KEN BARNETT SET TO STAR IN INDUSTRY STAGING OF NEW PLAY “MISTER HALSTON”.
Kimberly Senior directs the premier of Raffael Pacitti’s buzzy new play.
OUR REVIEW:
Ken Barnett's performance in the theater play Mister Halston, written by Raffael Pacitti and directed by Kimberly Senior, is nothing short of mesmerizing. Barnett plays the iconic fashion designer Halston with an effortless blend of charisma, vulnerability, and intensity that truly brings the character to life.
From the moment he steps on stage, Barnett embodies Halston's larger-than-life persona, capturing the designer's elegance, creative brilliance, and underlying insecurities. His portrayal is nuanced, allowing the audience to see beyond the glamorous façade to the complex man beneath. Whether commanding a room with his magnetic presence or showing Halston's more intimate, troubled sides, Barnett's performance is consistently compelling.
One of the highlights of the play is Barnett's ability to convey the emotional depth of Halston's journey—from his meteoric rise in the fashion world to his eventual decline. He skillfully navigates the shifts in Halston's life, portraying the designer's moments of triumph with the exact authenticity as his moments of despair. The way Barnett handles the more dramatic, intense scenes is awe-inspiring; he brings a raw, palpable energy that keeps the audience engaged and invested in Halston's story.
Under the direction of Kimberly Senior, Barnett shines in a production that is as visually stunning as it is emotionally resonant. His chemistry with the supporting cast adds further depth to his portrayal, highlighting the relationships that were central to Halston's life and career.
In "Mister Halston," Ken Barnett delivers a captivating and heartbreaking performance, doing justice to the iconic designer's complexity.
After a sold-out run at New York’s United Solo Festival, where it garnered much praise and three festival awards (Best Actor—Ken Barnett; Best Script—Raffael Pacitti and the Audience Award), this much-buzzed-about play is preparing for an industry staging in anticipation of a significant New York run. With enthusiastic audiences and critical reception, Mister Halston continues its journey of telling a quintessential New York story.
ABOUT THE PLAY
It is early spring 1987 in New York. It is late afternoon, spilling into dusk. We are in the living room of the East 63rd Street apartment of famed American fashion designer Halston. The journalist has arrived.
Featuring Ken Barnett (Broadway’s Fun Home, Wonderful Town, The Green Bird), directed by Kimberly Senior (Broadway’s Disgraced, MTC’s Bella Bella and The Niceties), and written by Raffael Pacitti, this one-person play fictionalizes the interview that led to a seminal New York Times article about the legendary designer. Throughout the interview, we learn about Halston’s life and career. We meet the people Halston knew and loved and the cultural figures who influenced him. We hear about the visionary work that not only gripped the fashion world for decades but also helped shape the evolution of identity, gender politics, sexuality, and style in America and worldwide.
ARTIST INFO:
KEN BARNETT* (Halston)
Broadway: Fun Home, Wonderful Town, The Green Bird. Off-Broadway: Novenas for a Lost Hospital (Rattlestick), The Cradle Will Rock (Classic Stage), America Is Hard To See (HERE), The Light Years (Playwrights’ Horizons); Plenty, Fortress of Solitude, February House (Public Theater); Too Much Sun (Vineyard); La Ronde (HERE--Best Actor, Fringe Award); Debbie Does Dallas (Jane Street); The Whore of Sheridan Square (La Mama—NYIT Award nomination). Regional: The Waves, Private Lives, True West, Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder (CT Critic’s Circle Award/San Diego Critics Circle Nomination), February House (CT Critics Circle Award), Next Fall, Burn This, Merrily We Roll Along. TV favorites: Godfather of Harlem, The Good Fight, American Crime Story: Versace, Christophe on Mozart in the Jungle, House of Cards, Mad Men. Film: Lavender (Sundance & SXSW 2019, acquired by Fox Searchlight), Radio Killer, Admission, Ira & Abby, Friends With Kids, People Like Us, Puccini for Beginners. kenbarnett.net
*Equity Member appearing with the permission of Actor’s Equity Association without the benefit of an Equity contract in this Off-Broadway production
KIMBERLY SENIOR (Director)
New York Credits: Disgraced (Broadway); Bella Bella and The Niceties (Manhattan Theatre Club); Chris Gethard: Career Suicide (Judd Apatow presents); The Who and The What, and Disgraced (Lincoln Center Theater 3); Discord (Primary Stages); Engagements (Second Stage); Dan Rather’s Stories of a Lifetime, Margaret Trudeau’s Certain Women of an Age, and Aasif Mandvi’s Sakina’s Restaurant (Audible). Chicago Credits: Support Group for Men, Disgraced, and Rapture, Blister, Burn (Goodman Theatre); Buried Child, The Scene, Marjorie Prime, Diary of Anne Frank, Hedda Gabler, and The Letters (Writer’s Theatre); Discord, 4000 Miles, and The Whipping Man (Northlight Theatre); Want and The North Plan (Steppenwolf); Inana, My Name is Asher Lev, All My Sons, and Dolly West’s Kitchen (TimeLine Theatre); The Great God Pan, After The Revolution, Madagascar, The Overwhelming, and The Busy World is Hushed (Next); Waiting for Lefty (American Blues); Old Times, The Conquest of the South Pole, Uncle Vanya, Cherry Orchard, Three Sisters, Fuddy Meers, and Knives in Hens (Strawdog); Cripple of Inishman, Bug, and The Pillowman (Redtwist Theatre); Thieves Like Us (The House Theatre); among others. Regional: Sweat and The Niceties (Huntington Theatre Company); Byhalia, MS (The Kennedy Center); The Niceties (Geffen Playhouse); Miss Bennett: Christmas at Pemberly (Milwaukee Repertory Theatre); Other Than Honorable (Geva); Sex with Strangers (The Geffen Playhouse); Disgraced (Mark Taper Forum, Berkley Repertory Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre); The Who and The What (La Jolla Playhouse); Little Gem (City Theatre); Games Afoot, Murder on the Nile, and A Few Good Men (Peninsula Players); Mauritius (Theatre Squared, Fayetteville, AR). Film/TV: Chris Gethard: Career Suicide (HBO). kimberlysenior.net
RAFFAEL PACITTI (Playwright)
Raffael is a professional Art Director working in advertising with a varied background in the magazine and publishing worlds. His passion has always been theatre, music, and fashion, and he continues to write and produce projects around the city. As a performer and producer, Raffael has explored classical and modern music as well as theatrical projects. halstonplay.com
My years of experience in the advertising space, along with a varied background in magazine design and publishing, have taught me the power of words and how they can affect perception. My passion for theater, combined with my professional skills, has provided a natural transition into the world of playwriting.
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