(born March 24, 1940) is an American fashion designer and costumer, best known for his dressing of entertainment icons such as Joan Rivers, Cher, RuPaul, Barbara Eden, Bette Midler, Diana Ross, Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli, Tina Turner, Carol Burnett and Mitzi Gaynor. He was the costume designer for Carol Burnett on The Carol Burnett Show during its entire 11-year run and designed the costumes for its spinoff, Mama’s Family, and for the 1993 television adaptation of Gypsy.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a1/Curtain_Dress.JPG/220px-Curtain_Dress.JPG
The Curtain Dress, worn by Carol Burnett on The Carol Burnett Showparody of Gone With The Wind.
Mackie began his career as a sketch artist for legendary French haute couturier Jean Louis, who is perhaps best known for crafting stage gowns worn by screen legend Marlene Dietrich during her career as a cabaret singer. Mackie and future life partner Ray Aghayan worked with legendary costumer Edith Head in 1961 while working as a novice designer at Paramount Studios. In 1969, Mackie was hired to design costumes for Diana Ross, The Supremes, and The Temptations in the television special GIT:On Broadway.[citation needed]

In 1972, he and Aghayan were nominated for Best Costume Design for “Lady Sings The Blues”, starring Diana Ross. Mackie and Diana Ross continued their collaborative efforts well into the 21st century, with Mackie designing stage costumes for Ross’ 2010 “More Today Than Yesterday” tour.[citation needed] Mackie designed costumes for the Las Vegas Strip-based burlesque shows, Hallelujah Hollywood, which was inspired by the Ziegfeld Follies and ran at the MGM Grand (now Bally’s Las Vegas) from 1974 to 1980, and Jubilee!, which ran from 1981 to 2016. Both productions involve intricate, elaborate costumes and grandiose sets. Images of many of Mackie’s design drawings for these productions are available in the “Showgirls” collection from UNLV Libraries Digital Collections.

Two of Mackie’s best-remembered creations had a humorous aspect. While working on The Carol Burnett Show, he designed a “curtain dress” (complete with a curtain rod across the shoulders) that Carol Burnett wore in Went with the Wind!, a parody of Gone with the Wind. He designed the exotic ensemble worn by Cher at the March 1986 Academy Awards: black stretch pants, a bejeweled loincloth, knee-high boots, a black chainlink top, and a huge feathered Mohawk headdress that was one and a half times taller than her head. Introduced by Jane Fonda with the words, “Wait’ll you see what’s gonna come out here”. “As you can see,” said Cher, “I did receive my Academy booklet on how to dress like a serious actress.”

Mackie designed costumes for Whitney Houston, especially splashy evening gowns which she wore for many years during concert tours and award shows. He was often referred to as “the sultan of sequins” or “the rajah of rhinestones”, known for his sparkling and imaginative costume designs. He has won nine Emmy Awards for his designs, and has been nominated three times for an Academy Award.[citation needed]

Mackie has said, “A woman who wears my clothes is not afraid to be noticed.”

In 1981, Mackie guest starred as himself on two episodes of the television series The Love Boat.

In 2002, Mackie was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame.

Personal life
Mackie was born in Monterey Park, California to Charles Robert Smith and Mildred Agnes Smith. He attended Pasadena City College and Chouinard Art Institute but left without earning a degree from either school. On March 14, 1960, he married LuLu Porter (née Marianne Wolford), a singer, actress, and later an acting teacher. She had given birth to the couple’s only child, a son, Robert Gordon Mackie Jr. (called “Robin Mackie”), the previous year. The couple divorced in 1963. Robin Mackie, a makeup artist, died in 1994 of an AIDS-related illness, predeceasing his parents.

Mackie’s life partner was costume designer Ray Aghayan, whom Mackie had started working with as an assistant. The two worked together through the 1970s, as well as having separate clients. They remained together until Aghayan’s death in 2011.

