike, the stock-market roller coaster and an upcoming presidential election that promises more mudslinging," he wanted a season "devoted to entertainment."

Season ticket information is available at 713-868-7516 or at www.theaterlabhouston.com

The schedule:

A Conversation With Edith Head, Oct. 22-26. Guest artist Susan Claassen will perform the show she created with Paddy Calistro, based on Head's posthumously published autobiography written with Calistro.

Head (1897-1981) worked on more than 1,100 films — from a silent Peter Pan in 1924 to Steve Martin's Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982), including such classics as All About Eve, A Place in the Sun, Roman Holiday and The Sting. She earned an unprecedented 35 Oscar nominations and won eight Oscars. The show has her sharing her own story while dishing about her experiences with such stars as Bette Davis, Grace Kelly and Elizabeth Taylor.

Claassen has performed the show from San Diego to Chicago to London, where she recently completed a monthlong stand at the Arts Theatre.

The Receptionist, Nov. 12-Dec. 13. Described as a "dark comedy with a Twilight Zone twist," the play depicts a generic office routine that turns increasingly sinister as a representative from the Central Office pays a visit and the audience gradually learns the true nature of the company's business.

The Receptionist premiered at the Manhattan Theatre Club in fall 2007. Time Out New York praised it as a "pointed, painfully timely allegory" and an "elliptical, provocative play."

Canadian playwright Adam Bock lives in San Francisco, where he is artistic director of the Shotgun Players. He won a 2007 Obie for The Thugs. The Drunken City, his latest, premiered this spring at off-Broadway's Playwrights Horizons.

Nursery School Musical, Feb. 18-March 21. Second City meets South Park in a zany musical about 3-year-olds, their parents and their experiences on the first day of nursery school.

Six of the cast members alternate playing parents and kids, while the seventh plays the teacher. Brett and Rachael McCaig penned the book and lyrics; Anthony Bastianon, the music.

The Toronto Sun called it "bright, witty and fun," citing it as one of the 2008 Toronto Fringe Festival's top five shows.

China: The Whole Enchilada, April 8-May 9. What would a Theater LaB season be without at least one entry you'd have to describe as insanely irreverent? Creator Mark Brown shares the same initials as Mel Brooks, which should give some hint of the approach in this spoof.

Three guys sing, dance and clown their way through 4,000 years of China's history, touching such "lighthearted" themes as human rights, racism, genocide and the invention of the fortune cookie.

Time Out New York praised the show, a hit at this year's New York International Fringe Festival, for its "exceptional wit, energy and comedy shtick."

everett.evans@chron.com

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

>Dress Circle | Showbiz Shop | A Conversation With Edith Head

Dress Circle Showbiz Shop A Conversation With Edith Head


A Conversation With Edith Head

27 August 2008

This Delightful Piece Stars Susan Claassen as the great Hollywood Costume Designer Edith Head.

The performance is 85 minutes of sheer delight. Not for a moment do you think that this is not Edith Head chatting, informing and entertaining us with candour and humour. We were invited to pose some questions for Miss Head before curtain up and these were individually addressed during the performance.

Among many other features there are replicas of the famous dresses, sketches of famous artists featuring beautiful costumes and an abundance of photographs and replica OscarsTM (Miss Head was the proud possessor of eight).

You have until the 31st August to witness this extraordinary performance, GO NOW!

Catch A Conversation With Edith Head at:

THE LEICESTER SQUARE THEATRE.

6, LEICESTER PLACE LONDON WC2H 7BX

0844 847 2475 (BOX OFFICE)

TICKET PRICES: £12 - £17

PERFORMANCE TIMES:

TUESDAY - SATURDAY 8PM

SUNDAY 7PM

MATINEES: THURSDAY, SATURDAY & SUNDAY 3PM

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.



REVIEWED BY: John Hutchinson (Mail Order Manager, Dress Circle)

Thursday, August 21, 2008

www.azstarnet.com ® | Straight from the Art

http://regulus2.azstarnet.com/blogs/arts/10919/claassen-takes-on-london


Claassen takes on London
08/20/2008 10:27 AM
Kathleen Allen
Invisible Theatre’s Susan Claassen has taken her “A Conversation With Edith Head” to a small theater close to London’s Leicester Square, in the heart of the city’s West End district.

And they like her, they really like her.

Among the reviews:

“American Susan Claassen catches Head’s darkly distinctive look remarkably, equipping it with contrasting energy, telling stories, responding to questions, switching mood or track without a split-second’s loss of pace. The show’s title is right; this soon takes on the feel of a conversation, as Claassen treats each audience member with individual attention, leaving a conviction you’ve been in Head’s presence yourself.” – Reviews Gate

“Even if you know nothing about her, you can just tell from Claassen’s high quality of acting, she is capturing Head’s essence with her every crafted move. She actually becomes her, a feat also helped by her striking resemblance to the designer. The loving way Claassen handles clothes, her biting wit and even her exaggerations of success, seems uncanny, adding to the charm.” – The Stage

“A Conversation With Edith Head is so much more than just a show for followers of fashion. It is about years gone by; a period in film history that set a trend for generations to come. Edith Head passed away in 1981 only two weeks after completing her last film, but as you leave the theatre with Glaassen (sic) still in character chatting to each and every person, one honestly does feel that they have met the truly inspirational woman that was Edith Head and what a privilege it is.” — The British Theatre Guide

Claassen brings Head back to the Old Pueblo in March.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

London audiences are swept away by Hollywood's golden age!

smehlettering

London audiences are swept away
by Hollywood's golden age!

