It is not easy to describe the Swiss-born Susanne Bartsch, the New York party promoter and self-styled ‘;‘, but at the beginning of this fascinating new documentary on her, a young RuPaul proffers the simple explanation that she just took over where Andy Warhol left off. By the end of the 86 mins of this very affectionate profile on her, you can appreciate that sums her life up quite perfectly.
The filmmaking duo Anthony & Alex catch her in situ at the iconic Chelsea Hotel, where she has been a long-term resident, as she has some extraordinary make-up applied as her team ready her for the latest event she is hosting. Every part of the process of dressing up is a performance to her and a spectacular one to witness as she has a sharp eye (and an even sharper tongue) as they help her create a new persona for that night.
She has an unwavering and impeccable sense of larger-than-life theatricals and possesses this remarkable talent for extreme fashion that always seems a perfect fit for her, but would look ridiculously out of place on most of us. In the earlier days of her career, she promoted and supported many of the best British avant-garde clothing designers and gave them the high-profile recognition that many of them failed to get back home. In turn, she introduced her NY interpretation of all this new wave fashion to Tokyo, thus sparking the start of fashionable young Japanese craving exaggerated and extreme fashions.
However, Bartsch really came into her own when she, like the rest of the NY club life, had to deal with the devastating effect of the AIDS pandemic on the city. Her response was the Love Ball, a year in the planning, a truly spectacular event that rallied the fashion community to raise awareness and raise millions for AIDS research. This was the controlling Bartsch at her very best with the eye for the most minute detail, and insisting that every single element was donated free, and then cajoling major industry figures to support it. She was doing what she did better than anyone else, and threw her heart and soul into it to support her friends and the legions of others trying to cope with the ravages of this deadly disease.
Bartsch is heterosexual, but in reality she is more of a gay man than most of the flock of nightclub regulars she surrounds herself with. Once married to the rather odd gym owner David Barton who always seemed to struggle to keep up with his indefatigable wife, she does at least remain on good terms with him. Their rather conventional adult son laden with the name Bradley Bartsch Barton seems an unlikely fit in this abnormal family, fondly describing his mother as often ‘playing a character’.
Towards the end of the profile, Bartsch is preparing for a retrospective of some of her best outfits for an Exhibition at F.I.T. They represent several decades of ‘dressing up’ in costumes designed especially for her by some of the leading avant-garde designers in the world. The fashions and the finished Exhibit are totally stunning, but suddenly at the Opening Night Party, we catch sight of a slightly different Bartsch. Now older, and living alone, she seems more vulnerable as dashes from guest to guest insisting that they give her their response to the show, and for once is in real need of the endorsement of others.
This is unquestionably a riveting tale of a very intriguing woman who has made such a monumental impact of NY’s nightlife and pop culture. However, as close as she lets the cameras in, Bartsch still holds back a tad on letting us see too much of the woman behind all the many masks. There is part of her that will always want to remain an enigma or be exactly like Bradley said …..playing a character….. as long as she can remain ‘on top’ of her game.
This is a perfect record of a slice of NY nightlife that so needed to be made, and kudos to A & A for doing such a good job of it.
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