The High Style Hijinx of "Fallen Angels" on Broadway

Rose Byrne and Kelli O'Hara in "Fallen Angels" (photos by Joan Marcus) 

     TD and I recently had the pleasure of seeing "Fallen Angels" starring Rose Byrne and Kelli O'Hara on Broadway. Ads for this play popped up on my social media and I thought a play by Noel Coward from the 1920s with direction by Scott Ellis and a set by David Rockwell starring these two fine actresses sounded right up my ally so we ordered some tickets. 

   The play is mounted by the Roundabout Theater Company at the Todd Haimes Theater on West 42nd Street. Modern day New York City imposed itself on the way to the theater as one has to run an obstacle course through ugly construction and scaffolding to get there. And the grand theater, built in 1918, has undergone a renovation that includes a little unattractive lobby and a tiny bar. Not a very glamorous arrival. But once inside the theater itself, with its elegant decoration and historic architecture, the stage was set for an escapist entertainment. 

     Noel Coward wrote "Fallen Angels" when he was 24 and it was initially censored by Lord Chamberlain in England for it's "discussion of pre-marital sex" and the "quite unnecessary frankness of expression among women."  Apparently, in England, in the 20s, women were not supposed to feel sexual desire. With a few changes, the play premiered in 1925 and has been produced only a couple of times since. 

     The story involves two upper class, married, society lady friends who find themselves fighting over a Frenchman they both knew in their single days. The plot starts off quite traditionally and a little slow but I think it was directed that way in order to contrast with the hijinx that is to come. As the polite friends Julia (O'Hara) and Jane (Byrne) drink more cocktails, they get increasingly argumentative and competitive with each other that culminates in laugh-out-loud lines and uproarious physical humor. 

     The very glamorous Art Deco set by Rockwell Group and gorgeous costumes by Jeff Mahshie are a delight to the eye and offer a traditional, polished framework as the mayhem ensues. Because within the sophisticated decor and while wearing beautiful clothes, the fun is watching two very proper actresses really go at it and completely lose it over a man. We first saw and admired Kelli O'Hara in the musical play "The Light in the Piazza" and she now stars in "The Gilded Age" on HBO. Rose Byrne was reserved but so funny in the movies "Bridesmaids" and "Spy." In this play she has a cool British aristocratic attitude which is especially amusing to watch disintegrate. O'Hara and Byrne are good sparing partners as they deliver their fast cutting lines. With gorgeous visuals to look at and a hilarious script, it was a fun, fizzy night at the theater that was thoroughly entertaining. 

     "Fallen Angels" is running through June 7th and tickets are available here.  

      

      

 

The Beauty of the Layered Home

Celebrating the book's publication with Ben. 

     My friend, talented magazine editor Ben Raynaert, has published a new decorating book called The Layered Home, and it's a pleasure to behold, filled with the colorful, exuberant homes of creative tastemakers plus lots of tips and inspiration. Ben favors interiors that are warm, personal and joyful, and the book features 17 homes in the United States and Europe that express his fondness for delightful decorating. 

     "My idea for the book was to focus on highlighting creatives in the industry - designers, artisans, antiques dealers, shop owners - who have really unique personalities and very unique spaces," reports Ben. "These interiors reflect who the person is. The subjects have their own distinctive taste that they have cultivated over years." 

    I was happy to see that the first chapter in the book features London-based garden designer Butter Wakefield who I had the pleasure of interviewing and writing about for Frederic magazine.

Butter Wakefield's charming bathroom. (All photos were shot exclusively for the book by Manuel Rodriguez) 

      You can read my story about Butter, which Ben produced, here.

      For Ben, mixing objects with meaning creates interiors that resonate. "I love layering different things together whether that's a salon-style wall with lots of different art I have collected or a coffee table with layers of objects and books and trinkets and treasures I have picked up over the years," he says. "I like having things around that feel really personal to me." His interest in interiors that are imbued with stories and memories reminds me of the books of my friend Mary Randolph Carter, who likewise advises that you "live with the things you love."

 

The cheerful kitchen of London art dealer Julia Collins.