"A Conversation With Edith Head is so much more than just a show for
followers of fashion. It is about years gone by; a period in film history that set a
trend for generations to come. Edith Head passed away in 1981 only two weeks
after completing her last film, but as you leave the theatre with Claassen still in
character chatting to each and every person, one honestly does feel that they
have met the truly inspirational woman that was Edith Head
and what a privilege it is."

-The British Theatre Guide


"In one sense, she's the 'master of self promotion' and in another, she's 'the woman
who isn't there'. It's this diversity of character, aptly portrayed by Susan Claassen,
that makes A Conversation With Edith Head such lovely watching."

-The Stage-London



"Claassen's spot-on impersonation provides a riveting hour-and-a-half."
-Reviews Gate-London


You can check out all the wonderful news on edithhead.biz



Our opening night was attended by some of our dearest friends in London including the fabulous Dame Cleo Laine and Sir John Dankworth!

pastichepastiche

The London artistic ensemble
with David O'Brien and Christopher Arnold is amazing.
When combined with James Blair and Bella Eibensteiner,
it becomes absolutely stellar!
Family LondonpasticheDavid Day
At each performance we are blessed with the loveliest
and most appreciative audiences from around the world!


It is hard to believe that we have only two weeks left!

If you or your friends are London bound make sure
you let us know, and stay after the show to say hello!


The Leicester Square Theatre
6 Leicester Place London WC2H 7BX
Tuesday 29 July - Sunday 31 August

Box office: 0844 847 2475
TicketWeb.co.uk

USA Press Contact
Susan L.Schulman/Publicity
(212) 921-4344 email:
susan@schulmanpublicity.com


Accepting bookings now for 2009/2010!

Next USA performance is in March 2009 as part
of the
Invisible Theatre
's 38th Anniversary Season!

pastiche

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

A CONVERSATION WITH EDITH HEAD. To 31 August. :: ReviewsGate.com :: The Theatre Reviews site that covers the UK.


A CONVERSATION WITH EDITH HEAD. To 31 August.
ReviewsGate.com :: The Theatre Reviews site that covers the UK.

Posted by : TimothyRamsden on Aug 13, 2008 - 10:07 PM

London.

A CONVERSATION WITH EDITH HEAD
by Paddy Calistro and Susan Claassen.

Leicester Square Theatre 5 Leicester Place WC2H 7BP To 31 August 2008.
Tue-Sat 8pm Sun 7pm Mat Thu, Sat, Sun 3pm.
Runs 1hr 30min No interval.

TICKETS: 0844 847 2375.
Review: Timothy Ramsden 10 August.

Exclusive meeting with the Head of Hollywood.

Teacher turned Hollywood Costume Designer Edith Head forged her way into movies with a catalogue of designs that weren’t her own. Later in her life at Paramount and Universal Studios there’d be more questions of attribution, including the designs for Paul Newman and Robert Redford in The Sting that won her one of eight Oscars (she spent years pushing for Costume as a category).

But, working on 1131 films from twenties silents to 1981 (when this show’s set, Edith arriving slightly late and apologetic from a ‘phone call about her final film, Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid), Head could afford a controversy or two.

She was well up to putting her view, as this aptly-titled show shows. Audience questions and comments from unattributed helpers elicit responses indicating the mercurial manner of someone who could be touchy if challenged, but was discreet about the stars she’d not got on with, and generous about the ones she’d liked. Only at the end is there some sense of regret she’d always been in the shadows, the anonymous figure behind the star whose beauty she’d enhanced and glamour she’d helped create.

An array of stills across the tiny stage in the small downstairs space at the Leicester Square Theatre (just north of the square itself), are mostly of Hollywood’s glittering generations; but the occasional one shows Head in striking pose, with dark-glasses, well-aware of the industry she’s working among.

American Susan Claassen catches Head’s darkly distinctive look remarkably, equipping it with contrasting energy, telling stories, responding to questions, switching mood or track without a split-second’s loss of pace. The show’s title is right; this soon takes on the feel of a conversation, as Claassen treats each audience member with individual attention, leaving a conviction you’ve been in Head’s presence yourself.

No doubt she was a fighter – and had to be in cinematic Egoland. Twice-married, she claims 8 important men in her life, all called Oscar: her octet of Awards helped build her status with the stars. For anyone with any leaning towards the era of Hollywood glamour-fantasies, Claassen’s spot-on impersonation provides a riveting hour-and-a-half.


Edith Head: Susan Claassen.

Designers: James Blair, Susan Claassen.
Costume Re-creations: Chris Brewer, Maryann Trombino.
Wig design: Renate E Leuschner.
Voice/Movement coach: Dianne J Winslow.

Sunday, August 10, 2008

The British Theatre Guide : Reviews - A Conversation with Edith Head (Leicester Square Theatre)


The British Theatre Guide : Reviews - A Conversation with Edith Head (Leicester Square Theatre)

A Conversation With Edith Head
By Susan Claassen & Paddy Calistro
Leicester Square Theatre

Review by Rachel Sheridan (2008)

Edith Head was responsible for some of Hollywood's most infamous fashion, dressing virtually every Hollywood starlet from the late 1920s through to the early 1980s, winning eight Oscars for her work, more than any other woman has won.

Now she is in the West End for those wishing the pleasure of her company. Well, Susan Claassen is in the West End, playing Edith Head in A Conversation With Edith Head. However it is hard to tell where Susan starts and Edith ends in this utterly captivating performance.

Speaking at the time of the last film she worked on, Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford, this is a night of informal conversation with Ms Head as she takes you on an enchanting stroll down memory lane, bringing back to life the golden age of Hollywood.

The Leicester Square Theatre (formally The Venue) is the ideal space for this intimate occasion. Surrounded by framed photos of stars Head has worked with such as Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor and Bette Davis, alongside sketches of her designs and mannequins modelling her creations, Claassen glides around the set with ease, as if she were in her own living room.

