St James Theatre in London will be putting on McQueen, a play by James Phillips, from May 12. Rather than a career-spanning examination of the designer, it is a one-night magical tale of an obsessed fan who breaks into his Mayfair house in an attempt to steal a dress which she hopes will transform her. The story springs from a 2008 quote from McQueen himself: “I’ve got a 600-year-old elm tree in my garden. I made up a story: a girl lives in it and comes out of the darkness to meet a prince and becomes a queen.” This is Phillips’s fourth play and will be produced by Robert Mackintosh and directed by John Caird, who has worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre.
The play is doubtless timed to coincide with the V&A’s McQueen exhibition Savage Beauty, which opens on March 14. A book, Gods and Kings, the rise and fall of Alexander McQueen and John Galliano, by T Magazine’s Dana Thomas is also due for release next week.
McQueen runs May 12 – June 6.
Credits
Photography Jason Evans
Styling Francesca Burns and Erika Kurihara
All clothing Alexander McQueen. Headpiece, earrings and rings Pebble.
[The Piracy Issue, no. 292, October 2008]