Full Gallop is a fitting description for the life of the late fashion arbiter Diana Vreeland. From this one-woman show, one gets a full-blown picture of this sassy, opinionated woman who lived at full tilt and whose temperament was often as outrageous as haute couture. Diana spent most of her professional life as fashion editor of Harper's Bazaar and editor of Vogue. However, she is probably best remembered as a consultant for the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. This show suggests that she took the Costume Institute job not for the love of fashion, but as a survival instinct. Apparently, she was as good at throwing money around as she was at tossing off bon mots. It is only at the end of the play that Diana, short on friends and finances, consents to assist with the Costume Institute makeover.
Full Gallop is a magical tour-de-force, displaying the talents of Angela Iannone in the title role. Although Iannone is nowhere near age 70 (Diana's age at the time of the play), she conveys the world-weary diva in all her diminished glory. She carries herself gingerly, almost delicately, like an aging butterfly. She captivates with her tales of royalty and celebrity, which are all the more hilarious because of her perspective (all we learn about Hitler, for example, is that his moustache was "all wrong"). Iannone is great with a one-liner, too, such as this one: "we all need a splash of bad taste - no taste is what I'm against." The only other character is an off-stage French maid, played with deadpan delight by Marie Kohler.
All the events take place in Diana's New York apartment, beautifully dressed by Lisa Schlenker. David Cescarini's music sets the appropriately nostalgic mood.
