The Tragedy of Maria Macabre

photos by Michael Blase

Happy Halloween my lovelies! I had a wonderful time with my Victorian Horrors party over the weekend, with illicit teacup cocktails, ravens and the exquisite dancers of Rachel Klein Productions.

They are the amazing group behind the Symphony of Shadows I saw earlier this year.  If you are in  New York this Sunday, check out the fantastic new production, The Tragedy of Maria Macabre.  The show is a macabre circus, a bit of Grand Guignol, and gorgeous celebration for the Day of the Dead. The performance will take place at La Mama theater in the East Village.

Check out the trailer here.  More information about the event here. 

Sunday, November 4, 2012

5:30 PM

Club at La MaMa. 

74a East 4th Street, btwn 2nd Ave and Bowery

UPDATE 11/1/12: Due to the damage from Hurricane Sandy, the theater is closed until further notice.  Please check out their site to stay informed of their current projects and their next show!

Dracula - Ballet with Bite

Forget all the bloodsucking politician jokes.  Opening tonight and going through November 4, 2012 is the Washington Ballet's company premiere of Dracula.  They promise the production will be sexy and very theatrical...  Choreographer Michael Pink aims to stay true to the original novel.  His dancers embody much more dimensional characters in this production than you would expect in typical ballet recitals.  It looks like the costumes will be gorgeous and Goth...  Hmm, I might need to hop a bus down to the country capital for this one.

Learn more here: http://www.washingtonballet.org/season-performances/dracula
Photo from the Washington Post/Dayna Smith

Steampunk Style at NY Comic-Con

New York Comic-Con is the most inclusive place ever when it comes to how you dress.  That said, I was disappointed at small minority of Steampunk style this year in the crowds of cosplay.  Never fear, I came across two amazing designers who make amazing wearable pieces.

Steampunk gone Haute Couture...Silverleaf Costumes.  My gentleman consort came home with an exquisite hand tooled leather top hat, intricate clockwork gear goggles and a hip pouch that lit up like Tesla waves.  He was embarrassed to tell me how much he spent, but for this quality of craftsmanship, I would not expect it to be cheap.  The pieces were definitely priced appropriately for the pieces of art that they were.  Not convinced?  Film director Guillermo Del Toro was also browsing the booth while we were there, promising to consult with him on his next film.  The artists make clothing and seek out old clocks at every flea market just to find a variety of parts for their work.

Looking for some sexier, edgy pieces?  Brute Force Leather creates corsets that are more armor than lingerie.  Does the elaborate arm piece look familiar?  The makers at this studio also made the costume pieces worn by Nathan Fillion on the Steampunk episode of ABC's "Castle".

New York Comic-Con Style Report

New York Comic-Con was once called "Geek Prom" by a local news anchor.  I can't say I disagree.  The effort that enthusiastic fans have put into their looks is enough to rival any eager high school senior I can think of...

Here are your Lolitas:

 Your Goths:

 Your cosplay characters, anime, superheros and "undetermined"...

Photos by Adam Weinstein

Fort Tryon Medieval Festival

This past weekend Fort Tryon Park Medieval Festival was hosted in Northern Manhattan. The beautiful park was filled with enthusiastic fans dressed in garb from different time periods.  A few were in cosplay, and some in darker, Gothic attire or steampunk.

One of the biggest annual events in this quiet part of Manhattan, it drew a lot of families.  While there were a lot of little girls dressed as princesses like previous years, this year I saw a large portion of them wielding weapons like crossbows and swords. Dressing like a pirate was quite popular among the young female set, and I think I have to thank the Hunger Games effect for the resurgence of archery.

There were performances of music, sword fighting, crafts, etc.  Lots of vendors if you need a handcrafted leather mask, hilt or viking hat...