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All Shows FREE – No Lines and No Tickets
Sponsored by TNT’s Will

When providence and sorcery land a treacherous brother and a king on an enchanted island, the exiled Duke Prospero and his daughter Miranda get a second chance to reclaim their rightful status. In this production of Shakespeare’s beloved farewell to the stage, righteous anger gives way to love and forgiveness. This free run of shows will be set in the famed Bryant Park, easily accessible via public transportation and located in the heart of Manhattan. Take a break from the everyday to see the magic of Shakespeare in the park with no lines, no waiting and plenty of space to stretch out and enjoy the performance from veteran Shakespearean acting company The Drilling Company, long known for their Shakespeare in the Parking Lot performances.

Lukas Raphael, long-time member of The Drilling Company and veteran of the Bryant Park Stage, marks his directing debut for Bryant Park Shakespeare. This Tempest will feature newly composed music by singer/songwriter/actress Natalie Smith (who will also be playing the part of Ariel), arranged by award-winning composer Michael Chorney (of the musical Hadestown), with costume design by Sofia Piccolo.
Broadway’s Roger Rathburn (from the Tony-nominated No No Nanette), who will play the witty and powerful Prospero, is surrounded by a sterling retinue of Drilling Company veterans: Jarrod Bates and Andrew Gombas play the roles of the comedic Trinculo and Stephano, while Mary Linehan and Wesley Zurick delight as the Lovers, Miranda and Ferdinand. Eric Paterani (Caliban), Jack Sochet (Alonso), Michael Bernstein (Antonio), Bryce Dutton (Sebastian), Bob Acaro (Gonzalo) and Zac Guttman (Adrian) round out the cast.

ACTIVELY SEEKING PREVIEW AND REVIEW COVERAGE

For reserved front-row press seating, actor/composer/director interviews, photos and video from past performances or more information about Bryant Park Presents; please contact John@GreenHousePublicity.com

About Bryant Park Corporation

Bryant Park Corporation (BPC), a private not-for-profit company, was founded in 1980 to renovate, finance and operate Bryant Park in New York City. BPC is funded by income from events, concessions and corporate sponsors, as well as an assessment on neighboring properties, and does not accept government or philanthropic monies. In addition to providing security and sanitation services and tending the park’s lush lawn and seasonal garden displays, BPC provides public amenities and activities, including movable chairs and tables, cafe umbrellas, restaurants, food kiosks, world-class restrooms, and a wide range of free events throughout the year. The Midtown Manhattan park is visited by more than six million people each year and is one of the busiest public spaces in the world. BPC’s website, bryantpark.org, is available for more detailed information and a schedule of upcoming events.

About Drilling Company Theatrical Productions

Drilling Company Theatrical Productions has produced Shakespeare plays and new plays for over two decades. Drilling Company Shakespeare is a highly anticipated annual summer institution that includes Shakespeare in the Parking Lot, now entering its 23rd season on the Lower East Side, and for the last four years, partnering with Bryant Park, where over 35,000 people have attended its productions. The company has been featured in media publications including The New York Times, CBS, MSNBC, The London Times, Huffington Post, and many others, and is the second largest producer for free Shakespeare in New York City. Originally dedicated to the development and production of new works by emerging American playwrights, the Company has commissioned and produced over a dozen world premieres, notably the original production of C. Denby Swanson’s Off Broadway hit The Norwegians, and in 2018 is producing Brian Dykstra’s Education at 59E59 Theaters.

About TNT’s Will

TNT’s Will is the 2017 season sponsor of Bryant Park Presents Shakespeare. The new television series portrays a contemporary version of Shakespeare’s life, played to a modern soundtrack that exposes all his recklessness, lustful temptations and brilliance. Check out the television premiere of the series July 10 on TNT.

Follow Bryant Park

Website: http://www.bryantpark.org/
Twitter: @BryantParkNYC
Instagram:@BryantParkNYC
Hashtag: #BryantPark
Facebook: facebook.com/BryantParkNYC

Location and Directions:
Bryant Park is situated behind the New York Public Library in midtown Manhattan, between 40th and 42nd Streets & Fifth and Sixth Avenues. Take the B, D, F, or M train to 42nd Street/Bryant Park; or, take the 7 train to 5th Avenue.

The post Shakespeare’s The Tempest A Production by THE DRILLING COMPANY in Bryant Park with new music by NATALIE SMITH and arrangements by MICHAEL CHORNEY (of Hadestown) appeared first on Good News!.

