Following the highly anticipated opening of the Alexander McQueen retrospective, Savage Beauty, in London last week, a play based around the events of the late designer’s life is set to debut in London in May. Running at the St James Theatre from 12 May until 6 June the play is said to be “a journey into the visionary imagination and dark dream world” of Alexander McQueen.
Glee star Diana Agron, who played Quinn Fabray on the hit series, has been confirmed as lead role Dahlia in the project, with Stephen Wight taking on the role of the designer, while Tracy-Ann Oberman will play Isabella Blow. Although not based on factual events, the play is inspired by a quote from McQueen given in 2008, where he describes imagining that a girl lived in his garden up a tree and then she “comes out of the darkness to meet a prince and becomes a queen.” Writer James Phillips takes us on a journey where we follow Dahlia, who spends 11 days up a tree watching McQueen’s house, before deciding to break into it to steal a dress. The designer catches her but rather than report her to the authorities, the pair spend a fantasy-fuelled evening in the British capital. The play marks Agron’s British stage debut.
Following the designer’s untimely death back in 2010, a number of documentaries and books have been made about his life, including two published this year—Andrew Wilson’s Alexander McQueen: Blood Beneath the Skin and Dana Thomas’ Gods and Kings: The Rise and Fall of Alexander McQueen and John Galliano. This latest theatrical project marks another interesting introspective into the troubled creative’s mind and promises to be a show-stopper.
