Kenny designed costumes for Invisible Ink, the Mata Hari spectacle from House of Dames at On the Boards, 100 W Roy St, running through Jan 27. It stars Monica Appleby and Hans Altwies.
What's the sexiest part of a woman's body?
"The lower part of the back. Because it's usually covered. It's also very sculptural. It's very much like a landscape."
Do you reveal Monica's lower back?
"No, but I reveal the lower part of her abdomen."
Where does that sit on your personal sex-o-meter?
"It's pretty good. With Mata Hari, it was so sexy because her hips were covered, but the costume she wore scooped down almost to her pubic bone, and when you think she was doing this in 1902 when women were corseted and covered up, it's pretty outrageous."
Much more volatile than Britney Spears' low-slung jeans are now.
"We're so numb to it, because of bikinis and how much pop stars reveal all the time, but when you put it in the context of the time--she took photographs where she would have her headpiece on and a jeweled bra and bracelets and that's all. She got away with all of this because she performed in museums for artists. She titled it an 'artistic performance' because it was from Indonesia."
Supposedly.
"Yeah, supposedly."
How about Hans? Are you revealing any of him?
"Wade Madsen [the choreographer] wouldn't let the show go on without revealing some of him. I wish we had more time to reveal more of him."
I know a lot of people, even straight men, who like watching Hans.
"I know! He is so--ooooh--what a beautiful sculpted body he has."
Did you enjoy taking his measurements?
"It's that inseam that is always the great one."
What's the skimpiest outfit you've ever worn yourself?
"One time I was canning peaches on a wood stove, and the only thing I wore was an apron."
And is there more to that story?
"No. Not for publication, anyway."
