Running the risk of becoming a very sad blog today with more sad news to share.
Joseph Manzo, whose costumes graced the stages of schools and theater groups across the Lower Hudson Valley, died Friday.
Frank Portanova, director at Archbishop Stepinac High School — where Joe’s design for “The Drowsy Chaperone” earned him a Metropolitan Award nomination last week — offered the following comment: “Joe was a consummate professional who was a stickler for detail on the stage. From buttons to bows, from head to toe, Joe made sure each costume helped create a character memorable to the audience.
“Beyond that, he was always so gentle and compassionate with all the kids he served. His sensitivity and professionalism towards them during the costuming process made each student feel like they were being dressed for the Great White Way. Joe splashed a lot of color onto the stages he worked on. But more importantly, he brought such color to our lives. He was a true original and he will be missed.”
Manzo’s life will be celebrated on Wednesday, May 26, from 4 p.m.-8 p.m. at the Ballard-Durand Funeral Home, 2 Maple Ave., in White Plains.
Frank sent along some photos of Manzo creations. The man knew his stuff.
If you’d like to leave a comment about working with Joe, or about having him costume you, please feel free.
5 Comments
We love you Joe,
Where ever there is glitter, lamé, or colorful florals you will always be with me, in my heart, mind and prayers.
We love you Dad. Always the consumate perfectionist, conversationalist and friend. Rest in Peace.
Joe,
You were/are quite a character and certainly one of the most memorable in my life. I am grateful for having known you, and I lament the distance between us over the years You were never out of my heart and you never will be. I am sure that we’ll see each other again, until then . . .
Joe: What sad news to hear of your passing. I’m so sorry that we didn’t have another chance to get together before you departed. Thanks for all of the joy you brought to my life during the past six years—and for your great enthusiasm for the Trinity Alumni Association and all of those who passed through Trinity during this life. I can’t believe you are gone, and don’t know how we will continue without you, but I know that you are now enjoying the complete happiness of heaven! Know that you will forever be in our hearts! May the angels lead you into Paradise, may the Martyrs welcome you and take you to the Holy City, the new and eternal Jerusalem! Rest in Peace my friend. T.
The loss of Joe Manzo has hit me like a ton of bricks. We knew each other while in our 20s, beginning at Mount Saint John in Dayton, Ohio. Our communication lasted from then. He was always so supportive of me, offered me insightful comments about the plays I wrote or the roles I performed. He constantly repeated how I inspired him as a youth (I, of course, had no idea) and I was his inspiration to get into theatre. We shared many interests and I asked him to do the costumes for my musical DIVINE SARAH, about Sarah Bernhardt if it ever made it to Broadway. Besides being a close friend (we talked at least twice a month or more) I have lost a supporter, a collegue and will miss him terribly. I had a premonition that something was wrong with him when he didn’t return my messages. I knew his health was fragile at best, but it is just so shocking to have him taken from us so quickly by something completely foreign to his condition. I will miss him terribly. At the end of every phone conversation he always said, “I love you.” That’s just the kind of a good friend he was.