Whilst refusing to indulge in salacious gossip, Ms Head openly shares precious moments from Hollywood history: stories from film sets, the nature of her relationships with certain stars and the inspiration behind her designs. All the while engaging in casual chit chat with the audience, who submit questions beforehand, as if she were talking with old friends.

As she comments on certain aspects of the audience who hang on her every word, the performance is fresh and spontaneous, all the while helped along by the charming Christopher (Christopher Arnold), the host of the evening and the well planted fanatical fan who seems to know more about Edith Head's life than Head herself.

A beautifully frank portrayal of Head - she is certainly not all sweetness and light. She is sentimental, arrogant, fun, indignant, friendly and above all a self-confessed "master of self promotion". Never wanting to go unnoticed, yet in the same breath never wanting to compete with the stars she styled. At only 5"1 (and a quarter) Head is a force to be reckoned with.

A Conversation With Edith Head is so much more than just a show for followers of fashion. It is about years gone by; a period in film history that set a trend for generations to come. Edith Head passed away in 1981 only two weeks after completing her last film, but as you leave the theatre with Glaassen still in character chatting to each and every person, one honestly does feel that they have met the truly inspirational woman that was Edith Head and what a privilege it is.

Until 31st August



Monday, August 4, 2008

A Conversation With Edith Head Review 3 stars



A Conversation With Edith Head Review 3 stars


Review of A Conversation With Edith Head
"A MUST FOR MOVIE BUFFS"
by Aline Waites for remotegoat on 04/08/08


Set in 1981, Susan Claassen gives a virtuoso performance of one of the most iconic figures on the Hollywood scene. Edith Head was known as Designer to the Stars until her death in 1981 after completing work on Steve Martin's film "Dead Men don't Wear Plaid", a movie which was dedicated to her memory.

During her long career she received eight Oscars - more than any other woman in history and was nominated for 35 more. For forty four years she worked at Paramount creating garments for stars like Mae West, Bette Davies, Ginger Rogers, Marlene Dietrich and Barbara Stanwyck. She was also one of Hitchcock's favourite designers.

The set is a fascinating array of signed photographs and glamorous costumes and Claassen wears a neat grey suit and the signature bangs and glasses of her idol. This is an honest, totally believable acting performance. The audience is encouraged to take part, to ask questions to which she replies in an occasionally acerbic or dismissive way and she barks questions back at them like the schoolmistress Edith once was.

Head's beginning was a fraud. She worked as a French teacher, taking Art lessons in her spare time. When Paramount studios advertised for someone to work in the costume department, she stole designs from some of the other students and presenting them as her own, got the job. This set up a pattern in her life. Although she was a hugely talented designer in her own right, she accepted the Oscar for Sabrina, even though it should have gone to Givenchy who was responsible for the whole of Audrey Hepburn's wardrobe. Givenchy is dismissed with scorn - he never stuck up for himself so her claim on the Oscar was valid, she seems to say. Actually, this was sheer greed on her part because she had eight of them on her mantelshelf!
She gossips about her stars. Gives away secrets about their figure faults - and how she managed make them look perfect. Her admiration for her "ladies" borders on idolatry - and the feelings were mutual.

She adores Marlene. "If you want the most elegant female in the world, you put Dietrich into a tailored suit, the plainer the suit, the more elegant she looked." She speaks warmly of most of them, although she almost spits every time she mentions the name Claudette Colbert.

The show is packed with anecdotes which are amusing and indicative of the romantic fantasy that was early Hollywood. In B Westerns her demure gingham gowns were turned down by the producers. Low neck dresses were more attractive to the director and despite Indian ambushes, wheels falling off wagons etc, the dresses stayed pristine - clean and starched and the necklines never got displaced.

Towards the end of the show someone asks:"Have you any regrets?". She gives him a Bette Davies look and snaps "I never dressed Marilyn Monroe or the Chicago white sox"

A must for movie buffs.
Event Venues & Times
Showing until 31/08/08 Studio Space at Leicester Square Thea... 5 Leicester Place, London, WC2H 7BP

Sunday, August 3, 2008

BBC Radio Interview with Susan Claassen



Listen to the BBC Radio interview of Suz.
[CLICK HERE]

"A Conversation with Edith Head" is playing at the Studio Space, Leicester Square Theatre, London, July 29-August 31

Friday, August 1, 2008

A Conversation with Edith Head




Published Friday 1 August 2008 at 16:55 by Emma Barnett


In one sense she is the "master of self promotion" and in another, she's "the woman who isn't there". It's this diversity of character aptly portrayed by Susan Claassen, that makes A Conversation with Edith Head such lovely watching.


Head, arguably the greatest ever costume designer to the stars, has come to London in the shape of Claassen. In her time, this small, determined power-force, won eight Oscars, had a career spanning 58 years first at Paramount and then Universal, and dressed all the greats, from Mae West to Grace Kelly. She died at the age of 83 in 1981.


It was supposedly after watching a TV biography of Head, Claassen knew she could play her and promptly with Paddy Calistro, co-author of Head's posthumous autobiography, joined forces to write this script


And she was right. Set in 1981 while working on Steve Martin's Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid, you are welcomed as an audience who has come armed with questions and a burning curiosity about Head's world. Even if you know nothing about her or the stars she clothed, you can just tell from Claassen's high quality of acting, she is capturing Head's essence with her every crafted move. She actually becomes her, a feat helped also by the fact she bears a strong resemblance to Head. The loving way Claassen handles clothes, her biting wit when answering the planted questions from the floor, and even her exaggerations of success, seems uncanny and adds to the charm of this show.


