#lempicka broadway

[moxyphinx]

it's just the two of us AMBER IMAN & EDEN ESPINOSA in LEMPICKA

[lempickathemusical]

We do not control the world  We control one flat rectangle of canvas at a time LEMPICKA (2024)

[thetisming]

Broadway has turned into something commercialised and all about money, rather than stages for stories to be shared. people only care about how much money shows make, but people never give new shows a try so amazing new shows that tell important stories and production and soundtrack and actors close. if there's not a big tv (specifically tv, people don't care about actual BROADWAY legends anymore) name for the media or it's not a revival people don't care. new musicals that tell historical stories that shouldn't be forgotten close after a few months, no matter how amazing the story or score or set or actors are. Broadway isn't about the heart anymore, it's about money and big names. it's barely even for theatre people.

Lempicka is closing and i am devastated for so many reasons. Harmony already closed earlier this year.

Tamara de Lempicka was a famous painter. she was married to a rich man, and originally painted their daughter or landscapes and things like that, but she eventually painted Rafaela -- her girlfriend. she painted her mainly naked and they loved each other. she was a bisexual painter, and more than that a brilliant painter, and she is being forgotten. she was part Jewish, too. she fled to Paris with her husband, which is where she met Rafaela.

there's a musical about her. it's closing on May 19th. it opened officially on Broadway on April 14th. both this year.

The Comedian Harmonists were a band. they were an internationally popular German band between 1928 and 1934. 3 of the 6 of them were Jewish. Nazi Germany started in 1933. you can probably piece together what happened, but i'll tell you anyway. they were separated and erased. they were not forgotten, they were erased. Nazis destroyed almost all of their recordings. the Harmonists never saw each other again. their names were Ari Leschnikoff, Harry Frommermann, Robert Biberti, Roman Cycowski, Erwin "Chopin" Bootz and Erich A. Collin.

there was a musical about them. it closed on February 4th, and opened officially on Broadway on November 13th (2023).

do not let Tamara or the Harmonists go forgotten. listen to Lempicka and Harmony. research the people. find bootlegs of the musicals if you can. learn about them. teach about them. please, don't let people forget about them.

this isn't about the musicals closing, these are about important people being forgotten and erased from history. please, don't let this happen.

[maliwart]

Still really just thinking about Lempicka 24/7

[paintingdaylight]

Lempicka sketchbook page 🤭 the color one is my fave but might work on this idea more!

[grilledcheeseandguavajelly]

So are we going to talk about eden espinosa walking the tony carpet with her nipples out orrrrr 👀

[himblebo]

In Act 2 of Lempicka when Tamara and Rafaela enter Le Monocle for the first time they look around at all the women together and Rafaela says “a room full of nothing but US” and Tamara says “let’s never leave” and guys I just went to a lesbian bar for the first time (okay it’s actually a deli but they turn it into a lesbian bar at night) and GUYS? That is the safest I have ever felt out drinking and dancing and I felt so natural and I was surrounded by other queer women and that’s. That’s the first actual queer space I’ve been to in YEARS and especially post-pandemic. And I’m feeling such an overwhelming mix of emotions right now because I didn’t realize how isolated I felt from the queer community in my day to day life (ie not online). I just. God.

Dedicated queer spaces are so important. Lesbian bars are so important. This is the only one I’ve been to but I’m VERY aware that these days there are fewer and fewer of them but I just. I didn’t know how badly this kind of place and experience and connection to community was missing from my life until I suddenly had it tonight.

[wild-feminist]

don’t mind me, just sobbing at work over amber iman & eden espinosa in “Speed” 😭😭

[droughtofapathy]

Too late, no one stopped me. Let's dig into this, shall we?

In Shubert Alley, Lempicka has a big poster advertisement along the wall with all the other Broadway shows currently running. The bold-print, fancy New York Times review pull-quote read as follows:

"A STIRRING, EPIC BLOCKBUSTER MUSICAL."

Now, that struck me as a little suspect because I couldn't recall Jesse Green of the Times saying any such thing. Lo and behold, I did a quick search, and then a deeper search, and then a full internet scour, and those words have never appeared together to describe this musical. Some of those words do, however, appear as separate words in the Times review for the WILLIAMSTOWN production from 2018, which is, by now, a vastly different show (see below). And some of those words were not used to describe Lempicka at all.

Once upon a time, marketing teams had to get approval from papers to ensure their pull-quotes were accurate. This is...not only just a quote with the context chopped up. It's a ransom note magazine cutout. None of those words (except, y'know, "A" and "musical") appeared in the Broadway review of this show.

Furthermore, earlier today, this graphic went live on Lempicka's socials:

We've already discussed how (now an entirely new quote from the one used before) the Brantley quote isn't accurate. It's even more egregious now because it includes the reviewer's name, which I feel like might be against some kind of regulation somewhere(?) it's been several years since I studied libel law. But let's go to the Jesse Green quote. "An overeager blur," is not a string of three words that ever appears in Green's review.

So. What are we doing here? Why are we making up a negative quote when there were so many actual quotes to choose from? I mean, darlings, there were disparaging remarks so frequent it would have been like shooting fish in a barrel.

In trying to make a (not untrue) statement, the marketing team instead feels as if it's catering to the fast-paced "gotcha" tone of the internet. But a snappy comeback at a middle-grade level doesn't hold water if it's so easily disproven. Who is running this team? I just wanna talk.

[memesandmusicalss]

LEMPICKA IS CLOSING SOON??? IM NOT OKAY

[our-future-is-up-to-us-2]

Vulnerable

Fic number 9? Lesbians, you say? Let's fucking goooo @narcosfandomdiscord

Prompt #27, Book Of Caretaking: "Don't make me take care of you."

