Jennie Marino

A blanket of hay

Hay blanket for Young Frankenstein, Broadway

How to make a simple pile of hay

The challenge:

• Ulla pops out from under the pile of hay.
• As they cavorted, the hay had to stay in the cart.
• It had to be hypo-allergenic.
• It had to be fire retardant.
• It could not attract vermin.
• It needed to look and behave like real hay.

The Solution:

Successive rows of strung and knotted raffia strands, a strong organic fiber with no intrinsic food value, were stitched onto a fortified blanket of burlap and jute. The all natural piece was then thoroughly flame retarded. It was as comfortable to perform in as any “hay” could be.