The set is stunning - littered with mannequins, autographed photographs of Hollywood stars and of course, her treasured Oscars.


It is, however, a show with quite limited appeal. You either need to know about Head or really want to know about her. You can't recommended this play to just anyone because it really is like an evening with Head and therefore not something everyone would sign up for.
Mae West once said to Head, "When you find your magic, stick with it". Head certainly found hers, but the realisation that she only ever threw her magic on to others and spent her life in someone else's shadow, is one realisation too many by the end of the show, which Claassen portrays with aplomb.


Co-authors, Claassen and Calistro, do assume a certain audience, but if you fit the bill, you're in for a great evening of old-school glamour and wonderful recollections.
Production information


Studio Space, Leicester Square Theatre, London, July 29-August 31
Authors:
Paddy Calistro, Susan Claassen
Directors:
Anthony Field, John C Causebrook, Elizabeth Lomas
Producer:
Anthony Field Associates Ltd
Cast includes:
Susan Claassen, Christopher Arnold
Running time:
1hr 20mins

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Claassen Plays Legendary Edith Head In UK's 'Conversation' (BroadwayWorld.com)

Claassen Plays Legendary Edith Head In UK's 'Conversation' (BroadwayWorld.com):

Tuesday, July 29, 2008; Posted: 7:00 AM - by BWW News Desk



Arizona-based actress SUSAN CLAASSEN stars on London’s West End as legendary Hollywood designer Edith Head in “A CONVERSATION WITH EDITH HEAD”. Anthony Field Associates presents this West End premiere at The Leicester Square Theatre from Tuesday, July 29 through Sunday, August 31, 2008. (Note change of venue – originally scheduled to play at The Arts Club.) The intimate portrait was written by Paddy Calistro and Susan Claassen. The press opening will be on Thursday, July 31 at 8 PM.





“A CONVERSATION WITH EDITH HEAD”, based on the book Edith Head’s Hollywood by Edith Head & Paddy Calistro, is a behind-the-scenes feast of great movie legends and delicious stories that provide an insight into Hollywood’s legendary costume designer. In her six decades of costume design, she worked on over eleven hundred films; dressed the greatest stars of Hollywood; received 35 Academy Award® nominations, and won an unprecedented eight Oscars®. Edith Head’s story is as fascinating as the history of the film industry itself, filled with humor, frustration and, above all, glamour. This diva of design helped to define glamour in the most glamorous place in the world - Hollywood!

Edith Head was a Hollywood costume designer for more than 60 years. 44 of those years were spent at Paramount Studios, where she worked with the most famous actors of the time, from Mae West and Clara Bow to Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn and Bette Davis. When Paramount failed to renew her contract in 1967, Alfred Hitchcock stepped in and Ms. Head was invited to join Universal Studios. At Universal she costumed Robert Redford and Paul Newman in “The Sting” and won the first-ever Oscar® for a film without a female lead. Her eight Academy Award® celebrated her artistry in “The Heiress” (her first Oscar®), “Samson & Delilah”, “All About Eve”, “A Place in the Sun”, “Roman Holiday”, “Sabrina”, “The Facts of Life” and “The Sting”. Edith Head died in October 1981, still under contract to Universal Studios, having just completed working on the Steve Martin film, “Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid”.

Susan Claassen was inspired to write and star in “A CONVERSATION WITH EDITH HEAD” while watching a TV biography of Ms. Head. The petite, dark-haired actress immediately imagined herself playing Edith Head, “…a perfect fit,” as Claassen describes it. “Not only do I bear a striking resemblance to Edith, but we share the same love for clothes and fashion. Edith did what no woman did in the history of film. She survived the boy’s club world of Hollywood to enjoy a 60-year career, during which she worked on a staggering 1,131 films, earned 35 Oscar nominations and won eight. She stitched Dorothy Lamour into her sarong; put Bob Hope and Bing Crosby in kilts in “The Road to Bali”; created Bette Davis’ glamorous Margo Channing; made teenage girls swoon over Elizabeth Taylor’s white ballgown in “A Place in the Sun”; dressed Ingrid Bergman in “Notorious”, Grace Kelly in “To Catch A Thief”, Kim Novak in “Vertigo”, Gloria Swanson in “Sunset Boulevard” and Sean Connery in “The Man Who Would Be King”. There are many myths about her but she was a discreet, tenacious personality. She knew whose hips needed clever disguising and made sure those legendary stars always looked the part. Our show gives the inside scoop on Edith and the Golden Age of Hollywood.”

“A CONVERSATION WITH EDITH HEAD” premiered at the Invisible Theatre in Tucson, Arizona in January, 2002 and was subsequently presented in Chicago; Key West, FLA; at the American Film Institute in Silver Spring, MD; Hartford; San Francisco; Nantucket, and Scottsdale, as well as in Tbilisi in the Republic of Georgia and a ‘sold out’ engagement at the 2007 Edinburgh Festival Fringe (Out of the 2,000 shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival only 200 were officially designated ‘Sold Out’ engagements.) Up-coming performances of “A CONVERSATION WITH EDITH HEAD” include an engagement on March 5-8, 2009 at The Invisible Theatre in Tucson, Arizona. www.invisibletheatre.com

As an actress, some of Susan’s most memorable roles have been Bella in “LOST IN YONKERS” Alice B. Toklas in “GERTRUDE STEIN AND A COMPANION” Hannah in “CROSSING DELANCEY”, Shirley in “SHIRLEY VALENTINE” and Trudy in “THE SEARCH FOR SIGNS OF INTELLIGENT LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE”. In addition to her work with the Invisible Theatre she has been a consultant and director for the Waterfront Playhouse and The Red Barn Theatre in Key West, Florida, and directed Steve Ross in “I WON’T DANCE” at New York’s famed Rainbow and Stars Cabaret and St. Paul's prestigious Ordway Theatre. As Managing Artistic Director of The Invisible Theatre in Tucson, Arizona, Susan has produced more than 335 productions and directed more than 50. She is the recipient of the 1985 Governor’s Award for Women Who Create; the 1993 Humanitarian Torch Award for her efforts on behalf of people living with AIDS, and a 1996 Distinguished Service Award from the State Federation for Exceptional Children for her commitment to arts education for special populations. Susan was the 1999 City of Hope “Spirit of Life” recipient (as was Edith Head in 1976), and performs as a clown in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. She was recently selected as one of Tucson Lifestyle’s 10 Most Admired Women and will be honored by The Jewish Federation in 2009 as one of Tucson’s 13 most remarkable women.

