Randy Barceló Explained
Randy Barceló (September 19, 1946 – December 6, 1994) was a Cuban dancer, photographer, interior designer, and all-around artist. He was also known for his set and costume designs for theatre and film.
Biography
Born in Havana on September 19, 1946, Randy Barceló left Cuba through Operation Pedro Pan at the age of 14. He studied art at University of Puerto Rico and in 1965 moved to New York where he enrolled in the Lester Polakov Studio and Forum of Stage Design.
Barceló began his career as a dancer and choreographer. At the age of 24, he worked as a designer for the Broadway musical, 'Lenny'. In 1972 he designed the costumes for Jesus Christ Superstar and was nominated for a Tony Award, the first Hispanic nominee for costume design. He went on to design costumes for several on- and off- Broadway plays and musicals, ballet and dance productions, and operas.
Barceló's art-work, primarily abstract and figurative sketches and paintings, have been shown in several galleries and museums including the Cooper Hewitt Museum, Hudson River Museum, and Kennedy Center for Performing Arts.
In 1994, Barceló designed costumes for ¡Si Señor! ¡Es Mi Son!, choreographed for Ballet Hispanico by Alberto Alonso and Sonia Calero with music by Gloria Estefan. These were his final designs as he died of cancer on December 6 of that same year.
Works or publications
Randy Barceló’s Production Credits
Broadway
- Ain't Misbehavin, 1978
- Ain't Misbehavin, 1988
- A Broadway Musical, 1978
- Dude 1972
- Jesus Christ Superstar, 1971
- Lenny, 1971
- The Leaf People, 1975 (costumes and make-up)
- The Magic Show, 1974
- Mayor, 1985 (sets and costumes)
- The Night That Made America Famous, 1975
- Senator Joe, 1989 (never officially opened)
- Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Off-Broadway
- Blood Wedding, INTAR Theatre (sets and costumes)
- Caligula, La Mama Experimental Theatre Club
- Cracks, Theatre De Lys, 1976
- Lady Day, Chelsea Theatre Center
- Mayor, Village Gate Theatre (sets and costumes)
- A Midsummer Night's Dream, New York Shakespeare Festival, Delacorte Theatre, 1982
- The Moondreamers, La Mama Experimental Theatre Club
- Phillip Morris Superband Series, Beacon Theatre (set)
- Rice and Beans, INTAR Theatre (sets and costumes)
- Spookhouse, Playhouse 91, 1984
- The Tempest, LaMama Experimental Theatre Club
Opera
- L'Histoire du Soldat, Carnegie Hall (sets and costumes)
- Les Troyen, Vienna State Opera
- Lily, New York City Opera
- Mass, Leonard Bernstein, Kennedy Center
- Salome, New York City Opera
Ballet and Dance
- Black, Brown & Beige, Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre, 1976
- The Blues Ain't, Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre, 1974
- Crosswords, Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre
- La Dea delle Acque, Alvin Ailey for La Scala Opera Ballet, 1988
- For "Bird" – With Love, Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre, 1984
- Fuenteovejuna, Ballet Hispanico
- Lovers, Jennifer Muller (sets and costumes)
- Mondrian, Jennifer Muller (sets and costumes)
- The Mooche, Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre, 1974
- Opus McShann, Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre, 1988
- Predicaments for Five, Jennifer Muller (sets and costumes)
- ¡Si Señor! ¡Es Mi Son!, Ballet Hispanico, 1994
- Spell, Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre, 1981
- The Street Dancer, Ballet Hispanico,
Television
- Ailey Celebrates Ellington, Alvin Ailey for CBS, 1975
- Ain't Misbehavin, NBC, 1982
- Duke Ellington: The Music Lives On, PBS, 1983
Film
- Body Passion, 1987 (production designer)
- The Cop and the Anthem
- Cubanos (art direction and costumes)
- Fat Chance (set and costumes for theater sequence)
- Fatal Encounter, 1981
- Secret Life of Plants (costumes for dance sequence)
- Tainted, 1988 (art direction and costumes)
- Los Dos Mundos de Angelita, 1984 (art direction and costumes)
- Welcome to Miami (art direction and costumes)
- When the Mountains Tremble, 1983 (production designer)
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