Five Models in Ruins, 1981 Off-Broadway review — Elizabeth Marvel-led play strikes familiar poses
Read our review of Five Models in Ruins, 1981 off Broadway, written by Caitlin Saylor Stephens, directed by Morgan Green, and presented by Lincoln Center Theater.
Waiting to see what develops goes with the art of photography — and theatre. But audiences anticipating something persuasive or perceptive to surface in Five Models in Ruins, 1981 will be kept waiting. Insights stay elusive in this uneventful fashion-forward play that’s not sharp or funny enough to snap as satire or deep enough, despite 11th-hour primal howling, to click as drama.
Playwright Caitlin Saylor Stephens sets her story in the summer of 1981. At a run-down estate in the English countryside, Roberta (Elizabeth Marvel), a reputedly visionary shutterbug known for her singular and button-pushing imagery, is chasing a dream of getting a shot on the cover of Vogue.
After a dramatic pause, Roberta declares what she’s capturing with her camera: “Gowns. Wedding gowns. The rejected wedding gowns of Princess Diana.” Stella Everett, Britne Oldford, Maia Novi, Sarah Marie Rodriguez, and Madeline Wise play models who drink Tab (a nice period detail), trade runway war stories, and talk sex, pores, and purging (“I’m always vomiting,” one says).
Between a script that essentially paints models as catty human coathangers and direction by Morgan Green that shuns subtlety, performances dip into caricature and cliches. Noisy scene changes, in which the glamour girls strut and serve face, are grating.
Too bad, since there’s rich material to mine about power and posing and the nature of creativity. But Roberta mostly fusses with props and shares banalities about eyes as “windows to your soul.” Groundbreaking. Her storyline ends up hanging on a mighty man.
The estimable Marvel (A Streetcar Named Desire, Top Girls on Broadway), manages to grip attention throughout the 95-minute show. Amid striking, if odd, images — Di’s unwanted dresses are doozies — the sight of Roberta aimlessly carrying an airplane propeller stands out. It fits for a play that doesn’t quite get airborne.
Five Models in Ruins, 1981 summary
This behind-the-scenes saga follows Roberta, a supposedly forward-thinking fashion photographer who lands an assignment that could finally put her work on the cover of Vogue. That much-coveted spot has eluded her for 25 years. However, her conceptual shoot — wedding dresses Princess Di didn’t want — succumbs to Murphy’s Law. The power is on the fritz at the mansion where they're shooting, the models are surly, and the stylist is a no-show. Art isn’t easy, even when you’re haute.
What to expect at Five Models in Ruins, 1981
Stephens’s muse here is the late Deborah Turbeville, renowned for turning fashion photography into moody avant-garde art. “I like to hear a clock ticking in my pictures,” reads a Turbeville epigraph at the top of the script.
Similarly to Roberta, Turbeville did a 1975 series for Vogue where models wore bathing suits in an abandoned bathhouse; a later, separate shoot of hers featured Diana's rejected wedding gowns. The play seems to want to match the ragged and evocative sensibility of Turbeville’s photos but comes up a bit short.
The script frequently name-drops photographers, fashionistas, and artists. Alexander Liberman, an influential editorial director at Vogue publisher Condé Nast, has a key offstage role.
What audiences are saying about Five Models in Ruins, 1981
As of writing, Five Models In Ruins, 1981 has a ranking of 76% on the review aggregator Show-Score.
- “This is really for those who both adore the fashion world and enjoy mocking it. The plot is fittingly thin so you mostly observe these creatures in their habitat as they alternate between being human and caricatures of their profession. I smiled a lot, with a decent amount of chuckling.” Show-Score user aka
- “Not so sure about this one. Ending felt hollow, great cast and acting, but the script is a little all over the place, trying to tell a bunch of stories in not a lot of time.” Show-Score user Member7060455
- “As someone who has worked in the fashion industry since the early nineties, this piece resonated with me on every level. it made me want to see more theater …” Show-Score user mystery pizza
Read more audience reviews of Five Models In Ruins, 1981 on Show-Score.
Who should see Five Models in Ruins, 1981
- Fans of Marvel, an actress who reliably gives terrific performances, will be keen to see her latest stage turn.
- Theatregoers interested in new authorial voices will want to see what makes Stephens tick.
- People who've watched fashion photographers in screen stories told in Funny Face, Mahogany, and The Eyes of Laura Mars, which is mentioned in the play, will want to see Roberta’s relationships with models.
Learn more about Five Models in Ruins, 1981 off Broadway
Despite dramatic shortcomings,Five Models in Ruins, 1981 is quirky and evokes bygone glamour with Afsoon Pajoufar's scenic design.
Photo credit: Five Models in Ruins, 1981 off Broadway. (Photos by Marc J. Franklin)
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