‘Everything was glamorous and fascinating about her…’

All images courtesy of The Maria Björnson Archive www.mariabjornson.com

A tribute to the late theatre designer Maria Björnson
Words by Daniel Vincent

Although design makes an undoubtedly vital part of theatre, audiences rarely have the pleasure to witness a production where it is not the show that brings the design to life but the design that brings the show to life. And yet, this is what the world experienced with the phenomenal success of the musical The Phantom of the Opera, which relies heavily on the genius of an extraordinary woman, the designer Maria Björnson.

My first encounter with Maria Björnson’s work was when I watched Phantom. It was a spectacular extravaganza and a feast for the eyes. The trademarks of the show, the chandelier and the Phantom’s lair with those memorable candles, were remarkable and I wanted to learn more about the creative mind behind the design. Professionals who worked with her and knew her personally have written extensively in print and digital media about her life and career, including an official tribute website www.mariabjornson.com.

I talked to Adam Pollock and Alan Watkins, her collaborators in many productions she worked on, and archivist Michael Lee, who takes care of the Maria Björnson Archive, a place full of memories, drawings and set design models – an intoxicating experience for anyone in love with theatre. Sharing their memories made me feel as if I knew her.

And what a character she was! “Everything was very glamorous and fascinating about her” remarked Adam Pollock, giving me his first impressions. “There was nothing British about Maria. Although her appearance suggested Scandinavian origins, she mainly took after her Romanian mother. Inside, she had a Latin soul, burning with talent, passion and enthusiasm.”

Her life, though often filled with profound sadness, was no less fascinating than her designs. Born in Paris in 1949, she was raised by her mother in absolute poverty, after her Swedish father abondoned them. One year later, they managed to get to London to try and change their circumstances. With only each other to rely on, they developed a very close mother-daughter relationship that lasted until the end of their lives, and the fondness between the two of them, calling themselves ’the fearless pair’, fascinated friends and colleagues alike. Apart from the company of her mother, she was terribly lonely and had an intense longing for friends throughout her life. “When an agent was introduced to her”, Adam Pollock remembers, “she instantly asked: Can we be friends?” On top of her poverty and loneliness, she was born with a cleft palate and suffered from a stammer in her early childhood. In later life this gave her a strange nasal voice. Trying to overcome all these difficulties, her mother worked very hard to provide for the child, and then with the help of the artist Cecil Collins they managed to pay for her studies. From that time on, her career began to prosper and her talent started to be recognized. Her work on Phantom made her rich. However, fame did not change her at all, and if anything, she found it very hard to deal with money. She was not used to it and did not lead a lavish life. Theatre was her life, her profession, her escape and the showcase of her genius.

As a professional, Maria Björnson was an absolute perfectionist. She drew blood from those working for her, but she was equally hard on herself. It was not a rare sight, even after she had become world famous, for her to be painting the set herself, fixing a costume or just putting on finishing touches in the very last minute. And this is the very reason why people loved working for her. Of course, as her reputation grew, everyone wanted to work for her, but even before Phantom, being involved in one of her designs was a much sought-after opportunity.

Adam Pollock also noted that putting a production together with a team which included Maria Björnson always involved more commitment, much more enthusiasm and every last drop of sweat and blood that one was able to give. It was always hard work, but for most of them just working for her and making her happy was a reward itself. Of course, the result in most cases proved that the effort was well worth it.

With one notable exception her design for the ballet Sleeping Beauty was very heavily criticised for making the dancers look small and unimportant. The set itself was majestic and beautiful as always, but did not suit the particular requirements of the genre. ‘Maria always needed guidance, and when she got that, she made wonders. But she was not a creative leader’ explained Adam Pollock when mentioning her fury towards lazy members of the production team. She did her job with 100% energy and could never quite understand how someone could possibly give any less than that. There were particular directors who she did not enjoy working with, simply because she thought they were not involved enough. This is why it was a very important moment for her when Andrew Lloyd Webber let her choose the director she wanted to work with for Aspects of Love. It is not a very common thing in the theatre world, but after The Phantom of the Opera, Lloyd Webber’s decision is understandable.

Image courtesy of RUG/ CML

‘She didn’t like talking to actors,’ says Alan Watkins ‘because she always felt that she was not a literary person and felt uncomfortable leading intellectually challenging conversations over the meaning of a new play.’ Her dedication to absorb all there was to know about the source material was always part of her perfectionist approach. Allan still remembers a Brecht play where she approached him, asking for a list of books she could read on Brecht’s work to gain the intellectual authority she felt she needed for an appropriate design. ‘First thing in the morning she rushed into town and bought and read them all. Considering her tight schedule, I’m not sure how much of that really sank in, but she certainly did her research brilliantly’ laughs Watkins.

‘Though she designed a few plays and musicals, her first love always remained opera’ archivist Michael Lee explains. Sometimes she only worked on a show as a costume designer (The Tales of Hoffman), sometimes she designed the whole show as in the case of Phantom. Everything she touched was certain to become a piece of theatre history.

Was she ever satisfied? ‘Never’ answers Pollock. She always mentioned things she could have or should have changed, things she could have made better. However, she did not dwell a lot on them. Her designs interested her only until press night. By the after-party, she was already thinking about the new challenges she could take. This is how a true designer’s mind works – always dreaming on.

The Phantom of the Opera was the ultimate playground for Maria Björnson. The highly detailed and elaborate world of 19th century Paris let her unique talents flourish. She was obsessed with beauty. Looking at her drawings, we can see how her meticulously researched and detailed costumes produce a striking overall effect as pieces of art in their own right. The design of the Masquerade scene in Phantom introduces a huge variety of ingeniously designed costumes that represent endless hours of work, a perfect sense of fashion and a clever use of theatre magic. She had a lot in store after Phantom and the world was expecting her to make wonders again. She did, designing several lavish productions until her tragically early death in 2002. However, her legacy continues.

Maria Björnson

Maria Björnson always made time in her busy schedule to meet young and aspiring art students to help their careers, and her contribution to the education of upcoming designers continues today with the help of the Maria Björnson Archive.

But it is not only her radiant personality that stays alive – some of her designs have become parts of our popular culture. The Phantom of the Opera has opened in more than twenty-seven countries, and with two exceptions, using her original design. Her vision was reimagined for a state-of-the-art venue in Las Vegas with sparkling special effects, and her work was introduced on a hitherto unprecedented scale at the 25th anniversary gala performance of Phantom at the Royal Albert Hall last October. Matt Kinley, the designer of this special performance, proudly admits ‘when the decision was born to stage the show in full, our mission was to make it more technological as well as innovative and at the same time, we obviously wanted to pay as much respect as possible to Maria Björnson’s wonderful original design.’ The success of the performance clearly shows that they achieved what they wanted. Thanks to Sir Cameron Mackintosh, the show was recorded live and is available on DVD and blu-ray for everyone to enjoy the performance, the music, and, of course, the fabulous design. I am quite sure she still would have found something to fix, repaint or adjust in the last minute, but one tiny detail would have made her smile: the enormous custom-made chandelier above the audience in the Albert Hall had a hidden etching on it. From the grateful producers of the most successful piece of theatre in history, it simply said: ‘Maria’.

The Phantom of the Opera currently plays at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London and goes on a UK tour in February next year.

For more information on the show, visit: www.thephantomoftheopera.com.