The Annual Emerald Nuts Midnight Run is ready to kick off again this year at Midnight New Year’s Eve. It should be another memorable party!

Emerald Nuts Midnight Run – Saturday, December 31 / DJ Music and Dancing • 10:00 p.m. / Costume Parade and Contest • 11:00 p.m. / Fireworks and 4M Race • Midnight / Central Park, New York / C, $ [Key]

Kick off the New Year with a spectacular fireworks and laser light show at the Emerald Nuts Midnight Run! Join the fun and celebrate with a costume parade, dancing. Also, don’t forget to enter our Emerald Nuts contest, the Nuttiest Exercising Experience, for the chance to win a $200 gift basket of Emerald Nuts snack and gear. Scroll down for more details.

Please direct any questions to reghelp@nyrr.org
Party Location

Dancing and the costume contest will be held at the Central Park Bandshell, just south of the 72nd Street Transverse in Central Park, New York. The closest entrance is at Fifth Avenue and 72nd Street.
Course

All courses are subject to change. Check back here the day before the race for final confirmation.

Start on the 72nd Street Transverse heading east. Turn left (north) on East Drive. Continue north to the 102nd Street Transverse. Turn left (west) onto the 102nd St Transverse and turn left (south) onto West Drive. Continue south on West Drive to the 72nd Street Transverse. Turn left (east) onto the 72nd Street Transverse to the finish line near the entrance to Cherry Hill.

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Halloween or Hallowe’en (a contraction of “All Hallows‘ Evening“),^[5] also known as All Hallows’ Eve,^[6] is a yearly celebration observed in a number of countries on October 31, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows (or All Saints).

Typical festive Halloween activities include trick-or-treating (also known as “guising“), attending costume parties, carving pumpkins into jack-o’-lanterns, lighting bonfires, apple bobbing, visiting haunted attractions, playing pranks, telling scary stories, and watching horror films.

History

According to many scholars, it was originally influenced by western European harvest festivals and festivals of the dead with possible pagan roots, particularly the Celtic Samhain.^[6][8][9] Others maintain that it originated independently of Samhain and has Christian roots.^[10]

Celtic influences

Though the origin of the word Halloween is Christian, the holiday is commonly thought to have pagan roots.^[11] Historian Nicholas Rogers, exploring the origins of Halloween, notes that while “some folklorists have detected its origins in the Roman feast of Pomona, the goddess of fruits and seeds, or in the festival of the dead called Parentalia, it is more typically linked to the Celtic festival of Samhain“, which comes from the Old Irish for “summer’s end”.^[11] Samhain (pronounced sah-win or sow-in) was the first and most important of the four quarter days in the medieval Gaelic (Irish, Scottish and Manx)^[12]calendar.^[13][14] It was held on or about October 31 – November 1 and kindred festivals were held at the same time of year in other Celtic lands; for example the Brythonic Calan Gaeaf (in Wales), Kalan Gwav(in Cornwall) and Kalan Goañv (in Brittany). Samhain is mentioned in some of the earliest Irish literature and many important events in Irish mythology happen or begin on Samhain. It marked the end of theharvest season and the beginning of winter or the ‘darker half’ of the year.^[15] This was a time for stock-taking and preparing for the cold winter ahead;^[11] cattle were brought back down from the summer pastures and livestock were slaughtered.^[15] In much of the Gaelic world, bonfires were lit and there were rituals involving them.^[15] Some of these rituals hint that they may once have involved human sacrifice.^[16][11] Divination games or rituals were also done at Samhain.^[15]