Much of the dialogue in “A CONVERSATION WITH EDITH HEAD” comes directly from the famed designer. When she was asked to write the authorized posthumous autobiography, Edith Head’s Hollywood, Paddy Calistro acquired more than 13 hours of recollections recorded by Edith Head – including her own snippy “Edithisms” as Ms. Head referred to her own sayings, such as: "I hate modesty, don't you?" and "Good clothes are not a matter of good luck." The show also features insights from Hollywood insiders who knew Ms. Head best: costume designer Bob Mackie, who once worked as Ms. Head's sketch artist; her dear friend Edie Wasserman, wife of the late Universal Studio head Lew Wasserman, and Art Linkletter, award-winning host of TV’s “House Party”, who brought Edith Head into the homes of America. Edith would stroll through the studio audience with Linkletter, offering brutally critical fashion, diet and grooming advice - all this half a century before the current mania for on-screen makeovers. "Go on a diet!" she would instruct an overweight woman, while instantly making her look ten pounds slimmer by pulling her shirt out of her trousers, whipping a belt around her middle and swapping her cheap gold jewelry for her own signature pearls. Young fans of Pixar’s “The Incredibles” will recognized the superhero outfitter Edna Mode as an affectionate tribute to the legendary Hollywood costume designer.

“A CONVERSATIONWITH EDITH HEAD” is produced by Anthony Field Associates through special arrangement with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Motion Picture & Television Fund.

Co-author Paddy Calistro is one of the leading authorities on the life and work of Edith Head and is the co-author of Edith Head's posthumous autobiography, Edith Head’s Hollywood. She was selected as Ms. Head’s official biographer based on her experience as a fashion journalist. A former fashion and beauty writer for the Los Angeles Times, Paddy wrote the weekly “Looks” column in the LA Times Magazine for four years. She was the West Coast reporter for Allure and has written for Glamour, Mademoiselle, House Beautiful, Elle, Four Seasons Magazine, Fitness and Los Angeles Magazine. For more than a decade Paddy was the lead interior design writer for LA Magazine, and was also the editor of American Style, a bilingual fashion magazine sold in Mexico and South America. The co-founder of Angel City Press, an independent book publishing company based in Santa Monica, she currently serves as its Publisher and Editor-in-chief.

For additional information about “A CONVERSATION WITH EDITH HEAD” go to www.edithhead.biz.

Monday, July 28, 2008

GAYDARNATION -Conversation With Edith Head: Susan Claassen 28 Jul 2008






A Conversation With Edith Head is a glorious behind the scenes feast of great movie legends and delicious stories that provide an insight into Hollywood’s legendary costume designer. In her six decades of costume design, she worked on 1,131 motion pictures, dressed the greatest stars of Hollywood, received 35 Academy Award nominations and won an unprecedented eight Oscars - a record that will never be broken.

Edith Head’s story is as fascinating as the history of the film industry itself. It’s a story filled with humour, frustration and above all glamour - this diva of design helped to define glamour in the most glamorous place in the world - Hollywood!

We caught up with the writer and star of A Conversation With Edith Head to find out more.

Tell us a little bit about A Conversation with Edith Head. What can we expect?
The minute you approach the brand new Leicester Square Studio Theatre with its very own red carpet, you will be swept away into the golden age of Hollywood. The Studio Theatre is being transformed into Miss Head's Salon through vintage photographs, costumes and one-of-a-kind original sketches.

What’s so enthralling about her story?
Edith's story is as fascinating as the history of the film industry itself, filled with humor, frustration and, above all, glamour. This diva of design helped to define glamour in the most glamorous place in the world - Hollywood! Remember, Edith Head did Hollywood Red Carpet commentary while Joan Rivers was still in college.

Edith Head may not be a household name these days, but in her prime she was one of the most colourful characters in Hollywood. She was dishing out caustic fashion advice years before Trinny and Susannah made careers out of it, and was confidante to the stars long before Celebrity Sleuth broadcast their measurements.

As Lucille Ball said, Edith knew the figure faults of every top star. And she never told - Edith always knew how to keep a secret."

Well, in this cozy conversation some secrets might be revealed and fashion tips freely given. As Miss Head says, "If Cinderella had had Edith Head, she would not have needed a Fairy godmother!"

What was it that first inspired you to write the piece?
I first got the idea seven years ago when I was watching a television biography. I contacted Edith's estate and they granted me permission to pursue this project. I madly read anything I could find and when I came upon Paddy Calistro's book, Edith Head's Hollywood, I decided to attempt to locate its author. I called telephone information for Santa Monica, where I thought Paddy lived, and voila, she was listed. I placed the phone call and it was kismet.

At our first meeting in Los Angeles we knew the connection was right and we agreed to collaborate. Paddy had not only written the book but had inherited 13 hours of taped interviews with Edith Head - it was truly a gift from heaven. We can honestly say that A Conversation with Edith is based upon the words and thoughts of Edith Head - the ''Edith-isms'.

