The Hirschfeld Broadway Tarot
First used simply to play cards – there’s actually a tarot game – decks were hand painted and prized all over Europe from the fifteen hundreds. Three centuries later riding a popular wave of occultism, they became tools for cartomancy/ divination. The Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot is the most widely recognized and commonly used.
Today, there are thousands of themed decks all consisting of 78 cards, divided into the Major Arcana
(22 cards representing significant life themes) and the Minor Arcana (56 “pip” cards representing everyday experiences; its four suits signifying fire, water, air, and earth). Like the I Ching, championed by Carl Jung, a deck may be used to draw on one’s own subconscious – with no intermediary – for clarity and direction.
The Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot (Public Domain)
If you were designing a theater tarot, who would you “cast” as The Empress, The Fool, The Hermit? This was the challenge faced by Spiritual Psychologist Emily McGill and Artistic Director of the Al Hirschfeld Foundation, David Leopold, who spent months huddled in the lobby of The Algonquin Hotel scrolling through and discussing 1000 images.
McGill was for 15 years a Broadway publicist, but found something missing in her life. A therapist introduced her to tarot as a method of self-illumination using one or two cards. For example, a two card spread would indicate yes or no; where you’re coming from, where you’re headed… She began to look at an arbitrary card each day (there’s an online app) for help with lucidity. Personally interpreting, she would relate images and classic meanings to something in her daily life.
Earning a Masters in Psychology Education at Columbia’s Spirituality Mind Body Institute, she set up practice as a “Spiritual Psychologist.” The cards are one of several means – both intuitive and scientific – McGill uses. “When I read someone else, I act as a mirror.” Bringing together theater and tarot, she decided to create a deck using thespians. Months at The Library for The Performing Arts watching videos of musicals ensued. And then it occurred to her – of course, the master of theater line!
Emily McGill and David Leopold
“I reached out to a friend and asked if we knew anyone who was connected to the Hirschfeld Foundation,” says Emily. “She reminded me that Julie Boardman had just opened the Museum of Broadway with a special Hirschfeld exhibit and would be a good place to start. I sent Julie a note about the idea, and she immediately looped in David Leopold. David was curious and intrigued, so we scheduled a call to discuss it and a meeting to explore it further.”
The collaborators decided to use characters rather than actors. There were several considerations in addition to who they thought personified which qualities. McGill’s first thought for High Priestess was Elphaba from Wicked, but Hirschfeld passed in 2003 and never drew the show. (The card is now Joan of Arc/St. Joan.) A mermaid image depicting Ariel (card: Page of Cups) was actually created for Seventeen Magazine in the 1960s.
The Celtic Cross Layout
Attention was paid to attitude portrayal. “I’d always imagined The Fool card was Pippin (from the musical of the same name), but he was drawn on his knees, not the right image,” Emily tells me. Candide with his pack on a stick became the selection. For Cabaret, an image of Liza Minnelli in the film was tapped “because it’s so iconic.” (card: XVI The Tower)
Most drawings are recognizable to those who grew up with the masterful Hirschfeld and his hidden Ninas. Dates (clues) are included in the accompanying booklet, with identification of roles, not actors. Those actually named include Hal Prince, Bob Fosse, Eva Le Gallienne, Stephen Sondheim, Lena Horn, and the artist himself (card XXII- The World- “whole, healed – everything comes back to itself”).
As described in the booklet, which includes diagrams of simple spreads, each card has a paragraph on traditional meaning and a second on its relationship to the character chosen. I asked about Louise from Gypsy representing card XIII Death and was told that Louise had to die in order for Gypsy Rose Lee to be born. Death is apparently not literal, but rather a nod to transition, making space for something new. Choices intrigue.
Examples: Left: The Lovers: “One Hand One Heart”- Tony and Maria 1961 West Side Story: …relevant to relationships of any kind- personal, professional and even with yourself…Maria and Tony chose love. They are not given time…bur work to establish the first levels of a solid relationship…
Right: Page of Swords: “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly?”- Eliza Dolittle 1976 My Fair Lady: …very childlike perspectives on education, language, technology, and mindset. A willingness to learn…Eliza Doolittle begins in a life that gives little room…but sucking up knowledge and experiences while sharpening mind and perspective…learns there is so much more.
Left: 4 of Wands: “If I Were a Bell” Sky Masterson and Sarah Brown – 1976 Guys and Dolls: … the moment to celebrate success you have found after you patiently built foundations to support your fire… Sarah and Sky come from such different worlds, but discover what life can be when shared… harmonic.
Right: XI: Justice “Who Am I” Jean Valjean- 1987 Les Miserables: …the reminder of balancing of scales aligns with the universal concept of fairness…Jean Valjean is the epitome of Justice…sent down a dark path, the kindness of a bishop inspires a life of goodness. Valjean establishes his own way forward.
The cards are beautifully produced and boxed. Use them to create a parlor trivia game or to stimulate clearer thinking. A terrific gift.
All images courtesy of the Hirschfeld Foundation.
Opening Photo by Nancy Rica Schiff from her book A Celebration of the 80’s.
The Hirschfeld Broadway Tarot: Deck and Guidebook
Emily McGill IvyLeagueWitch.com.
