Friday, April 27, 2012

Crowns

Last Sunday I went to see the show Crowns at the Delaware Theatre Company in Wilmington.  This lively and soulful musical producation by Regina Taylor is adapted from the book by Michael Cunningham and Craig Marberry, and directed by Kevin Ramsey. 
Self Portrait with Crown
Monotype with collograph
30" x 22"
©2012NanciHersh
I, too, was raised in the tradition of hats,  handed down from my grandparents- from the retail side of things.


My dad, like his father before him is a milliner. Fabulous hats of every color, shape and style hung (and still do in his one remaing Nobby Shoppes in Linden, NJ) in ribbons of color from pegs on the wall.  


Often to my exasperation, we couldn't make it home from a day trip without stopping at one of his stores to make a delivery or pick up. Funny how what hangs on the walls can shape how we see things today.  
My grandfather Joseph Hersh at his Nobby Shoppe 1936
New Brunswick, NJ


"From feathered hats to flowered hats, pillboxes to turbans, to hats for work and hats for church, there is a hat for every occasion, and a cultural and historical significance to them as well as "Mother Shaw" and her "hat queens" share in their stories. This soul-stirring musical demonstrates the handing down of culture from one generation to the next and celebrates the refuge, equality and healing that occurs in this place of spirituality."  

This is the final weekend of Crowns in Wilmington.  There is also an online auction of the hats created for the show that will benefit DE Theatre Company.  Worth a trip and a look!

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