Stewardess outfits are getting glammed up again! (Excuse me, I meant to say "flight attendant"...)

From an article in the July 2005 issue of Elle magazine:

FLY GIRLS
Christian Lacroix, the king of over-the-top fashion, creates a first-class collection for Air France.

The Paris-based designer joins fashion luminaries such as Christian Dior, Jean Patou, Cristobal Balenciaga and Hermes, who designed for Air France between the '60s and '80s.

"In a way, Air France and haute couture inhabit the same universe," said Air France president Jean-Cyril Spinetta.

For inspiration, Lacroix drew on his fascination with stewardess style from when he took his first flight from Pairs to Corsica as a young boy. He still remembers thinking the stewardesses were "beautiful, like so many war heroines. They were a bit like nurses, but I had a very aristocratic image of them."

The airline's first new collection in 18 years includes fitted jackets for women with pagoda-style epaulettes, wrap skirts, slim trousers, parkas and shirts with puffs of sky-blue organza at the neck. The dark blue projects authority, and the pale-blue shirts and dresses were chosen to flatter every complexion. The red belt -- a distinctive accent -- is knotted around the waist "like gift-wrapping ribbon," said Lacroix, who designed each element in the collection.

The article goes on to list Fashion's Mile High Club. Here are some highlights:

Air Canada: Debbie Shuchat (2005)
Air Transat: Simon Chang (2005)
Delta Air Lines: Richard Tyler (2005)
Korean Air: Gianfranco Ferre (2005)
Song Airlines: Kate Spade (2004)
TWA: Ralph Lauren (1970s)
Singapore Airlines: Pierre Balmain (1970s)
Pakistan International Airlines: Pierre Cardin (1970s)
Court Line: Mary Quant (1960s)
Braniff International: Emilio Pucci (1960s) (Yeah Pucci!)

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OK, we got a ton of questions at the Plane Crazy party on Thursday about investing or helping out with the show, so I'm going to summarize the Plane Crazy-ade programs here:

INVESTING
This is, of course, the best way to help us out. We are trying to sell 75 Cdn$1,000 units of Plane Crazy. We have a detailed Investment Letter, which you should read.

Investment Letters can be obtained from Michael Rubinoff, Producer of Plane Crazy via e-mail at mrubinoff@sympatico.ca or by calling 905.886.3110 x27.

Here's the bad stuff about investing in theater: An investment in the Units is speculative, involves a high degree of risk and significant restrictions on transfer and should be considered only by sophisticated investors who are able to bear the economic risks of their investment for an indefinite period of time and who can afford to sustain a total loss of their investment in the Units.

And here's the good stuff: Free tickets to opening night, free invites to the opening night gala, first right of refusal on future investment opportunities, interest on the investment, a carry-forward interest in the show in perpetuity, and the good, warm feeling that comes from knowing you didn't just help a good musical, you helped an important musical.

If you don't want to invest, you can still help Plane Crazy. Other programs include:

PLANE CRAZY "FREQUENT FLYER" PROGRAM
You can help out Plane Crazy by joining our frequent flyer program -- and still get some cool swag.

All frequent flyers get free tickets, an invite to the closing night party, and all the CDs, peanuts, and airline trinkets we can stuff into a barf bag.

Frequent Flyer levels:

$500: Honorary Plane Crazy Captain
$250: Honorary Plane Crazy Stew
$100: Honorary Plane Crazy Passenger

If you are interested in becoming a Plane Crazy frequent flyer, please contact Michael Rubinoff, Producer of Plane Crazy via e-mail at mrubinoff@sympatico.ca or by calling 905.886.3110 x27

PLANE CRAZY "SPONSOR A VIP TICKET" PROGRAM
A big part of our New York Musical Theatre Festival showcase is to get commercial producers, agents, stars, and lawyers out to see the show. For these VIPs, we need to offer them "house" seats.

Help us defray the cost of these "house" seats by joining our "Sponsor a VIP Ticket" program. For only $15, you can help Plane Crazy get a VIP out to see the show. Just think: Your VIP might be the one that helps take Plane Crazy to the next level of commercial success!

If you are interested in joining the Plane Crazy "Sponsor a VIP Ticket" program, please contact Michael Rubinoff, Producer of Plane Crazy via e-mail at mrubinoff@sympatico.ca or by calling 905.886.3110 x27

It takes a big-ass village to get a Broadway show off the ground, so we really appreciate the help we're getting from everybody.

Please extinguish all smoking materials and buckle your seatbelts...Plane Crazy is ready for takeoff!

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I'm getting on a Jet Plane today and heading down to New York to work on the production of Plane Crazy for the 2005 New York Musical Theatre Festival.

Wish me luck! Come see the show and remember: Try the veal...

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Randy Slovacek's choreography has been seen across the country, from the 11,000 seat Muny Theater in St. Louis to 99 seat off-Broadway theaters in NYC.

His credits include choreographing and supervising the national touring company of Hello, Dolly! starring Carol Channing, several companies of A Chorus Line from Texas to Massachusetts and regional productions of They're Playing Our Song, Promises Promises, and Chicago among others.

He has also contributed choreography for star-studded benefit performances such as Lerner, Loewe, Lane & Friends for the S.T.A.G.E. benefit in Los Angeles, Donna McKechnie In Concert in NYC, as well as One Singular Sensation celebrating the genius of Michael Bennett in Kansas City.

