It’s Friday. Time for the musings of ID Collection’s Jim Williamson. Last night a friend invited us to join them to see Anything Goes at the Winspear. You know I love theater because I mention it frequently. We always see a show or three every time we are in NYC. In fact, we saw Cat on a Hot Tin Roof just two weeks ago. Anyway, With barely enough time to pop an Altoid, I raced from work to meet my friends at the show. On the way there, I couldn’t help but think, “I sure hope this show doesn’t end up more like Everything Blows.” I am here to tell you that it did indeed blow—blow my socks off, that is. It was a little slice of awesomeness—no luggage or airfare required. While we were probably some of the younger people in attendance (Please note: I did not type “youngest.” I do have mirrors, people), great entertainment is ageless as are great music and lyrics. Rachel York was amazing. I think I might just have a crush on her. Everyone was perfectly cast. Dancing, singing, witty dialogue, and costumes from 1930s—it was like Downton Abbey season four: “The Crawleys Set Sail.”
In the play, there is a joke with “Noel Coward” as the punch line. I can’t remember the exact line—my green tea hasn’t kicked in— but what I do remember is the woman next to me who tried to whisper to her husband “I’ll bet he doesn’t even know who Noel Coward is “ while giving ME the side eye. At first I thought, “How rude! You don’t even know me or the fact that I actually know who he is and pretty much every lyric to these Cole Porter songs. I may come from the state that produced Honey Boo Boo, but I am not Mama June.” But I bit my tongue for fear she may spill over even further into my lap, leaving me unable to tap my feet along with the dancers.
On the topic of anything goes, take a look at this image featuring Designers Guild new collection, Seraphina. Upon first sight, you might think, “Does anything go, like, together?” But upon closer inspection you will notice that she pretty much nailed it. It has all the trending elements from the hottest new colors and everything from python to houndstooth. It also boasts the latest in digital printing, which makes it look as if it were hand-painted. And everything now is all about mixing patterns and colors in an unexpected way. So once again, we leave it to the queen of combos, Tricia Guild, to show us what is really going on and how to do it right.
So that about wraps up this little production. As always, I wish you the happiest of Fridays and a weekend full of anything goes. And as Noel Coward once said, “I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me.”