"I make people into what they are not - ten years older or younger, fatter or thinner, more handsome or more ridiculous, glamorous or sexy or horrible. The camera never lies, after all, so my work is really an exercise in camouflage."

You've got a striking resemblance to Edith. Was the plan always to star in the show as well?
I literally did a double take when I watched that TV biography. My physical resemblance to Edith seemed uncanny! And what's even more bizarre, we are the same height and both born 50 years apart in October! The more I watched, the more I knew there was a great story to be told.

Having done extensive research, what was it about Edith that made her so successful?
Edith was an executive woman before there was such a thing! It was a boy's club when she started - 1923. Women in the Unites Stated had just recently got ten the vote, if you can imagine. It has been said that Edith had the instincts of a pastry chef and the authority of a factory foreman.

She herself said, "I knew I was not a creative design genius... I am a better diplomat than I am a designer...I was never going to be the world's greatest costume designer, but there was no reason I could not be the smartest and most celebrated."

She knew how to play the game better than anyone. Her concern really was to change actors into characters. Edith said, "I make people into what they are not - ten years older or younger, fatter or thinner, more handsome or more ridiculous, glamorous or sexy or horrible. The camera never lies, after all, so my work is really an exercise in camouflage."

Do you have a moment in the show that particularly touches you?
We set the play in 1981 during the making of her last film, Carl Reiner's Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid starring Steve Martin. She died two weeks after the wrap of the film and the film is dedicated to her. Throughout the play we see glimpses of a woman who has outlived all her contemporaries and is wrestling with a lifetime of memories and regrets.

Is there a real difference between costume design and high fashion?
High fashion is of the moment and the best of costume design is timeless. You must remember that costumes were often completed a couple of years before the release of the film.

A perfect example are Elizabeth Taylor's gowns in the 1951 A Place in the Sun . The film was shot in 1949 and released in 1951.The silhouette was the most important aspect of any of the ensembles, therefore the costumes in the Academy Award winning film could be worn to any society event today. The woman wearing it would evoke an era classic couture and look as dramatic as Liz did when she danced with the dreamy Monty Clift!

Edith had the ability to shape each gown to a character or image. This is what made her as popular with film directors as with the glamour girls she dressed in both their private lives and screen roles.

"We act as though we believe that the more we have on the more important we are - if one pin is smart, two pins would be smarter and six would be divine."

Do you share Edith's passion for clothes and fashion?
Absolutely. Edith often quoted Mae West when she said, "Find a magic that does something for you honey and stick with it." I think that defines my sense of fashion. While in Edinburgh last summer, the Sunday Herald did a style piece that captured that philosophy.

Where do you stand on accessories – can girl ever have too many accessories?
They are called accessories, not excessories! Edith said, "We act as though we believe that the more we have on the more important we are - if one pin is smart, two pins would be smarter and six would be divine."

So what's been your most extravagant purchase?
I actually purchased some original Edith Head sketches and costumes at auction which will be on display. I am avid eBayer when it comes to Edith Head memorabilia. Personally, I love to travel and have been know to be extravagant when purchasing a bottle of Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame. Champagne is my drink of choice, Edith's was Jack Daniels! Rather than a Grande Dame, Miss Head was a great dame!

Will you be wearing any of Edith's creations in the show?
I won't be wearing any of Edith's creations in the show as when she was at work she wore simple clothes never to upstage the stars she was dressing! You will, however, get to see some original Edith Head costumes as well as some iconic recreations. Did you know Miss Head designed the uniform for Pan Am and the flight attendant in Boeing Boeing is an homage to that design!

Do you have particular favourite costume of hers?
That would be like picking a favorite child! I have to admit I do love the costumes from To Catch a Thief - she had an extravagant budget and a gorgeous star, Grace Kelly - who could ask for anything more.

What's your favourite item of clothing?
I would like to think that the outfit I am wearing at any given time is my favorite.

Style has moved on from Edith's day, do you think she'd approved of the more casual approach to fashion we now have?
Edith always said, "You can be anything you want, as long as you dress for it! Good clothes are not a matter of good luck. I say sacrifice style any day for becomingness, for a look that suits your age and your chassis!"

Have you ever had a Hollywood diva moment?
I'd have to say the night my amazing London producers, Tony Field and John C. Causebrook came to see my performance in Edinburgh last summer. It was one of those magical nights in the theatre when all the ‘stars’ are aligned. Their reputation preceded them and when they introduced themselves after the show said they wanted to produce its West End premiere - it was definitely a ‘Hollywood’ moment!

Why do you think A Conversation with Edith Head is going to appeal to a gay audience?
Because Edith Head represents style, class and lots of sass! Oh, and did I mention Bette Davis?

"You can be anything you want, as long as you dress for it! Good clothes are not a matter of good luck. I say sacrifice style any day for becomingness, for a look that suits your age and your chassis!"

If you were going to be a lesbian for just one weekend, who would you want to go out on a date with?
My partner of 22 years!

What do you want audiences to take with them after having seen A Conversation with Edith Head?
The audience response has been amazing. From Tbilisi to Edinburgh to Chicago audiences have been touched by Edith's story. What they take with them after having seen the performance is truly dependent on what they bring to it.

Film buffs get immersed in hearing stories from someone who has lived through the evolution of contemporary film, older audiences remember always seeing the closing credits, ‘Gowns by Edith Head’, it evokes a bygone era and younger audiences think of the Pixar animated film The Incredibles and Edna Mode, designer to the superheroes.

The universal response is summed up by a note I received from a fan, "My friend saw the show on Saturday and adored it. He said the same as me, i.e. if someone mentions Edith Head to me now, my first reaction will be to say "Oh yes, I met her once and it was unforgetable!"

