Have You Heard the News?

It's Official! Art of the Pin-Up Girl will present a concert version of the show at 

Pinned Miami! Hope you can join us on May 24th in Miami!

Art of the Pin-Up Girl: The Musical will premier at Pinned Miami: South Florida’s Pin Up Model, Photography, Culture, Art, Fashion, Tattoo, Rockabilly and Burlesque Festival, May 23-25, 2014 at The Miami Airport Convention Center!www.pinupfestival.com

PRESS RELEASE:

Pin-up girls − those iconic, perfectly proportioned beauties who have adorned magazine pages, posters, calendars and bedroom walls for more than a century – will come to life in a new musical set to premier in South Florida with concert staging in May.

The new show – Art of the Pin-Up Girl − is the culmination of a decade-long dream for Heather Storm, the Jupiter, Fla., based playwright, lyricist and singer/songwriter who has lovingly crafted the book and lyrics. The 15 original songs in the musical were composed by Gregory “Popeye” Alexander, Storm’s husband and a well-known South Florida composer, producer, singer and radio personality. Musical contributions and production of the soundtrack was provided by Alex J. Weir at Dreamhouse Studios, West Palm Beach, FL.

For the first time in South Florida, Art of the Pin-Up Girl will be presented in a concert format, highlighting 10 of the original songs with a historical and visual narrative by the playwright. The event will feature a live band, known as Popeye & the Pin-Ups, and performers from the South Florida area will bring the classic pin-ups to life onstage.

Art of the Pin-Up Girl tells the stories of actual people and events in history, weaving them into a tapestry that is a glorious musical trip through the time and space of Pin-Up Art in America. “Those women were real women, live models for the artists. They lived fascinating and often scandalous lives,” Storm says. “Their stories are firmly rooted in the lore of our American theatrical and entertainment culture – from the richness of the burlesque to the Greenwich and Ziegfeld Follies, to the Golden Age of Hollywood and yes, even Playboy.”

Familiar characters who leap off the pages in Art of the Pin-Up Girl include pin-up legends Bettie Page, Anna Mae Clift, Lena Horne and Rosie the Riveter, as well as acclaimed artists Alberto Vargas and Baron von Lind – who has created an original pin-up girl poster to promote the new musical. Lind’s lifelong obsession with pin-up inspired the narrative for the play, Storm notes.
“We are thrilled to be presenting a concert of the show’s music at PINNED” Storm says. “It has been our goal to bring this piece to South Florida since the NYC reading two years ago and the audience at PINNED is our dream audience. It will be thrilling to share this musical with people who love the beautiful world of pin-up as much as we do.”

To listen to musical excerpts from Art of the Pin-Up Girl and learn more about its origins and the pin-up icons who inspired it, visit www.artofthepin-upgirl.com

Art of the Pin-Up Girl on social media:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/artofthepinupgirl
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/artofpinup
Website: http://www.artofthepin-upgirl.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/artofpinup
Tumblr: http://artofthepin-upgirl.tumblr.com/archive
Blog: http://artofthepin-upgirl.blogspot.com/
Smartphone App: http://artofpinup.app.gp/
Musical excerpts on Soundcloud:http://soundcloud.com/heather-storm

Pinned Miami is 3 days dedicated to the culture of Pin Up, featuring models, bands, photographers, artists, workshops, panels, burlesque, classic cars, exhibitors, vendors, films, tattoo artists and more! Get ready for the sexiest show on Earth!

The Facebook event page for PINNED MIAMI is now up! RSVP athttps://www.facebook.com/events/816931541655966/ and let us know that you're coming! www.facebook.com/pinupfestivaland www.pinupfestival.com

Ruth Etting: Ziegfeld Star and Vargas Girl

Photography by: Sarah Pardew Photography 
www.sarahpardew.com
Model: Virginia Leigh

Shortly after I began developing the book for Art of the Pin-Up Girl, I became very focused on the Ziegfeld Follies and the various characters that might have been present at the time that Alberto Vargas happened along to paint the show posters for the lobby of the New Amsterdam Theatre.  The showgirls were many, and their stories rich and all worth telling.  But one stood out to me - in a "truth is stranger than fiction" sort of way.  That was the story of Ruth Etting.

Aficionados of "The Great American Songbook" will immediately recognize her name and legacy.  Ruth was a true star - of American radio, the Ziegfeld Follies and eventually Hollywood and a recent book was written about her, calling her "America's forgotten sweetheart".  She truly had the voice and face of an angel and it was such a blessing to be able to pull videos of her from YouTube and see her perform.  She was truly luminous and it was easy to see how she rose to stardom.  I've compiled a Pinterest board of some of her material.  Strangely, when I wrote this story and the odd little song to go with it, I had not yet discovered her on YouTube - so although it sounds as though we were duplicating her songs - in fact, like many of the pin-ups from the story, I heard a voice and a longing to be understood and from that she found her way onto the page.  Yes, like Bettie Page, she came in night dreams and daydreams until she could not be denied. When I discovered her performances, it was astonishing how clearly she came through in the visions - and I could imagine her sweet voice singing our song ~ in a sexy, burlesquey, tongue-in-cheek way.

Ruth Etting ~ Love is Like That

Recorded by Ruth Etting on January 13, 1931 in New York City for Columbia Records.

Ruth's personal life was what made her so truly fascinating.  You see, she was married to a real life Chicago gangster named "Moe the Gimp" (you cannot make this up) and he was also her manager.  He basically controlled her life and helped her become the glorious star that she was.  Ah, but with gangsters, there are always stings attached.  So when Ruth fell deeply in love with her piano man, Myrl, there would be a price to pay.  In fact, Moe became so enraged (as gangsters do) when he discovered the truth, he shot Myrl!  There was a fabulous movie made about Ruth and her men, starring Doris Day and James Cagney as Moe, called Love Me or Leave Me and it is truly worth watching - especially for classic film buffs!

In Art of the Pin-Up Girl, we discover Ruth as a classic Vargas girl cover of Radio Magazine and explore the wonder of being a fly on the wall in Vargas' studio when she arrives for her sitting - naturally accompanied by Moe.  To say he is rude to the artist would be an understatement - but even then, beneath the shadow of this controlling gangster, Ruth is on the verge of her love affair with Myrl.  In Love Me or Leave Me, they really portray Ruth as a victim, but I like to imagine her as brighter than that and truly of the mindset that she is in the one in control of this impossible man.  She is a strong woman with a romantic spirit who is so very vulnerable to true love and although she is married, refuses to be denied her happiness.  Imagine how difficult such a thing must have been for a woman of her era.  This becomes an emergent theme in Art of the Pin-Up Girl ~ the pursuit of joy, in spite of the odds and social norms.

So, now enjoy the latest release of a song from Art of the Pin-Up Girl, which you may listen to on our SoundCloud.  Special thanks to the Sarah Pardew Photography and Virginia Leigh for the gorgeous vintage-style photo, which to me captures the essence of Ruth.  There are also links below to some of Ruth Etting's artistry, which is all positively divine.