Costumes Out Perform Actors at CSC

Anton Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya” recently opened at the Classic Stage Company in New York City with Maggie Gyllenhaal, Denis O’Hare and Peter Sarsgaard among the popular cast.  Unfortunately, the show was not complete when it went into previews early February. 

This play, which takes place in turn of the century Russia, was dark and depressing and the actor’s didn’t add many levels.  It was confusing with a foggy plot, characters motives were unclear and blocking seemed to be unmotivated making the production appear to be a rehearsal.

The well known cast, which also included, Cyrilla Baer, Andrew Garman, Mamie Gummer, Delphi Harrington, George Morfogen and Louis Zorich, was practically out shined by the 1900 period costumes they wore.

The floor sweeping dresses for the female characters were more intricate and interesting than the men’s.

Yelena Andreevna (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is the main female character and was the only one who changed costumes during the three act play. Although Yelena is married to Professor Alexander Vladimirovich Serebryakov (George Morfogen), she was also lusted after by Uncle Vanya (Denis O'Hare) and Dr. Mikhail Lvovich Astrov (Peter Sarsgaard) whom she attempts to have an affair with. 

Both of Yelena’s costumes were bright and created an airy feeling about her in opposition to the darker tones worn by other characters who are more grounded than she is.  Her beige and white dresses are also made out of lighter, more delicate fabrics and featured details that were very intricate.

Sofia Alexandrovna or Sonya (Mamie Gummer), who is plain and looks after the country house year round with Uncle Vanya, wears a gray plaid tweed skirt. And a flower decorated cotton button down shirt that is reminiscent of a cowgirl.

Maria Vasilevna Voinitskaya (Delphi Harrington), who also lives at the country house with her son, Uncle Vanya, and Sonya, is glad to have the professor visiting. She is also dressed in brown tweed long skirted suit.  Her tan lace shirt decorated by a golden locket which is very visible to the audience.

Considering the amount of work that went into the costumes, the character development and direction of this production of “Uncle Vanya” have a long way to go.

(photo from Playbill.com)

London Fashions at Syracuse Stage

Although “The Way of the World,” a play written by William Congreve, may not have been a huge success when it was produced in 1700, the costumes may have been as grand as they were then as they are when the show is produced today.

Syracuse University Drama department presented “The Way of the World,” a Restoration Comedy that presents satirical views of aristocratic society, in February as a part of its 2008-2009 season.  

The servants were not shrouded in black and white but in colorful bright colors as their master’s were.  Their place in society was evident by the small bustles and simple head coverings, lack of gloves and make up but all females wore corsets.  Overall they were dressed in a considerable less amount of cloth and accessories.

The higher you were in society the larger the bustle and the higher and more elaborate the headdress and pounds of fabric were. Socialites wore rich silk taffetas with patterns so intricate and detailed that people today would only use them for house dressings such as draperies, bedspreads and pillows.

Makeup was taken very seriously and was worn by both men and women.  Pale faces increased beauty and were accented by fake moles. For added comedic effect and true to their characters, Petulant and Lady Wishfort went overboard with facial powder, paint and large beauty marks.

Petulant goes on overdressed and the mix up of colors is absurd as he is.  Makes a grand entrance in an iridescent purple coat and wearing a gold sash (which no other man wears).  He dares to wear red tights and huge cuffs iridescent cuffs with pink ribbons, and carries a fuschia and gold lace handkerchief. Petulant is not like any other of the male characters.

The most beautifully dressed, perfectly put together character is Mrs. Millamant.  Dressed in Baby Blue and Beige, Mrs. Millamant’s soothing colors and simple beauty set her a part from the other characters in the play.

“The Way of the World” truly offers a fashionable look at London life in 1700. 

Giant Dancing Costumes Threaten to upstage Billy Elliot!

The London smash hit “Billy Elliot” recently made its way to Broadway.  Thousands of people are packed into the tri level Amsterdam Theater excited to see a spectacle. That is most certainly what Billy Elliot is.

Billy Elliot tells the story of a Iceland boy who takes an interest in ballet and achieves more and more while his family suffers during the great mining strike of 1980. 

The warring workforces are easily definable by costumes. The miners have neon vests, orange jumper, grimy jeans and button down shirts.  Throughout the show, they have several altercations with the law, policeman in dark blue uniforms. Only little girls clad in bright colored t-shirts, pink tights and tutus lighten the heavy mood set by the costumes.

As the town is poor, most costumes are raged and torn and worn down making them very realistic.  But the suspension of disbelief is broken several times during this grand Broadway spectacle.