     Ben grew up in suburban Detroit in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and then studied fine arts and architecture at the Rhode Island School of Design. A job in Italy working for a book binder and print maker lead to a position in New York at the Morgan Library & Museum as an assistant to the book conservator. A gig at Martha Stewart Living magazine then blossomed into a career as a magazine editor at a number of design titles including Architectural Digest, Domino, House Beautiful and Traditional Home. Besides being an author, multi-hyphenate Ben is the Market Director at Elle Decor magazine, an interior stylist, and a co-founder with PR guru Christina Juarez of the popular shopping event The Ticking Tent. 

The Litchfield, Connecticut, home of designer Schuyler Samperton. 

   In the midst of a range of digital and social media, Ben remains passionate about print magazines. "I love paper and I've studied paper making," he says. "I've always been really drawn to the cadence in a print magazine that showcases spaces in a series of photographs. Especially for interiors, you want to see them big." Beyond print, he embraces digital technology and indeed has a popular Instagram account at @spoonfulofbenjamin. "But at the end of the day its nice to hold something and read in your favorite chair on the weekend by the window," says Ben. "Print is now more of a luxury than it ever has been and it's increasingly more important to luxury advertisers so I do think we can have both." 

  

Anjiri Aki's Parisian home. 

     The layered home provides a comfortable place to retreat and relax though one down side of interiors based on collecting and mixing can be overdoing it with too much stuff. "You can really become a hoarder without borders in no time flat," warns Ben. "So it's important to have an in and out process. You have to be able to let things go as much as you let things in." Ultimately, it's determining what you like and what you don't like. "For me, its not about creating rules for decorating," says Ben. "It's more about giving permission to define and refine your own taste."

High Fashion at the Frick

     The rich fineries of the eighteenth century are on sumptous display now at The Frick Collection in a new exhibition entitled "Gainsborough The Fashion of Portraiture," which features 25 paintings by the English painter Thomas Gainsborough, who lived from 1727 to 1788. 

     Gainsborough was one of the great portrait painters of his time, along with Joshua Reynolds, and this is the first exhibition of his portraits to be mounted in New York City. The show is housed in the new exhibition space at The Frick Collection, made possible by the recent expansion of the museum. You can read my story for Frederic magazine about how this great New York institution started as the home of the Frick family. 

     Henry Clay Frick himself was a great admirer of Gainsborough's paintings, stated Aimee Ng, the Peter Jay Sharp chief curator at The Frick Collection and organizer of the exhibition, at the preview. "In fact he collected them most avidly," she said. Three paintings on display are from the museum's permanent collection and the rest are on loan in this one-of-kind gathering of portraits. 

    The focus of the show is on fashion and how clothing expressed the identity of the sitter. Gainsborough's painting style has been described as a "gossamer web of sheer paint'" and his approach perfectly captured the textures and colors of eighteenth century fabrics including silks, brocades, velvets and laces. Gainsborough's painting expressed the fashionable, contemporary styles of the day, and the artist's loose, feathery brushstrokes brought movement and life to his paintings. The moody and atmospheric portraits have a lot of personality and romance. I was entranced. The show is a treat.   

     Above is the lovely Grace Elliott. She was a controversial character for having scandalous affairs with prominent men and she reportedly gave birth to a child fathered by the Prince of Wales, later King George IV. What a face! Here she looks directly at the viewer, her languid eyes framed by graceful eyebrows. A black ribbon at her chin falls seductively to meet a blue jewel and pink bow at her shapely bosom.

     Here above is another, earlier, more conservative, less provocative painting of Grace Elliott by Gainsborough. Her statuesque height is accentuated by a towering powdered hairstyle a la Marie Antointette and the high empire waist of the shimmering gold silk gown that falls in long folds and shines as she moves. A white silk petticoat rustles underneath. 

     The above painting of Mrs. Samuel Moody tells a sad story. Gainsborough originally had painted Elizabeth Moody alone. After she died at age 26 of tuberculosis, her widower asked Gainsborough to repaint it to add their two children, creating an imaginary reunion. This painting displays so well the artist's mastery of rendering the essence of fashion including the pale gown tied with a light green sash and the blue jacket wrapped in a gossamer violet shawl, a delicate and beautiful combination of colors and textures. 

