With humor and flair, fashion designer and cultural personality Isaac Mizrahi directed and narrated this lively 30-minute performance of Sergei Prokofiev’s charming children’s classic. He also designed the costumes for the cast.
Works & Process, the performing arts series at the Guggenheim, gives New Yorkers the opportunity to see, hear, and meet some of the world’s most acclaimed artists. In partnership with the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts and Ensemble Connect, a program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and the Weill Music Institute in conjunction with the NYC Department of Education, and with choreography by John Heginbotham, Peter & the Wolf has been delighting audiences of all ages for several years in the intimate and comfortable Peter B. Lewis Theater at the Guggenheim.
In 1936, Prokofiev was commissioned to write a light-hearted piece for children that would introduce the instruments and sounds of the orchestra. He was given a libretto but didn’t like it, so he came up with a new story. The music was completed in a week, Peter & the Wolf was the result, and it is a work that remains beloved by kids and adults today. Each character in the story is represented by an instrument, and the narrator reads the story between musical sections.
The story tells how Peter, against his grandfather’s will, opens the park gate, ventures into the big green meadow, and ultimately manages to liberate the City from the scary wolf. Peter captures the wolf with the help of a bird, his friend, and hands him over to the hunter, with a specific request: to take the wolf to the zoo. In this version, the wolf will probably end up in the Bronx Zoo, away from Central Park!
Indeed Mizrahi proves again and again to be the consummate narrator, having worked extensively in the entertainment industry as a performer, host, writer, designer, and producer for over 30 years.
XOXO,
Your Fashion Bestie