During one scene, Billy catches his friend, Michael, playing dress up in his sister’s clothes.  After Billy questions his friend’s purpose, Michael begins to sing “Be yourself.”  Large 10 foot clothing items dance across the stage.  The rayon  patchwork and neon bright solid fabrics matched the clothes in the sister’s closet.  A mans light blue shirt and dark blue plaid pants tries to sneak in the number and Michael pushes it offstage as he exclaims “Dresses only!”  The audience burst into laughter and applauded throughout the entire number.

Although the story of "Billy Elliot" is heart moving and encouraging, as he battles with his family for a chance to better his future and get out of the town, people may not remember the details or even the message of the story. Though one thing is for sure, they won’t forget the dancing clothes.

Parson's Lights Up the World

Parson's Dance Company is on the move.  It began its 2009 international tour at the Joyce Theatre in New York City in January.  The company presented stock pieces as well as debuted a new show which will be performed in Britain, Greenland and several other countries.

Show A (comprised of the company's classic numbers), featured "My Sweet Lord", "Caught", and "Fill the Woods with Light."  For "My Sweet Lord" the company performed in light blue jeans and purple tops.  Guys leaped onstage in purple t-shirts, as girls performed double pirouettes around them as their halter top baby shirts revealed their abs.  The sheer fabric danced about their bodies complementing the sensuality of the music and choreography.

Parsons kept it simple for "Caught," perhaps in an effort to not distract audiences from the innovative choreography of the company's most famous piece in which a solo dancer performs various jumps and leaps between the flashes of a strobe light.  The dancer, who appeared to be floating mid-air throughout the entire piece, simply wore a lyrical white pants and no shirt.

During the most spectacular performance of the night, “Fill the Woods with Light”, the entire company took turns gracing the stage in all black and jazz shoes.  The girls in shorts and halter tops while the guys sported jazz pants and tees.  Dawned in black, the dancers were consumed by the darkness on stage.  The only lights coming not from the front of house lights above the audience or the cat walk above the stage, but from the dancers themselves. 

To sensual saxophonic tunes, they rand on stage casting lamps with colored gels on one another.  During a particularly memorable number, the dancers hidden in the darkness in a center stage clump, became visible as they turned on their light bulb decorated bodysuits.  The image reflected the name of the song “Fireflies.”

Throughout the entire show, the costumes accurately connected to the music and choreography. Although this company may still be considered a baby in the world of dance, it is certainly holding its ground in choreography, performance and costuming.

Gypsy Boats Expensive Costumes

Gypsy, the famous broadway musical, was revived once again in the summer of 2008.  This musical tells a story of a stage mother obsessed with making her children stars and travels around the county from gig to gig for years. 

From the moment this musical starts, the audience is dazzled with costumes made form gorgeous materials that would be too expensive for a poor gypsy and her struggling family.  The mother Rose wears simple but beautifully designed 1930's dresses and matching purses and hats.  Her coat, a bit shabbier, can't cover up the quality of the costumes.

In act two, when the family winds up working in a burlesque theater, they meet three women whose barley there costumes wowed the audience with light bulb bikinis, and 5 foot wings.

In act three, the costumes go a level up as Gypsy Rose Lee, the mother's older daughter becomes a famous burlesque dancer.  As the burlesque performances get more grandiose, so do the costumes.  More sequences, finer fabrics and sparkling shoes grace the stage scene after scene.

Unfortunately the costumes can no longer be seen as the show closed early, in January of 2009, due to financial hardships on broadway.  Maybe they'll show up at an exhibit in the NYPL Perform Arts library in a few years.

To see more photos, visit the show's website: http://www.gypsybroadway.com/#about

Curtain Call: Honoring Women Designers

The New York Public Library opened a long awaited exhibit at its Lincoln Center of Performing Arts Library Branch.  The exhibit,  "Curtain Call: Celebrating a Century of Women Designing for Live Performance," features renderings of costumes and set replications from over 100 female artists.  

The most spectacular portion of this exhibit is once you enter the hall with actual costumes from Broadway productions.  There is a sea of fabric and beads and hats. Costumes from musicals, historical dramas, ballets and opera overwhelm the large room.  Costume Renderings line the walls and spotlights are focused on certain costumes displayed on a platform in the center.  

Among the most familiar are from "Beauty and the Beast."  Belle's golden full bustle gown is displayed next to candlestick Lumiere's royal blue and gold costume which has candleholders for the arms and legs.

"Curtain Call" was a collaboration with the League of Professional Theatre Women and was made possible by a grant from the National Endowment of the Arts.  The exhibit, which opened in November of 2008, will be up until May 2, 2009.

To learn more about this exhibit, visit:

 http://www.nypl.org/research/calendar/exhib/lpa/lpaexhibdesc.cfm?id=487