This winter Moonbox lost close friend and beloved collaborator, Marian Bertone.
Marian designed costumes for several Moonbox shows, beginning in 2014 with The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!), and later for The Wild Party, Barnum and finally Cabaret – the latter two earning her IRNE Awards for best Costume Design.
Marian tackled every project – no matter how huge and complicated – with boundless energy, exceptional artistry, and a deep dedication to her craft, and to every actor she designed for. Her warmth and humor were unflagging, even in the midst of chaos, of which there is limitless supply in the world of theater. There are many stories to tell of her abilities to work magic, not the least of which was the one when our lead actress in Barnum took ill the day of a performance, and Marian, in a matter of hours, refitted the character’s entire wardrobe to fit her very diminutive understudy – then, without batting an eye, Marian sized it all back up the next day when the lead actor returned. She was, as her daughter Rachel describes her “the best of the best”.
Marian will be missed by every one of us at Moonbox who had the pleasure and honor of working by her side. Below are some images from our archives of Marian’s work – and a few of her as well, though she HATED having her picture taken, let alone ever being the center of attention.
Sorry Marian. 🙂
Some remembrances from Moonbox alumni:
“What I remember the most about Marian is her professionalism and loveliness in everything she did. She went above and beyond to “get it done” and always did what was best for the actor, the show/ story and her incredible daughter Rachel. Her hard work shined on stage through every moving part.” – Andrew W.
”One of the talented truth tellers, super creative, truly dedicated folks who was extraordinarily kind to me during my tenure there!” – Dale C.
”Marian taught me everything. She made me part of her family onstage and off. Her talents, dedication and wit are what I will remember the most. I know her legacy will live on through all the people she met, all the tutus she stitched and the corsets she cinched.” – David L.
”The very first thing I remember about Marian, was working with her on Barnum. The day she came in to fit me with my costumes I remember making a comment about how men’s clothing in Boston hasn’t always fitted me well because I am shaped like period men were. I remember she laughed at me and handed me two suits that were so perfectly fit to me that I was stunned. She then joked about how so many people don’t ever work on mens clothes, so its always a long process – and we spent the entire fitting connecting on our shared love for men’s period clothing, and our collections over the years, and what we cared about and what mattered. And we connected so well right at the get go. This past summer Marian stepped in to help make some huge design decisions with me and Rachel when I designed my wife Nicole’s engagement ring. I had been asking Rachel some questions, but she immediately said “Let me ask my mom” and I was so excited to get her input. She was right about everything., I would like to tell everyone just how important she was to me and to our whole community, and the brilliance of the perfectly formed everything she produced. – Dan P.”