     Captain Augustus John Hervey's authoritative naval uniform reflects his status and achievements. The captain is shown leaning on a gigantic anchor, as one does. His tailored navy blue wool coat is edged in glinting gold braid and his cream colored waistcoat of silk or satin fastens with gold buttons that catch the light. Peaking out from the tailored jacket sleeves are soft ruffled lace cuffs. Navy blue plus gold and neutrals is a handsome combination that never goes out of style. 

     The end of the exhibition finds the last self-portrait that Gainsborough painted in 1787 when he was 60 and one year before he died. It features the loose, sketchy brushwork that was his signature. He is dressed dandily in a green tailored jacket and a buff-colored waist coat that are softened by a flowing cravat tied at the neck. Most prominent though are Gainsborough's knowing eyes, which saw so well the fashion of the time and how his subjects wanted to be portrayed in this delicious exhibition. 

A Trip to the Winter Show

I always enjoy a trip to The Winter Show (previously called The Winter Antique Show) at the Park Avenue Armory during the cold, dark days of January to see some beautiful things and escape the state of current affairs. This was the 72nd year of the show, with over 70 international dealers presenting art, antiques, jewelry and furniture -- truly a cornucopia of treasures. And it supports a good cause too. Proceeds from the ticket sales and benefit events go to the East Side Settlement House, the community organization that which provides education, development and resources for residents of the Bronx. 

     A favorite dealer off the bat was Robert Young Antiques from London, which sells wonderful folk art. The booth was light and cheerful with a wood plank floor and delicately stenciled walls. I love folk art, which has a simplicity and humbleness but also can be refined and graceful.

 

This charming diorama of a butcher's shop had the delightful, child-like whimsy of a doll house. Inside the wooden box, the waving butcher is surrounded by hanging carcasses and joints of handcarved, painted wood. It was made in England circa 1884 and had already been sold by the time I viewed it. 

 

The colorful wedding chest was made in Norway in 1832. The handpainting inside the lid features a happy landscape and the exterior is covered in decorative swirls. The bride must have been delighted to use such a chest! In the gallery, above it was hung an eighteenth century equestrian portrait, the colors of which perfectly complemented the chest . 

 

These six humorous metal penguins squatted happily on a wood trestle table. Made of painted and weathered sheet metal in France in the late twentieth century, they looked like they were ready to waddle away. Hanging above them was an English private road sign that listed toll road charges and was dated September 1898.

     I chatted a bit with the proprietor Robert Young about the appeal of folk art. We both lamented the destruction of the wonderful Folk Art Museum building on West 53rd Street which was designed by architects Tod Williams and Billie Tsien in 2001 and then demolished by the Museum of Modern Art in 2014 to make way for its own expansion. 

 

When I was an art history major in college, I wrote a paper about elegant Greek lekythos vases and so I was delighted to see this lovely specimen featured in the Hixenbaugh Ancient Art gallery. The lekythos vase was used to hold oil and had a signature tall, graceful shape that was decorated with delicate line painting that perfectly fit the vase's profile. The gallery founder Randall Hixenbaugh told me that this vase was created in Athens, Greece, circa 480 BC by one of the finest vase painters who is called the Berlin Painter. This one features Eros, the god of love, flying away but looking back at the work he has done so in one gesture it tells a little story. 

 

At the Thomsen Gallery, I admired these small, exquisite Japanese tea caddies. Erik Thomsen explained to me that they were gold lacquer on wood. The fine decoration and gleaming surfaces made them look like pieces of jewelry. These tea caddies reminded me of Jayne Wrightsman's collection of small, gorgeous snuff boxes that I wrote about for Cottages and Gardens magazine –

 

In contrast to these fanciful decorations was this simple pine chair in the striking, dark gallery of prominent English designer Rose Uniacke, who is debuting this year at The Winter Show. One of a set of eight, the Swedish chair made circa 1932 by furniture designer Axel Einar Hjorth features a handsome, smooth wood grain and blackened iron rivets paired with a soft velvet cushion for a striking mix of natural and elegant, the best combination.