What are you most looking forward to about performing in London?
The wonderfully brilliant and stylish audiences!

And finally, what's next for you?
I am managing artistic director of the Invisible Theatre in Tucson, Arizona. We will kick-off our 38th anniversary season 17 September with the premiere of Dixie Longate in Dixies’s Tupperware Party prior to its national US tour. Audiences will see for themselves how Ms. Dixie became the #1 Tupperware seller in the world - she instructs her guests on the many alternative uses she has discovered for her plastic products!

Find out more at www.edithhead.biz.

A Conversation?With?Edith?Head, by Susan Claassen
Studio Space at the Leicester Square?Theatre (formerly The Venue)
5 Leicester Place
London, WC2
0844 847 2475 / www.ticketweb.com

29 July-31 August 2008

Want more? Then get Edith Head, by David Chierichetti online and save some money to put towards the book that inspired A Conversation With Edith Head, Edith Head's Hollywood, by Paddy Calistro.
Author: Stephen Beeny
Read more by this author

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Playbill


London's Arts Theatre, most recently home to the short-lived U.K. run of Jay Johnson's The Two and Only, has closed down pending a redevelopment of the entire site, which is expected to include provision for a new theatre space.

This development has meant that the next scheduled production at the Arts, A Conversation with Edith Head, is switching venues and will launch the new downstairs Studio Space at the re-launched Leicester Square Theatre (formerly The Venue). The play, based on the life of the legendary Hollywood costume designer who worked on 1,131 motion pictures in a career spanning six decades (which saw her winning eight Oscars out of 35 she was nominated for), will begin performances there on July 29, prior to an official opening on July 31, for a run to Aug. 31.

The play is co-written by Paddy Calistro and Susan Claassen, who plays the title role. Calistro and Head co-authored the book, "Edith Head's Hollywood," which is the source material for the play.

According to press materials, Head's story "is as fascinating as the history of the film industry itself. It's a story filled with humour, frustration and above all glamour. This diva of design helped to define glamour in the most glamorous place in the world - Hollywood!" Head spent 44 years of her six-decade career at Paramount Studios, where she worked with the most famous actors of the time, from Mae West and Clara Bow to Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn and Bette Davis. When Paramount failed to renew her contract in 1967, Alfred Hitchcock stepped in and Ms. Head was invited to join Universal Studios. At Universal she costumed Robert Redford and Paul Newman in "The Sting," for which she won her eighth Oscar – previous wins included her work on "The Heiress," "Samson & Delilah," "All About Eve," "A Place in the Sun," "Roman Holiday," "Sabrina" and "The Facts of Life." She died in October 1981, still under contract to Universal Studios, having just completed working on the Steve Martin film, "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid."

Claassen was inspired to co-write and star in A Conversation with Edith Head while watching a TV biography of Ms. Head. As she says in press materials, "Not only do I bear a striking resemblance to Edith, but we share the same love for clothes and fashion." Much of the dialogue in A Conversation with Edith Head comes directly from the designer. When asked to write the authorized posthumous autobiography, "Edith Head's Hollywood," Paddy Calistro acquired more than 13 hours of recollections recorded by Edith Head - "Edithisms" as Ms. Head referred to her own sayings. There are also contributions from costume designer Bob Mackie, who once worked as Ms. Head's sketch artist; her dear friend Edie Wasserman, wife of the late Universal Studio head Lew Wasserman; and Art Linkletter, award-winning host of "House Party," the daytime U.S. TV show of the 1950s that brought Edith Head into the homes of America.

Claassen is celebrating her 34th anniversary with the Invisible Theatre of Tucson, Arizona, as managing artistic director, and has produced more than 335 productions and directed more than 50. As an actress, her most memorable roles have been Bella in Lost in Yonkers, Alice B. Toklas in Gertrude Stein and a Companion, Hannah in Crossing Delancey, the title role in Shirley Valentine and Trudy in The Search For Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe. She is the recipient of the 1985 Governor's Award for Women Who Create, the 1993 Humanitarian Torch Award for her efforts on behalf of people living with AIDS and a 1996 Distinguished Service Award from the State Federation for Exceptional Children for her commitment to arts education for special populations. Claassen was the 1999 City of Hope "Spirit of Life" recipient, and performs as a clown in the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. She was recently selected as one of Tucson Lifestyle's 10 Most Admired Women.

For tickets contact the box office at 0844 847 2475 or visit www.ticketweb.com.
London's Arts Theatre, most recently home to the short-lived U.K. run of Jay Johnson's The Two and Only, has closed down pending a redevelopment of the entire site, which is expected to include provision for a new theatre space.

This development has meant that the next scheduled production at the Arts, A Conversation with Edith Head, is switching venues and will launch the new downstairs Studio Space at the re-launched Leicester Square Theatre (formerly The Venue). The play, based on the life of the legendary Hollywood costume designer who worked on 1,131 motion pictures in a career spanning six decades (which saw her winning eight Oscars out of 35 she was nominated for), will begin performances there on July 29, prior to an official opening on July 31, for a run to Aug. 31.

The play is co-written by Paddy Calistro and Susan Claassen, who plays the title role. Calistro and Head co-authored the book, "Edith Head's Hollywood," which is the source material for the play.

