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LilyBlog 9/26/12 – Let’s Get Some Shoes
SEP 26, 2012
Before I talk about today’s rehearsal, I should warn you that this entry is written by a dramaturg who’s obsessed with fashion—especially shoes. Okay, let’s continue.
As you can probably imagine, the production values of The Lily’s Revenge fit in with its subtitle, “a flowergory manifold”: this show is flowergorically epic. For the first time in rehearsal, I saw one of the most fabulous things I’ve probably ever seen in my life: Taylor Mac’s boots for the Lily. They are not just boots. They are five inch plus, glittery green a la The Wicked Witch of the West boots. Taylor went from fairly tall to positively giant in the seconds it took to stand up after putting them on.
Taylor is not the only person in boots of this fabulous magnitude. In fact, almost every character in the play will be performing in variations of the “Lily Boot.” The Lily’s Revenge is a very physical show and, as someone who has attempted to wear shoes of that height, I wondered how the actors could move and be comfortable wearing them throughout a five-hour show.
I asked one of the actors who had also gotten his boots (long, fire engine red and black lace-up platforms) what it was like to move in them. Before answering, his face lit up and he blurted out, “I love these shoes!” That is not something you hear a man say too often…particularly with that much excitement.
It made me think about how The Lily’s Revenge is a play about creating a new community that is based on acceptance and how, even in the rehearsal room, we’ve all begun to challenge “old” traditions and become more open, fluid, and queer in how we relate to the world.
The actor will let me know how comfortable his red platform boots are once he’s performed in them five times a week. Acting in this play may be fabulous, but it isn’t easy!
