Headshot of La Cieca

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Nina Lawson 1926-2008

Louis Mélançon / The Metropolitan Opera

Legendary Metropolitan Opera wig mistress Nina Lawson died last week at the age of 82. Above, a sample of Ms. Lawson’s coiffure for Joan Sutherland‘s first Met Norma at the peak of the Big Diva Hair era, circa 1970. [via NYT]

43 comments

  • wanderer says:

    Loove that look. I hope this isn’t straying too far from the Nina Lawson tribute, but if you had any doubt about big hair big woman, here’s Joan with mere mortal earthlings (beware Miss Mitchell, there’s long-life batteries in there) :

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3atXmCi3Pc

  • gracegolden says:

    watched the clip of Joan at the reception in 65, but that Dr. Frank Baxter science film background music brings back bad memories of high school. And there is a utube video of Joan in 57 singing an aria from Emilia di Liverpool. What is the plot of this opus? Does Emilia go Mad in Liverpool? One site I found said that the opera has only had 3 productions since the 1820s.

  • mrs. miller says:

    Nina surely would have had some stories about Wigs and Zinka, who seems to have done nothing quietly. And #24 mentioned Birgit’s makeup. All that upturned Turandot eyes stuff she wore. She didn’t look at all exotic in real life, from the pictures I have seen of her.