House of McQueen is the story of iconic fashion designer Alexander McQueen as seen through the eyes of... Alexander McQueen. From his early days drawing on the walls of his East London council-house bedroom, a bird-obsessed boy who wore his heart on his sleeve, to his unlikely rise in the commercial fashion world, Lee, as he was known to his friends, tells his own story on a runway, a place he’d always dreamt of living his life. He takes us through his memories of epiphany and trauma to his final moments in which he could no longer make anything beautiful out of his life.
The large ensemble handle their versatile chores expertly, and generally look fabulous. And Newton anchors the proceedings with his obviously deeply felt performance in which he makes clear McQueen’s inner demons. “Money isn’t important,” the fashion designer insists early in the play. “All I want to do is fix ugliness.” House of McQueen makes clear, however imperfectly, how he couldn’t fix himself.
These efforts pay off in visual splendor. Yet, in part because of the great inherent promise of its subject, “House of McQueen” feels mostly like a missed opportunity.
| 2025 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway |
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