In addition, his choreography was showcased in the feature film Slammed. In addition to his choreography credits, he has had the great opportunity to collaborate with such Tony Award winners and nominees as Donna McKechnie, Thommie Walsh, Lee Roy Reams, Jerry Herman, and John Herrera.

As an actor, Randy has appeared on Broadway in Follies, Chicago, and Hello, Dolly!, as well as the national touring companies of A Chorus Line, Cats, 42nd Street, Chicago, and Hello Dolly!.

He has a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre from Syracuse University and is a proud member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, Actors' Equity Association and the Screen Actors Guild.

He is currently developing a new musical based on the songs of Mary Chapin Carpenter.

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We are pleased to announce that Seth Weinstein will take the helm as musical director of Plane Crazy at the 2005 New York Musical Theatre Festival.

Seth Weinstein has been the musical director of numerous musicals and cabaret shows in and around New York City, including regional productions of Titanic, Rags, Fiddler on the Roof, Closer Than Ever, A New Brain, and Side Show.

He recently returned to New York City after 18 months on tour with the international tour of Fosse starring Ben Vereen. His musical How to Save the World and Find True Love in 90 Minutes (a collaboration with Jonathan Karp) was produced for last year's NYMF, and he is currently developing a new orchestral work -- a synthesis of Russian classical styles, Jewish klezmer music, '50s rock, blues, and gospel -- to complement noted lecturer Vivian R. Jacobson's presentation on Elvis Presley and Marc Chagall.

Seth has gone "plane crazy" himself over the past decade, vacationing in more than 60 countries on five continents.

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Well, last night's Plane Crazy party was a smash!

It was great having so many friends and family out to support the show! I get on a plane Sunday with a one-way ticket to New York, and I don't know when I'll be back again, but you can count on regular Plane Crazy progress reports here on Blogway Baby and over at Plane Crazy NYMF 2005.

I want to extend some special thanks. Firstly, to my creative team of Michael Rubinoff, Producer, who did an excellent job of MCing the event; to Kendra Bator; Associate Producer, who added such great sizzle and energy to the event; to Jamibeth Margolis, Director, who helped make the performance portion of the evening a great success; and to Mitchell Kitz, Orchestrator, whose wonderful orchestrations bring the music to life.

Of course, the highlight of the evening for me was the 30-minute mini-version of the show. It's always so exciting to hear your music live, performed by real professionals. At the piano of course was the amazing Mark Selby, who manages to make those 88 keys sound like an entire band; and I was blown away by the incredible vocal performances of Breanne Arrigo, Graham Coffeng, and Sherry Garner. I just wish we could use our amazing Canadian talent under the Equity showcase code in the U.S. Don't worry guys, we'll make it back to Toronto as a full production before you know it...

And of course, a special thank you to my daughters. To Trinity, who drew the door prize: Nice job honey! And to Myrna, who closed the performance portion of the evening with a beautiful rendition of "I Need You" from Plane Crazy: Thanks, you nailed it.

Finally, a special thank you to Ed Ongpauco and the staff of the Granite Club who pulled off a flawless event, and made the whole thing look so polished and professional.

Next stop: BROADWAY...

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We are pleased to announce that Jamibeth Margolis will take the helm as director of Plane Crazy at the New York Musical theatre Festival.

Recent New York City directing credits include: Far From The Madding Crowd for the 2004 New York Musical Theatre Festival at the 47th Street Theatre, Berlin at Theatre 315, Dear Maudie at the Triad Theater, Owl Creek: A New Musical (AEA Commercial reading, showcase, and backers' audition in NYC, and Ithaca College Production), and Party Of One at Helen's.

She was the assistant director to Jerry Zaks for A Bad Friend, by Jules Feiffer, at Lincoln Center Theatre and was also a 2004 member of the Lincoln Center Directors' Lab.

She has also directed many cabarets, readings, regional theater productions (most recently Wildhorn's Jekyll And Hyde at the Arvada Center in Denver), and is currently involved with the development of a number of new musicals. Jamibeth is also a professional casting director.

She has worked in New York City for Johnson-Liff Casting, Cameron Mackintosh, and currently Margolis-Seay Casting. Casting credits include many Broadway shows, national tours, Off-Broadway shows, and regional theater productions. Her favorite casting credits include the six years she served as casting director for the Broadway and National Touring Companies of Les Miserables, The Phantom Of The Opera, and Cats.

She has a B.A. in Drama/Directing from Ithaca College and is a proud member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, Actors' Equity Association, and the Casting Society Of America.

Stay tuned for more developments...Plane Crazy is cleared for takeoff!

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Individual tickets for Plane Crazy are now on sale to the public!

To get your tickets, click on this link to TheaterMania, and order online. Or, you can call Theatermania at (212) 352-3101 and ask for tickets to "Plane Crazy".

DATES
Thursday September 15 at 8:00 pm
Saturday September 17 at 4:30 pm and 8:00 pm
Monday September 19 at 4:30 pm
Wednesday September 21 at 1:00 pm
Friday September 23 at 4:30 pm
Saturday September 24 at 4:30 pm
Sunday September 25 at 1:00 pm

VENUE
The Beckett
410 West 42nd Street
South side of West 42nd Street
Between 9th & Dyer Avenues

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