According to press materials, Head's story "is as fascinating as the history of the film industry itself. It's a story filled with humour, frustration and above all glamour. This diva of design helped to define glamour in the most glamorous place in the world - Hollywood!" Head spent 44 years of her six-decade career at Paramount Studios, where she worked with the most famous actors of the time, from Mae West and Clara Bow to Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn and Bette Davis. When Paramount failed to renew her contract in 1967, Alfred Hitchcock stepped in and Ms. Head was invited to join Universal Studios. At Universal she costumed Robert Redford and Paul Newman in "The Sting," for which she won her eighth Oscar – previous wins included her work on "The Heiress," "Samson & Delilah," "All About Eve," "A Place in the Sun," "Roman Holiday," "Sabrina" and "The Facts of Life." She died in October 1981, still under contract to Universal Studios, having just completed working on the Steve Martin film, "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid."

Claassen was inspired to co-write and star in A Conversation with Edith Head while watching a TV biography of Ms. Head. As she says in press materials, "Not only do I bear a striking resemblance to Edith, but we share the same love for clothes and fashion." Much of the dialogue in A Conversation with Edith Head comes directly from the designer. When asked to write the authorized posthumous autobiography, "Edith Head's Hollywood," Paddy Calistro acquired more than 13 hours of recollections recorded by Edith Head - "Edithisms" as Ms. Head referred to her own sayings. There are also contributions from costume designer Bob Mackie, who once worked as Ms. Head's sketch artist; her dear friend Edie Wasserman, wife of the late Universal Studio head Lew Wasserman; and Art Linkletter, award-winning host of "House Party," the daytime U.S. TV show of the 1950s that brought Edith Head into the homes of America.

Claassen is celebrating her 34th anniversary with the Invisible Theatre of Tucson, Arizona, as managing artistic director, and has produced more than 335 productions and directed more than 50. As an actress, her most memorable roles have been Bella in Lost in Yonkers, Alice B. Toklas in Gertrude Stein and a Companion, Hannah in Crossing Delancey, the title role in Shirley Valentine and Trudy in The Search For Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe. She is the recipient of the 1985 Governor's Award for Women Who Create, the 1993 Humanitarian Torch Award for her efforts on behalf of people living with AIDS and a 1996 Distinguished Service Award from the State Federation for Exceptional Children for her commitment to arts education for special populations. Claassen was the 1999 City of Hope "Spirit of Life" recipient, and performs as a clown in the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. She was recently selected as one of Tucson Lifestyle's 10 Most Admired Women.

For tickets contact the box office at 0844 847 2475 or visit www.ticketweb.com.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Five Reasons to See … A Conversation With Edith Head

July 24, 2008

A Conversation With Edith HeadSusan Claassen stars as the legendary Hollywood designer Edith Head - winner of eight Oscars - in A Conversation With Edith Head, in the Studio at the Leicester Square Theatre, (formerly The Venue), 5 Leicester Place, London WC2, from 29 July - 31 August.

1. You will be swept away into the Golden Age of Hollywood

The Studio Theatre at the new Leicester Square Theatre is being transformed into “Miss Head’s Salon” where she dressed (or undressed) the glamorous stars of the silver screen from Mae West to Grace Kelly to Robert Redford. I think of the performance as an intimate portrait, a feast of great movie legends, delicious stories and a whisper of gossip. Edith Head may not be a household name these days, but in her prime she was one of the most colourful characters in Hollywood. She was dishing out caustic fashion advice years before Trinny and Susannah made careers out of it. In her six decades of costume design, she worked on over eleven hundred films; received 35 Academy Award nominations, and won an unprecedented eight Oscars. This is a record that will never be broken.

2. You’ll get to be up close and personal with some of Edith Head’s Hollywood gowns and her one-of-a-kind original sketches

I actually purchased some original Edith Head sketches and costumes at auction which will be on display. I’m an avid ebayer when it comes to Edith Head memorabilia. I won’t be wearing any of Edith’s creations in the show as when she was at work she wore simple clothes never to upstage the stars she was dressing! You will, however, get to see some original Edith Head costumes as well as some iconic recreations. Did you know Miss Head designed the uniform for Pan Am and the flight attendant in Boeing Boeing is an homage to that design!

3. If you’re stylishly dressed then you’ll be awarded an Edith Head Gold Star - they are very rare and sought after and were the hit of last year’s Edinburgh Fringe

I come out among the audience and have been known to comment … Remember, Edith Head did “Hollywood Red Carpet” commentary while Joan Rivers was still in college. … I can’t wait to see the brilliantly stylish London audiences

4. You’ll fall in love with this wonderful woman…just like the biggest stars in Hollywood

“Edith Head was like my surrogate mother. I think she loved me and I truly loved her”
Elizabeth Taylor

“When I finally got ‘dressed’ by Edith Head, that’s when I knew I was really a star”
Robert Redford
“What Edith Head did for us all, with clothes is inestimable-she was in a class by herself”
Natalie Wood
“Edith knew the figure faults of every top star. And she never told - Edith always knew how to keep a secret”
Lucille Ball
“When that little thing walks into a room, you know she’s there”
Joan Crawford

5. You’ll believe you’ve really met Edith Head

It is such a privilege to keep this amazing woman’s legacy alive. From Tbilisi to Edinburgh 2007 (where we were so fortunate to be one of only 200 official “Sell-Out” Shows) to Chicago audiences have been touched by Edith’s story. What they take with them after having seen the performance is truly dependent on what they bring to it. Film buffs get immersed in hearing stories from someone who has lived through the evolution of contemporary film, older audiences remember always seeing the closing credits, “Gowns by Edith Head” and it evokes a bygone era and younger audiences think of the Pixar animated film “The Incredibles” and Edna Mode, designer to the super heroes. The universal response is summed up by a note I received from a fan, “My friend saw the show on Saturday and adored it. He said the same as me, that if someone mentions Edith Head to me now, my first reaction will be to say ‘Oh yes, I met her once and it was unforgettable!”

For more info & tickets visit www.ticketweb.com or call 0844 847 2475

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