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SEMI-PERMANENT
Limited Engagement runs February 3 -- March 23

"His impersonations of college friends and French fashion prima donnas are hilarious, and his energy is unflagging... This show is ready for prime time. " -- OffOffOnline

On the heels of a sold-out run at the 2007 New York International Fringe Festival (where it won Outstanding Solo Show), SEMI-PERMANENT returns to New York for a limited engagement. This behind-the-scenes look at the worlds of fashion and entertainment by Hollywood hairstylist Rick Gradone begins performances February 3 at Ace of Clubs. The production features a nightly drawing in which one audience member WINS A FREE POST-SHOW HAIRCUT, transforming the evening into an impromptu salon in which Gradone’s artistry is put to the test... over cocktails.

In this hilarious and touching solo show, Rick Gradone, whose clients include everyone from Naomi Campbell to Eartha Kitt, explores the social implications of popular hairstyles, from the classic to the ridiculous. In the course of the evening, Gradone wittily attempts to elevate hairdressing to the level of high art. When he is inadvertently thrust into his own past, he is forced to explore the reasons he became a hairdresser and not the artist he had hoped to become. His struggle to redefine his life work leads to an epiphany that all work, even hairdressing, can be meaningful.

As a hairdresser, Rick Gradone has worked extensively for American magazines including Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, W, Elle, Cosmopolitan, Vanity Fair, In-Style, Interview, Paper, the Sport Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, and numerous international ones. He was featured on MTV’s Mission Makeover and was a co-host for the Court TV pilot Body Double. As an actor, he is a founding member of New York’s Mobius Group, a non-profit theater company in which he originated roles for Eric Bogosian and Warren Leight. As a founding member of the dance/hip-hop band Opti-Grab, he has performed as an opening act for Blondie, The Scissor Sisters, The Tom Tom Club and Gogol Bordello.

Johanna McKeon recently staged the world premiere of Anne Washburn’s I Have Loved Strangers. She was Associate Director of the Broadway production of Grey Gardens and currently serves as Assistant Director on the national tour of Rent.

The production features sets by Lara Fabian, video design by Adam Larsen, lighting by Joel Silver, sound by Stefano Zazzera, and stage management by Megan Schwarz. It is presented by Audible Productions, Inc., co-producer of Bridezilla Strikes Back (Outstanding Solo Show at FringeNYC 2005).

SEMI-PERMANENT runs February 3 -- March 23, Sundays at 8pm. Ace of Clubs is located inside Acme at 9 Great Jones Street (inside Acme -- accessible from the 6 train at Bleecker or the B,D,V,F trains at Lafayette). Tickets are $18, available online now or by calling 212-352-3101.