Patrick Howe (‘Only Murders in the Building’ production designer) on using ‘obscure little clues’ to design New York apartments and a Broadway musical [Exclusive Video Interview]
“It was fantastic training for being able to think quickly on your feet,” explains production designer Patrick Howe when reminiscing about his many years spent in the realm of soap operas. “I learned how to be very efficient with my ideas.” The sense of rapid pacing he established during that part of his career serves him well when designing Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building.” He might be asked to transform a familiar location, or even construct a Broadway musical, and often with little information. Watch the exclusive video interview above.
One of Howe’s favorite sets is the apartment inhabited by Mabel (Selena Gomez) within The Arconia. In Season 1, viewers learn that the unit belongs to Mabel’s aunt and it is in the middle of a gut renovation. But by Season 3, the apartment is nearly unrecognizable with elegant lines and covered in glossy white paint. Mabel is, sadly, being forced to leave the building.
WATCH Dana Covarrubias video interview: ‘Only Murders in the Building’ costume designer
“The first objective was to have something fresh and striking,” explains Howe, “but also to sort of be a little disjointed for the viewers, that they might like what they see, but when they had a minute to think about it, would go like, well, this doesn’t seem like Mabel.” He retained key architectural elements that viewers were familiar with, but gussied them up for the New York resale market with a monochromatic color scheme.
Mabel’s infamous mural depicting her various neighbors is painted over since the apartment is being put on the market, but observant viewers will spy an homage to her artwork. “I still wanted to tag that as a special area,” says Howe, “So it has a golden guild frame around it, and then it has wallpaper in it.” The pattern in that wallpaper mirrors the facade of The Arconia which was the basis of the mural. The shapes are still there, but the personalities of the building’s inhabitants are missing, a clear metaphor for Mabel’s own character being slowly sapped from the space.
As for “Death Rattle Dazzle,” the Broadway musical at the heart of Season 3, Howe had to quickly assemble a set that worked on stage without the benefit of a script. No book or score existed for the musical, so his work was all based on the “loose scenario” as described to him by showrunner John Hoffman. “I have no inspiration except whatever you tell me,” Howe remembers expressing to the showrunner. At that time, all he knew was that the musical took place in Nova Scotia, with a lighthouse as the primary setting.
Howe set to work building set pieces that could function in an actual theater. The team filmed at the United Palace in Washington Heights, the ornate auditorium which served as host for the 2023 Tony Awards. A series of “obscure little clues” helped him make quick additions to his creations: a spiraling staircase for the actors to sing upon, a cluster of sharp rocks to serve as the final resting place of the murder victim. “There were certain story points that he could give me just enough information to create a setting,” notes Howe. “All these strange things, which is what’s so fun and whimsical about the show is accepting all the information you’re given and anything’s plausible.”
Howe won a Primetime Emmy Award for his work on Season 2 of “Only Murder in the Building.” He is a 12-time Daytime Emmy nominee for his work across “Another World” and “As the World Turns,” winning 5 times for “As the World Turns.”
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