Word Count: 915

Relationships: Tamara de Lempicka/Rafaela

Warnings: None

~ Read the fic under the cut ~

They’re sitting on the bed together when Tamara sighs and raises her arm. Rafaela eyes her, thoughtful, curious, when the realisation dawns upon her. 

Another bracelet. 

She’s vulnerable, enigmatic, energetic and beauty entwined. Emphasis on the vulnerable part, because that’s what strikes the painter the most. It’s why she offers this gift out to her, not just a gift, but a token, a treasure… A lifeline. 

If she needs the money, if she needs more than the scraps she finds and the meals from the men she courts with, then it’ll supply. More money than she’s dreamed of touching, that’s likely. 

“Tamara…” She whispers, sucking in a breath. She eyes the painter like she’s silver and gold, and she’s just copper, fused into plenty of things, able to be thrown away, “Come on, this is just you being flashy again. I don’t need it.” 

“Right,” The blonde rolls her eyes, holding the jewels up against her arm, glowing bright. 

They’re white, and dainty, a contrast against Rafaela’s skin. Something different from the usual matching colour schemes that she usually goes for. Why blend in when you can stand out?

It’s almost as though she’s giving her muse something else… A strange sense of permission. 

Why blend in when you can stand out?  

Why don’t they stand out in the world? After all, Rafaela’s been begging for it, every night in their bed, lying in the afterglow. Even worse, during the daylight as they meander through Paris, having to be cautious of their steps, where they put their hands, and how longingly they look at each other. 

If someone finds out, someone other than Tadeusz, the husband, always wittering, or Marinetti, the eccentric mentor, they’re doomed. 

“Don’t you like them? The jewels?” The painter breaks the silence, adjusting how she’s sitting. “Rafaela…” She whispers, her gaze locking on her muse, “Don’t make me take care of you. Let me take care of you, because I want to.” 

Rafaela averts her gaze, folding her arms over her stomach. Right, here it is, the thing she’s always dreaded. Attachment. She loves the painter, the creator, someone who brings their names to life, who brings her feelings unparalleled! There is no doubting that! 

But something stirs inside, something unsettling, gnawing at her. If she accepts this bracelet, another one, then soon, she’ll just be bejewelled, adorned in decorations that are not her own. 

She’ll be no more than the muse she already is. A muse, and a model. Modelling two things at once, of course: Tamara’s wealth, and Tamara’s talent. 

Yes, it’s her body, her poise, and everything fundamentally about her that the painter craves. But it doesn’t always feel like that. 

Rafaela’s fingers stretch, brushing gently against the jewels. Tamara’s eyes widen at once, hopeful. Will she accept the invitation? 

“You always want to take care of me, that’s the thing.” She sighs, continuing to handle the jewels, “Always reaching out to me, always doting on me, trying to cover me in things, like these jewels. Making me lie still, covering a canvas in paint, just to look like me… I’m tired of hiding.” She admits, and Tamara just smiles saccharinely, “Tired of that, and tired of just–” 

The words live and die on her tongue. She bites her lip now, fragile, vulnerable , once again. 

“I’m tired of clinging to you. I am my own woman, aren’t I?” 

“You are, Rafaela! What makes you think otherwise?!” She laughs, reaching out to encase the bracelet on her wrist. The muse sharply pulls away. 

“What just happened there says it all. So eager , hm?” Rafaela bats her eyes, placing her hands in her lap, “Look at you, beautiful, caring, and perfect. You are perfection, Tamara de Lempicka. But there’s no point in moulding something imperfect, just to flaunt all that you hold, isn’t there?” 

Tamara scoffs at what, to her, feels like an accusation, shaking her head. She places the bracelet back on her wrist, letting it fall down against her skin. 

“I’m just trying to help you!” She counters, “Because we’re struggling together. I just want to give you something that you don’t have.” 

“And what’s that? Security?” 

“Security, sure. And love.” 

Rafaela’s smile is thin now as those feelings grow stronger. She’s trying to give me security because I’ve never had it. Give me love because I’ve never had it, but is this right?!  

She stands up, hurriedly, and walks towards the door. 

Tamara’s gaze says it all, but she doesn’t bother to chase. 

Rafaela is beautiful, enigmatic, vulnerable, and a person of the night. It all makes sense, now. She wants to stand out, but hides, she only takes the things that blend in, only kisses her when there’s a hunger for it, but she’ll neglect all other food sources. 

“You’re leaving?” The painter whispers, “After everything?” “Don’t be so dramatic. ” The muse hisses, “You know exactly where to find me, exactly what to do. I just need to re-evaluate our current situation. Or will you grab another bracelet, another diamond, give me another lusty night to entice me?” 

Tamara feels the sting, hitting her heart, making water pool at her eyes. Rafaela’s always had her way with words, something that she’s never been fond of herself. 

“Go, Rafaela. Figure this all out. You know where to find me when you’re ready to return.” 

She laughs, just for a moment, a sickly wicked smile dancing across her face, “That’s not a ‘when’, darling. That’s an ‘if’.” 

[moxyphinx]

AMBER IMAN as Rafaela & EDEN ESPINOSA as Tamara de Lempicka LEMPICKA the musical

[lempickathemusical]

LEMPICKA + Act II songs

[thetisming]

guess my top 3. lol

[maliwart]

If you don’t follow my main blog you might not know that I’ve fallen in love with Lempicka and I can’t be stopped

[paintingdaylight]

Amber Iman doodle let’s talk about how sick the lempicka costumes are plz