Here in New York, a lot of talk has revolved around weather for the past few months. Specifically, how cold and miserable it is. A friend told me this morning that in addition to being frigid cold this past month, she spotted a rat “napping” on the street right outside of her house as she took her kids to school. She instructed them to step over it, but is currently looking at real estate in Florida.
But hold on. Now that it’s — finally!!! — getting warmer up here in NYC, it’s time to take stock of some of the amazing things one can find only in New York. We know this is a phrase some people use to justify living in overpriced apartments the size of dog houses…but it’s also true in many respects.
For instance, I recently went to 54 Below to see a live reading of “Factory Girls”, a Broadway-bound musical about women working in a fabric mill in Lowell, Massachusetts at the beginning of the industrial age. Our friend Sean Mahoney (who also happens to be HEUCY’s very witty go-to DJ, and husband of our Sensei/Life Coach/HEUCY Gal Emily) is the brilliant musician behind it, along with three other incredibly talented HEUCY Dudes: musician Creighton Irons and book writers Rob Ackerman and Sam Forman. The masterly cast of performers was out of this world and reminded me why I don’t even dare to do karaoke.
But “Factory Girls” is about much more than a mill. It’s about women who were moving out of the kitchen and into the workforce. Work conditions back then were grueling (it makes you feel guilty about ever complaining about a missed lunch or a cubicle) and the women were treated like the machines they operated. But this type of work — and that era — paved the way for some women to to speak on behalf of others, for better — if not equal — rights. And the music is absolutely fabulous. It’s like Les Mis and other musical theatre that you can’t get out of your head…because the story and the words are just as dissonant as the tunes. There is a love story, there is heartbreak and tragedy…and there is redemption.
The “Factory Girls” show coincided with our production of HEUCY’s anxiously anticipated “Behind the Seams” video of our factory in New York City’s Garment District. Without the partnership of our factory girls — and guys — on 36th street, we wouldn’t be able to produce and sell our line. It was also empowering to see women on stage singing about equality, and rights, and happiness. In an age when women were considered inferior to men, and “equality” was a dream and not a reality.
Also, seeing a show at 54 Below — the former basement of Studio 54, where Mick Jagger and Halston and countless other fashion and entertainment icons boogied the night away (among other things we can’t put in writing) — reminded us that yes, there is a reason why we live, and create, in NYC.
For updates on upcoming “Factory Girls” shows and news, follow HEUCY on Facebook and @heucydotcom on Instagram and Twitter.
xx,
The HEUCY Team
HEUCY 