Archives 2023

In Someone Spectacular, a fresh drama by Domenica Feraud, an unsettling event occurs when a sextet gathers for their routine grief-counseling meeting: their counselor, Beth, simply fails to appear. As ten unproductive, anxious minutes stretch to twenty and then thirty, the ensemble—composed of Nelle (Alison Cimmet), who’s mourning a sister; Jude (Delia Cunningham), who’s grieving a child; Thom (Damian Young), who’s lamenting a spouse; Julian (Shakur Tolliver), who’s missing an aunt; Lily (Ana Cruz Kayne), who’s lost a beloved mother; and Evelyn, (Gamze Ceylan) who’s resentfully parted with a mother—begins to unravel. They become frantic, draw boundaries, critique each other, and critique themselves. Yet, as more moments pass by, a shift ensues. They start to express vulnerability and defend one another, to separate and realign into a configuration that feels more constant, nearly secure. What each individual is discovering, either quietly or vociferously, is the method by which they ought to proceed without their loved one.

Feraud has typically crafted fulfilling and insightful projects from personal encounters—her writings “The 26=Year-Old Virgin” (2020), “The Movie Star and Me” (2022), along with her 2019 drama Rinse, Repeat being, until now, prime examples. Though Rinse, Repeat focused on a topic, eating disorders, personally significant to Feraud, it was at its core fictional. Someone Spectacular, however, sits much nearer to her life story, surfacing from the overwhelming shock of losing her own mother in 2022.

With four weeks remaining in the play’s off-Broadway engagement, located at The Pershing Square Signature Center on 42nd Street, Feraud converses with Vogue about her intensely joyous first night, being part of the understudy group (She’s performing this weekend!), and how immersing herself in The Real Housewives influenced the production. The dialogue has been modified and shortened for clarity.

Vogue: I’m eager to know about your opening night. Someone Spectacular is an incredibly intimate play, moving yet quite humorous. How did you commemorate it?

Doménica Feraud: It was quite overwhelming, in the most wonderful sense. My brother traveled from Austin to attend, marking his first experience of the play, which made it immensely meaningful. Many of my relatives and those closest to my mom joined, and then friends were present to share the event. Additionally, celebrating with the cast and my director, Tatiana Pandiani, meeting her partner and friends…and having Paige [Evans], co-producer and dramaturg, who’s been a guide for me extensively and now stands as a colleague—even though we’ve shared a strong bond for seven years, we finally got a photo together. Moreover, each character draws inspiration from actual people, to some measure; they represent the Inside Out emotional renditions of acquaintances I have. Thus, we experienced a memorable moment capturing images of each performer alongside their muse.

“It’s as if one might plunge into them,” remarks Faye Wei Wei, the artist, discussing her artworks while on a call from London. “I have a fondness for swimming frequently in the lido, and often contemplate how the pool resembles a mirrored exterior as one swims. With each stroke of your fingers, a reflection of yourself appears, creating a sense of duplicity. It almost suggests the presence of an alternate realm that one could inhabit and just step into.”

This romantic interpretation of a simple act is a recurring theme across her creations. She once painted two interwoven flowers upon a literal portal—a lover’s door—to safeguard him and serve as a reminder of their love. “While it may seem a bit whimsical, there’s an impression of the traces, every mark, and an emotion that you are a part of the painting,” says Wei Wei about the expression of her inner self. “You can sense my existence there. I perceive the canvas and the painting’s surface as infinite.”

This concept is vividly shown in her first monograph Portals, now released by Éditions Lutanie, covering almost 14 years of the British artist’s creations. The volume starts with a straightforward dedication to Wei Wei’s mother, Autumn Cloud, in Chinese, alongside a figure sketch titled, I Tangled Your Legs in Mine. We Were a Knot in the Grain of the World. “This initial piece is one of my most cherished creations, yet it’s merely me and my former girlfriend entwined,” she elaborates. “It’s a profoundly tender sketch, crafted by using a pencil eraser to create a dreamlike quality and a cocooning of the two lovers.”

Hailing from South London, Wei Wei spent much of her youth either drawn to sketching at the table while her siblings engaged in video games or gathering blossoms—“many lovely weeds,” she notes—at the nearby park. She recalls collecting fallen leaves with her art class around age six, which sparked an early fascination with still life. “The crevices in leaves captivated me,” she comments. “It seemed instinctual. I can’t quite explain it, but it invigorates me—like an adrenaline surge in my right hand—and it deeply touches me.”