Ryan Raftery On Being Anna Wintour

by Paige Reddinger
Ryan Raftery

A lot has been said about Anna Wintour, and Ryan Raftery has added to the noise with a hilarious one-man show titled Ryan Raftery is the Most Powerful Woman in Fashion. In it, he plays the Vogue editor on the day the Kimye cover is released. Raftery retools popular music with lyrics of fret, world domination, and horrible trolls in flats. We caught up with Raftery to discuss what it takes to be Anna. Don’t miss the final show this Friday at Joe’s Pub in NYC!
BY MAX MCCORMACK

What made you choose Anna Wintour as your character?
I had mined all of the personal experience I could possibly think might be interesting to an audience. I had the idea to look to the life of a celebrity that I could musicalize to comedic effect. It wasn’t long until I remembered seeing Anna on the streets of New York in 2010. I looked to my left and there she was in all of her glory: the bob, the sunglasses, the Starbucks cup, the chunky necklace. I instinctively wished her a good morning and she turned and grimaced at me. It was like having Martha Stewart veto your new window treatment.

How much practice did it take to get your “Anna” right?
I have taken major dramatic liberties in my writing.  For instance, my Anna suffers from chronic constipation due to the stress related to her job and always keeps a six-piece band in her office because her therapist told her that the best thing she can do to relax is sing.

We heard Bee Shaffer was in the audience at your August debut at Joe’s Pub. What was it like knowing she was in the audience?
I found out she was coming the Friday before opening night, and for about an hour, I was terrified.  I imagined a million and one scenarios, including her standing up and walking out of the venue, but then realized that she works as a segment producer for Seth Myers, so she must have a sense of humor about her incredibly famous mother.   When she told me that she had heard about the show from her mother, I reached for the Xanax.

So now you’re on Anna’s radar. On a scale of one to 10, how terrifying is that fact?
Maybe she’ll hire me to attend an event for her if she doesn’t feel like going. A singing, dancing Anna would make one hell of a Met Ball entrance, I can assure you.

How familiar with the industry characters were you before starting?
I didn’t know who Tonne Goodman was before writing this show, but I’m glad that I do now. I watched The September Issue and found it fascinating. I’ve had people contact me after the first show who have said, “I never thought I could care about Anna Wintour before.”  That is the biggest compliment I could possibly receive.

The show surrounds the day the Kimye cover is released. What are your personal opinions of the couple?
The Kimye cover happened after I started writing the show, but as soon as it happened, I understood that it should be the framing device. The backlash against Anna and Vogue was so immediate, so harsh. I’m not a Kardashian fan, but the girl sure knows how to draw attention…and sell magazines. I don’t question Anna, I just play her on stage.

Who would you rather sit next to on a 10 hour flight: Kim or Kris?
 I say this in the show as “Anna”, but it’s just as true for me…I think Kris Jenner is terrifying. I wouldn’t be surprised if she tried to invade Poland next month. Then again, I don’t know how long I could talk to Kim Kardashian on a plane before lunging for that handle on the exit door.

Anna or Andre?
Andre. He was tight with Andy Warhol, who is a personal idol of mine.  I’d love to hear all of those stories from the ’70s and ’80s.  Besides, I’m sure Anna would sit down and immediately put on her Beats by Dre headphones and not talk to me.

Who’s your next subject going to be? Can we expect a Donatella or Miuccia moment in the future?
Oh, Donatella has been through so much, her life is deserving of an opera. A Miuccia Prada musical sounds like a great idea in theory, but not necessarily in practice, kinda like communism. Maybe I’ll write a Kabbalah musical starring Donna Karan!

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