"Dreamgirls": From Stage to Film

“Dreamgirls” is a 1980’s musical, somewhat inspired by the story of the Supremes, tells the story of a girl group and the changes it experiences as they make it to the top, leaving one behind.  This show offers a wide spectrum of costumes from poor homemade performance outfits when the group is hoping to be discovered to mod 70s dresses for a variety show performance to glam gowns as they perform in some of the most respectable venues.

“Dreamgirls” dazzled audiences on Broadway between 1980 and 1986.  The most notable song from this musical is when the largest member of the group, Effie White, sings a powerful ballot lyrically shouting “And I’m telling you I’m not going” as Band manager Curtis dismisses her from the group and ends the love affair between the two of them.

An all-star cast was selected to make the film version which was released in 2006. The film features, Beyonce Knowles, Jamie Foxx, Ankia Noni Rose, Eddie Murphy, Sharon Leal, Keith Robinson.  The cast is rounded out by Danny Glover, Lorreta Divine (also in the original Broadway cast) and American Idol finalist Jennifer Hudson.

The first time we meet the girl group, they are dressed in homemade matching peach sleeveless knee length dresses. Although the girls discuss the making of their outfits, they are so well put together, one would assume that they were purchased from a store.

As they make their way to the top and the girls make their debut as the reinvented group, they sing the theme song from the movie, “Dreamgirls.”  In this scene they wear the most gorgeous costumes in the entire movie.  They are dressed in white sequenced mermaid gowns with sky blue trim on to of the bodice and at the bottom of the dresses.  This costume design is what you would expect to see when you here the term Dreamgirls.

The downfall from costume heaven occurs during “And I’m telling you I’m not going.”  The costume mistress dressed Hudson in an elegant beige embroidered suit.  Unfortunately, the three quarter length top fits Hudson appropriately, but unfortunately, the skirt stops at her knees and looks awkward on Hudson’s long legs.  This problem couldv’e easily been averted had the costume designer lengthened the shirt to stop mid way at Hudson’s calves.

But there’s more.  In the final scene, the Dreamgirls give a farewell performance and invites Hudson’s character back to join them.  The dreams wear a sleek coal rhinestone dress.  Somewhere n the creative process, it was decided that Hudson should not wear the same dress.  Instead they put her in an awful billowy dark burgundy dress that made her look worse than the other members in the group.

Though she made a few mistakes, one can forgive the costume designer as the majority of the hundred of costumes in this musical, which covers three decades, are flawless in their design and stay with the time period.

“Dreamgirls” has been reworked in Japan is scheduled to make its American debut in late 2009.

 (photo from dreamgirlsmovie.com)

"Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street": From Stage to Film

Sweeny Todd certainly appears to be Demon Possessed as he goes about a murderous rampage after returning to Fleet Street after being wrongfully imprisoned for about 15 years.  He discovers that his wife is dead and that his daughter has been adopted by the man who imprisoned him.  And so the journey begins.  He ultimately looses everything in search of revenge.

This London Musical opened on Broadway in March of 1979 and was revived in 1989 winning numerous awards with its dark tones. The bloody musical made it way to the silver screen in the summer of 2007.

Johnny Deep lead the cast, which also included Helen Bonhm Carter, Sacha Baron Cohen and Timothy Spall.

The most beautiful part of this nocturnally morbid film is the detail in the costumes.  The mid-19^th century full gowns, with rich fabrics and lace and men’s accessories such as capes and canes sets “Sweeny Todd” apart from other musical movies.  It was fashionable for men to wear top hats and lacy shirt. While the present day parts of the movie are dark, gloomy, and seem to be drained of all color, the flash backs are bright and colorful.  Tones of gray, black, bronze, bronze, green and burgundy fill the screen.

Sweeny Todd (Johnny Depp) has one strip of white hair among his too black hair adding to his madding demeanor.  His face is also whitened with make up to make him look pale He wears white button down shirts neckties and vests.

Mrs. Lovett (Helen Bonhm Carter), the lonely owner of a decrepid bug infested bakery, opens her home and heart to Todd, who she always secretly loved.  Her clothes are ragged although you can see they once were fine from the tule edges and beaded decorations.  Her hair is always in a tussled state of disarray.  In the film, Mrs. Lovett’s costumes are far superior to those worn in the original Broadway production.

Pirelli (Sacha Baron Cohn) is a magician of sorts, who travels tricking people out of their money.  He is the only one who wears bright colors present day.  When we first meet him, he wears a bright indigo short jacket and pants set with bronze embellishments with a billowy  collar and ruffled cuffs.

Sweeny Todd closed on Broadway but is still playing in London and of course can be seen on DVD.

 (photo from idbm.com)

"Rent": From Stage to Film

“Rent” the musical broke social norms with its taboo subject matter and mixed up musical genres (dance pop, R&B, salsa and rock ‘n roll) when it debuted on Broadway in 1996.  The powerful story encompasses artists’ experience with love, friendship, AIDS, drug addiction and death and is loosely based on the opera “La Boheme.”

The movie version was released in November of 2005. Many of the orignal actors from of the broadway production performed in the movie.  The cast included, Anthony Rapp, Adam Pascal, Rosario Dawson, Jessie L. Martin, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Idina Menzel, Tracie Thomas and Taye Diggs.

“Rent” takes place between the years 1989-1990, when the AIDS epidemic was at its height.  All but two characters, except Joann and Benjamin (Tracie Thomas and Taye Diggs) who are a lawyer and a business manager, are bohemians as indicated by their costumes.

Mimi Marquez (Rosario Dawson) dances at the Pussy Cat Club to pay for her drug addiction.  She is bold, in your face and so are her colorful clothes.  Mimi pairs silver shirts with turquoise tights, purple, red and green skirts, a leopard print coat and an endless parade of mini skirts.  All fabrics that look itchy but fun.  She matches perfectly with her rock star boyfriend Roger Davis (Adam Pascal), who grunges it in jeans, tees, and a leather jacket daily.

The caring, supportive Angel Dumott Schunard (Wilson Jermaine Heredia) is a drag queen who looks attractive as either sex.  His most out landish costumes are a furry mini zebra and red Christmas coat and a pink and black plastic new years eve outfit. You’ll never know what wig she’ll be wearing next.  Her costumes provide a solid contrast against her significant other Tom Collins (Jessie L. Martin), fired MIT professor, who boasts a rough male image with baggy jeans, flannel plaid button down shirts, and courdory vests.

Maureen Johnson (Idina Menzel), is the bisexual flirt who leads everyone on.  Her pleather skin tight pants and studded jacket look inexpensive and are accompanied by her ripped logo t-shirts. Judging from here costume alone, she was too much to handle for ex-boyfriend, Mark Cohen (Anthony Rapp), a quiet Jewish boy who wears coudory pants and sweaters.  Maureen opted for the lawyer JoAnn instead who typically wears suits.

All costumes are very late 80s early 90s and as tacky as these costumes sound, the film versions are better than those worn in the Broadway show.

The original show closed on Broadway in September of 2008, but it continues to tour and can be seen on DVD.

 (www.siteforrent.com/)