Samhain (like Beltane) was seen as a time when the ‘door’ to the Otherworld opened enough for the souls of the dead, and other beings such as fairies, to come into our world.^[17][18] The souls of the dead were said to revisit their homes on Samhain.^[19] Feasts were had, at which the souls of dead kin were beckoned to attend and a place set at the table for them.^[20] Lewis Spence described it as a “feast of the dead” and “festival of the fairies”.^[21] However, harmful spirits and fairies were also thought to be active at Samhain. People took steps to allay or ward-off these harmful spirits/fairies, which is thought to have influenced today’s Halloween customs. Before the 20th century, wearing costumes at Samhain was done in parts ofIreland, Mann, the Scottish Highlands and islands, and Wales.^[22] Wearing costumes may have originated as a means of disguising oneself from these harmful spirits/fairies, although some suggest that the custom comes from a Christian or Christianized belief (see below). In Ireland, people went about before nightfall collecting for Samhain feasts and sometimes wore costumes while doing so.^[22] In the 19th century on Ireland’s southern coast, a man dressed as a white mare would lead youths door-to-door collecting food; by giving them food, the household could expect good fortune from the ‘Muck Olla’.^[23] In Moray during the 18th century, boys called at each house in their village asking for fuel for the Samhain bonfire.^[24] The modern custom of trick-or-treating may have come from these practices. Alternatively, it may come from the Christian custom of souling (see below).

Making jack-o’-lanterns at Halloween may also have sprung from Samhain and Celtic beliefs. Turnip lanterns, sometimes with faces carved into them, were made on Samhain in the 19th century in parts of Ireland and the Scottish Highlands.^[25] As well as being used to light one’s way while outside on Samhain night, they may also have been used to represent the spirits/fairies and/or to protect oneself and one’s home from them.^[26] However, a Christian origin has also been proposed.^[27]

Christian influences

Halloween is also thought to have been influenced by the Christian holy days of All Saints’ Day (also known as All Hallows, Hallowmas or Hallowtide) on November 1 and All Souls’ Day on November 2.^[28]They are a time for honoring the saints and praying for the recently departed who had yet to reach Heaven. All Saints was introduced in the year 609, but was originally celebrated on May 13.^[29] In 835, it was switched to November 1 (the same date as Samhain) at the behest of Pope Gregory IV.^[29] Some have suggested this was due to Celtic influence, while others suggest it was a Germanic idea.^[29]

By the end of the 12th century they had become holy days of obligation across Europe and involved such traditions as ringing bells for the souls in purgatory. “Souling”, the custom of baking and sharing soul cakes for “all crysten christened souls”,^[30] has been suggested as the origin of trick-or-treating.^[31] Groups of poor people, often children, would go door-to-door on All Saints/All Souls collecting soul cakes, originally as a means of praying for souls in purgatory.^[32] Similar practices for the souls of the dead were found as far south as Italy.^[33] Shakespeare mentions the practice in his comedy The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1593), when Speed accuses his master of “puling [whimpering or whining] like a beggar at Hallowmas.”^[34] The custom of wearing costumes has been linked to All Saints/All Souls by Prince Sorie Conteh, who wrote: “It was traditionally believed that the souls of the departed wandered the earth until All Saints’ Day, and All Hallows’ Eve provided one last chance for the dead to gain vengeance on their enemies before moving to the next world. In order to avoid being recognised by any soul that might be seeking such vengeance, people would don masks or costumes to disguise their identities”.^[35] In Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night, Nicholas Rogers explained Halloween jack-o’-lanterns as originally being representations of souls in purgatory.^[27] In Brittany children would set candles in skulls in graveyards.^[36]

In Britain, these customs came under attack during the Reformation as Protestants berated purgatory as a “popish” doctrine incompatible with the notion of predestination.^[28] The rising popularity of Guy Fawkes Night (5 November) from 1605 onward, saw many Halloween traditions appropriated by that holiday instead, and Halloween’s popularity waned in Britain, with the noteworthy exception of Scotland.^[37]There and in Ireland, the rebellious Guy Fawkes was not viewed with the same criminality as in England, and they had been celebrating Samhain and Halloween since at least the early Middle Ages,^[12] and the Scottish kirk took a more pragmatic approach to Halloween, seeing it as important to the life cycle and rites of passage of communities and thus ensuring its survival in the country.^[37]

Spread to North America

North American almanacs of the late 18th and early 19th century give no indication that Halloween was celebrated there.^[38] The Puritans of New England, for example, maintained strong opposition to Halloween^[38] and it was not until the mass Irish and Scottish immigration during the 19th century that it was brought to North America in earnest.^[38] Confined to the immigrant communities during the mid-19th century, it was gradually assimilated into mainstream society and by the first decade of the 20th century it was being celebrated coast to coast by people of all social, racial and religious backgrounds.^[39]

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