KEY POINTS:
So, Fashion Week is over. I made it to four shows, ate half a block of dark chocolate, drank enough bubbles to power a wind turbine, contemplated the athleticism of Nicky Watson's back ("I'm going to be in trouble with my wife just for looking at her," said
the American guy next to me, who I doubt was contemplating the athleticism of her back), filched my way into a lounge that previously housed Rachel Hunter, filched my way into another lounge where I was asked if I'd like my hair "taken care of", made a joke about jodphurs that was overheard by a woman in jodphurs, got a free sample of washing powder (huh?), got a compliment on a necklace I bought for $15 (yesss!), sat behind someone with hair so big he obscured two models (not hard, really), ruined a pair of heels walking all the way from Halsey St to K Rd, and came away with an invaluable bank of fashion knowledge. Sort of. I know I won't be wearing jodphurs next winter anyway. I'm not sure about that wine-wearing trend at the Huffer show, either.
Another point of discussion this week: the LTSA ad that's upset Ford. You know, the one that starts off like a typical car ad before the vehicle plunges off the road after taking a corner too fast. So far all the focus has been on the fact the car's make has not been disguised, that it's obviously a late-model Ford that complies with safety standards. I can see why the manufacturer is angry, but surely the ad sends out the right message, one viewers are smart enough not to associate with a brand.
Just because a car has airbags and traction control doesn't mean it has go-go-gadget wings that miraculously lift the vehicle off the ground when the driver loses control. Your car might be safe but it doesn't make you invincible.
More importantly, what are those round grey things that rise up off the road?
Someone told me they were landmines but last time I checked, we lived in New Zealand. Yes, I get the metaphor. It just seems superfluous. Maybe it's a boy thing. Although last time I looked, the boy waited for the crash at the end, said "sweet" then switched the channel. I was more concerned about the man behind the wheel. Although that could be because of how the ad started. The driver - let's call him Charlie - was obviously a cool, well-off dude with good taste who liked to take control of his thrills while travelling to his private cottage on the coast. Before he died).
It just felt a bit too clever for its own good. Stage shows are getting that way too. I went to my fair share as a kid: Anything Goes, Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables. I never made to Cats but when I heard the cats actually climbed over the audience, I was desperate to go.
When Jesus Christ Superstar and his laser beams came along, that was considered pretty out-there. I still recall putting my arms through the cloudy green vortex as Margaret Urlich turned Mary Magdalene into a rock star.
Fast forward a few years and musicals are more likely to be based on movies than books. With the exception of Menopause, the Musical which is in its own weird category, cash-mongers have transported Whale Rider, Dirty Dancing, The Lion King and High School Musical to the stage, used Abba's music in Mamma Mia and the Bee Gees' in Saturday Night Fever.
Tomorrow and Saturday it's Jeff Wayne's 1978 concept album applied to War of the Worlds and in October, Queen's music in Ben Elton's We Will Rock You. Whether we get a version of Legally Blonde, the Musical remains to be seen but it's going down a treat in the United States.
There's nothing necessarily wrong with this pick'n'mix formula if the music and story work. And it's obviously a huge risk putting together an entirely new show. But when they start musicalising TV shows and popular events I'll get worried. Tony Bennett in Tony Soprano Lives? That might work. But Fashion Week: The Stage Show would be all kinds of wrong.
