By Julio Martinez

Susan Claassen is a carbon copy of the award-winning costume designer Edith Head in this brilliant and unique portrayal “A Conversation with Edith Head.”

Sitting with actress/producer Susan Claassen in the cozy confines of North Hollywood’s historic El Portal Forum Theatre, it is easy to understand how she can pull off a one-woman show on the life and career of legendary Hollywood costume designer Edith Head. Claassen is almost a dead ringer for the woman who helped define glamour in Tinseltown for almost 60 years, mostly at Paramount Studios.

“This is just the way I look,” Claassen shrugs. “I saw a documentary about Edith Head on the television series, Biography, and first became intrigued with the similarities in our appearance. But the more I watched, I became increasingly fascinated with how much we were alike in our interests, especially clothes and fashion. I just knew I had to do a show about her.”

Co-scripted by Claassen and Head biographer Paddy Calistro, “A Conversation with Edith Head” begins previews at the historic El Portal Forum Theatre on Sept. 23, with a Costume Designers Guild Gala press opening scheduled for Friday, Oct. 1.

Claassen understands that one-person biography plays usually profile a personality with a highly recognizable public image, not a behind-the-scenes crafts person whose job it was to decorate public figures. She quickly points out that Head was not a behind-the-scenes kind of woman.

“Actually, Edith really became a household name, mostly due to her own self-promotion,” Claassen said. “During the 1950s, she made frequent appearances on the television show Art Linkletter’s House Party, making her a very recognizable personality to all of America.

“She also wrote for PhotoPlay Magazine, offering her advice and insights into fashion. She felt the American woman and man could have the secrets that she had. She wanted to make fashion accessible to everyone.”

Claassen, who works professionally as an actress, director, producer and writer, and serves as Managing Artistic Director of The Invisible Theatre in Tucson launched herself into her quest of bringing Head to the stage, with a laudable, tenacious resolve.

“I immediately researched whether the rights to her story were available,” Claassen said. “They were, through the recipients of her estate, The Motion Picture and Television Fund. For research material, I located Paddy Calistro, who was the co-author of the autobiography, Edith Head’s Hollywood. What a resource she turned out to be. She had over 13 hours of recorded interviews with Edith. Every word the audience hears is Edith’s and they are delicious.”

Claassen, who originally premiered “A Conversation with Edith Head” at The Invisible Theatre in 2002, subsequently, has toured the show around the U.S. and internationally, including London’s West End and a “sold out” engagement at the 2007 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. She has become so comfortable inhabiting Head’s persona, she takes questions from the audience as Head herself.

“This is a woman who, despite having no art or costume design experience, started as a costume sketch artist at Paramount in 1924, and through sheer talent and perseverance, went on to work on 1,131 films, earn 35 Oscar nominations and won eight, more than any other costume designer in the history of filmmaking. Audiences really have a lot of fun getting to know her and the fascinating movie star tales she has to tell,” Claassen said.

“A Conversation with Edith Head” plays Sept. 23 through Oct. 24 in the Intimate Forum Theatre at the El Portal. Tickets range from $25 to $35.

Please call (818) 508-4200 for tickets and additional information.