The Gondoliers - I'm proud

[GirlinContempt]

I just put up some new pictures from our last Gilbert & Sullivan show, the Gondoliers. It's the second Gondoliers we've built, and despite the set I think it looks just wonderful. I'm very pleased. I'd like to share :)

http://harlequincostume.com/gallery.php?cat=gands&show=gond2&img=632


Pictured are Casilda and the Duke of Plazatoro, both costumes won awards at the National Costumers Association convention this year.

[bridgit]

1. nice...

:)

[GirlinContempt]

4. Thanks hon

:)

[ghostsofgiants]

2. Oooh, very nice!

[GirlinContempt]

6. Merci

[Sugar Smack]

3. You are so freakin talented.

:bounce: Amazing!

[GirlinContempt]

7. What's really amazing is that I still have fingers

You can't really see in the pictures, but the Duke has a line of fabulous worked metal buttons on his coat. They are really amazing buttons. And they weight a TON. Seriously, so heavy. So to sew them on took a bajillion years and a LOT of work to get through that brocade with the needle.
I felt like I would be sewing buttons for the rest of my life.
I almost shrieked at the NCA judges "Yes yes BUT WHAT ABOUT MY BUTTONS?!"

:D

And, thank you ;)

[Sugar Smack]

11. Hehe- I still have one of your originals in my journal!

I love it too much.:D

[GirlinContempt]

14. Ahh the Queen of the Faeries

I actually found a bunch of pictures from that show to re-scan and try to clean up. :)

[GirlinContempt]

34. If you refresh, you'll see I've done new pictures

:) They're on the website too
More of the Queen

[Lisa]

22. you mean, they haven't got a special "button" award category yet?

tsk, tsk!

Nice work ... I love G&S. I used to live near the Stratford Festival in Ontario, and my parents and I would go to at least one of their operettas every year.

[GirlinContempt]

25. Thank you

G&S is pretty awesome. I've loved it as long as I can remember, my dad is currently the president of the wpg G&S society, and my mum is the business manager/treasurer, we've been involved in it since it was founded!

Always nice to find other fans. What's your favorite show?

[Lisa]

28. it's so hard to choose!

My dad was a big fan too ... one of my earliest memories is watching a televised version of "Pinafore" on PBS with him, and being impressed that he knew all the songs.

I like at least a couple of songs from each of the operettas ... Dad's favourite is "Yeomen of the Guard", and while I'm fond of "The Mikado" (ironically, our family is from Japan, though it wasn't until I went to college that I learned why Japanese stuff was so fascinating to the Victorians) ... "Iolanthe" is such a great fit with the Canadian parliamentary system that I'm going to have to go with that one. The last production I saw of it, managed to mix in-jokes about the latest government, with the same-sex marriage debate (the "yes" side won!), so there was extra significance to the "fairyland" jokes (wink, wink). I swear that the performers almost lost it, a couple of times.

I also liked "Little Mary Sunshine", "Roberta", "The Desert Song", and assorted non-G&S productions put on by the same group at Stratford (and another company at the Shaw Festival ... the two festivals are always slagging each other, and put jokes into their scripts ... Stratford changed the "Knightsbridge" reference in "The Mikado" to "Niagara-on-the-Lake").

[GirlinContempt]

31. Iolanthe is great

Sounds like they made it a lot of fun.

We did The Mikado a couple of years back, set in the 1950s in an art gallery. It actually worked really well. All I have to show are the pictures on the website, but it was a lot of fun to do :)

[JVS]

5. He looks like one of the SNL aristocrats

[GirlinContempt]

8. Yeah, ok mac boy

:P

[JVS]

9. Do you have a problem with my computing choice?

Force me not to lay down the smack.

[GirlinContempt]

10. I dare you to lay down anything.

[JVS]

12. I dare you to lay down!

;-)

[GirlinContempt]

13. Well.... I uh....

don't know.


Bourgeois motherfucker. :P neener

[grasswire]

15. I happened to click on Mikado (my favorite)...

...and see there a very interesting contrast between the powerful costumes of Katisha, our great Mikado (virtuous man) and his entourage and those of Yum Yum, Peep Bo, and all the others less powerful. What fun work for you!

[GirlinContempt]

16. I wish we had better pictures from the Mikado

Those are quite old. We built a second Mikado as well, because we had two going out at once :) I wonder where the pictures from that went...

[GirlinContempt]

17. do de do do

[skygazer]

18. Wow, those are wonderful

Two of my favorite things about theater are costumes and sets - it's amazing how good they can be. :thumbsup:

[GirlinContempt]

19. Aw, thank you

I'm totally immodest, and I'll say I think we do one of the best jobs around. It's been a family passion for over 100 years, and I really think it shows. :)

[skygazer]

20. Wow, that's cool, too

That's its been in your family for so long. I love that kind of generational continuity - the passing down of experience and knowledge. Very cool.

[GirlinContempt]

21. It is pretty neat

My great great grandmother opened a costume shop here in Winnipeg in 1903, after she'd been widowed and needed to support her, i think 3, children. I think in part the connection and dedication of the family are what helps us maintain our high standards. I cant speak for other rental places everywhere, but I do know that here, we have the best, highest quality construction, we use great materials, and work diligently to maintain our stock. It's a matter of pride. And our customers notice the difference, from full scale opera rentals to individual events.

I sound like a press release :P But, hey, i'm passionate about it!

[jpgray]

23. That's extremely cool! When do you get the big Duc d'Istortion contract?

[GirlinContempt]

24. Har har har

:P

How're you anyway?

[jpgray]

26. Good but worn out

Not even justifiably worn out, but there it is. :P

[GirlinContempt]

27. Well, take a break why don'tcha

[FloridaJudy]

29. Have you seen the G&S parody?

This has to be one of my favorite YouTube videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkJdEFf_Qg4

[GirlinContempt]

30. Yeah, I have

:)

[BarenakedLady]

32. Wow, I had no idea what you did.

That's amazing work.

:yourock:

[GirlinContempt]

33. Well, I'm sort of a woman of all works

from costumes to fitting pointe shoes to tuxedos to computers, I do it all :D