It Blows

This past April, South Beach Comedy Festival-goers were treated to an eccentric tragicomedy about an eccentric celebrity: Isabella Blow, the British fashion muse and magazine editor known for her keen eye (she discovered Alexander McQueen) and ostentatious headwear. Exploring Issi’s wit, style, and death wish — she attempted suicide six times before succeeding, in 2007 — Jessica Farr penned the one-act play, then called Charming Acts of Misery, for the Mad Cat Theatre Company. Now, that minimalist 40-minute show has been expanded to a full-length production with more elaborate sets, costumes, props, and an added cast member. If the original Comedy Fest production was heavier on the laughs, this full-length play, called Blow Me, will explore both the ups and downs of Issi’s roller coaster of a life. “The first production felt more like a teaser,” Farr says. “Before, we met the characters and they were more transient, symbolic. This time, they will all have arcs and a greater presence in the story.” Blow Me marks Mad Cat’s debut production in its new home at the Miami Theater Center (9816 NE Second Ave., Miami Shores). The show runs this Thursday through September 1, and showtime is 8 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. Tickets cost $30 for adults and $15 for students. Call 866-811-4111 or visit madcattheatre.org.
Thursdays-Sundays. Starts: Aug. 15. Continues through Sept. 1, 2013