Vanity Insanity

Pollyfilla productions presents...

“Vanity Insanity”

A nip-in-tuck musical, satirizing the absurdities of beauty.

Love the Fringe Festival 2002

BATS theatre: 27th Feburary - 3rd March

Implants, electrolysis, face-lifts anyone? Going, going...

Why is it we all shave our legs? Why do some people get silicone breast implants? Why can’t some people leave the house without make-up on? What is a “bad hair day’? Is this Vanity Insanity? Or just a laugh...?

Vanity Insanity is a devised theatre piece relating to the intricacies and absurdities of our collective vanity. Vanity that is accepted on a daily basis and which we all ultimately subscribe to. By comically mocking these social hangups and the pressure of beauty, Vanity Insanity aims to get us laughing at ourselves and learning to love our unaltered self.

Vanity Insanity is an experimental theatre piece for New Zealand. It is entirely lipsynched, a montage of spoken word and song, which is a similar style to the New York drag performer, Lipsinka.

This show also challenges the usual theatre experience. The audience for drag performances are usually latenight party goers at clubs or bars. Vanity Insanity aims to re-place drag in to a theatrical environment, attracting those who would not necessarily expose themselves to this type of entertainment. It is an opportunity to show another theatrical, caberet side of the arts to a wider audience. A must to see and a unique performance in the 2002 Fringe Festival.

Visually, Vanity Insanity will be a grand display of some of the most amazing costumes. Colin McLean describes his designs as “zany, colourful and ready to challenge the great Versace.” The set will have a pseudo 1950’s beauty pageant design, something that is simple as to not overpower the rest of the show.

The show itself is made up of a series of choreographed, lipsynched songs, which each tell their own story. Some of the songs include: “Barbie Girl” - Aqua; “I Shall Be Released” and “I’m Beautiful” - Bette Midler; “Can’t Geddaman, Can’t Gettajob” and “Oh! What A World!” - Sister Bliss.

Topics include: excercise, weight loss, eating disorders, implants and liposuction, plastic surgery and facelifts, youth and growing old, being “ugly” and the effects of all the beauty issues on self esteem and our pysche.

The show guarantees to get the audience laughing to the humour that can only be that of the well-known Pollyfilla Productions. Male/female, straight/gay, vain/insane, everyone will enjoy Vanity Insanity.

Cast and Production Crew

„X Director/Lead Performer/Costume Design - Colin McLean

Colin has been a lead performer in Wellington drag shows for the past six years. He devised/ performed shows for the opening of the 2001 Out-Takes Film Festival and for the closing of the Fringe Festival 2001. Colin is one third of the drag performance company “Drag,Inc.” and is a regular drag entertainer at Pound Nightclub.

Colin has also studied fashion design at both Massey University and more recently, the Bowerman School of Design. The Dowse Art Museum recently exhibited the picnic dress Colin won the Fringe Drag Race 2001 and his work has also been exhibited at Te Papa. He just celebrated another win in the Fringe Drag Race with his 2002 dress made entriely of roses.

„X Choreographer/Performer - Cam Morrow

Cam is a graduate of the New Zealand School of Dance and has worked extensively on dance performances. He has been invoved with many musicals, as well as contemporary dance pieces, and also with the Fandango Dance Company.

„X Assistant Director/Performer - Leon Sullivan

Leon has been performing in drag for five years. He has been involved in several Wellington Musical Theatre productions and makes up another third of the drag performance company “Drag,Inc.”.

„X Sound Design/Marketing - Caroline Warwick

Caroline was the co-ordinator of marketing and publicity in the Young and Hungry 2001 season at BATS. She was also the sound engineer for the play Butter Loving.

INFORMATION SHEET

“VANITY INSANITY”

IS HELD AT BATS THEATRE

BATS Theatre, 1 Kent Terrace, Wellington

Wed 27th Feburary - 3rd March 2002

(no performances Sunday or Monday)

9.30pm start

The show will be approximately 1 hour.

BOOKINGS Phone BATS Theatre on 802 4175

For further information contact:

Caroline Warwick, Marketing

Phone 021 137 48 20 or 385 4545

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