Saturday, March 16, 2013
Dressing drag divas
TribLIVE: Transforming actors from cupcake to casino client in less than 30 seconds is only one of the challenges for the cast and crew of “Priscilla Queen of the Desert: The Musical.”
There may be musicals with bigger casts or more costumes and wigs or more quick costume changes. But the national touring production that begins performances here Tuesday as a presentation of PNC Broadway Across America — Pittsburgh is in a class all its own.
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4 comments:
I have always wanted to see this show, especially because I have worked for designers who absolutely loved this show, of course they are costume designers and part time drag queens.
The costumes in the picture seem pretty outrageous, which by the description in the article sounds pretty accurate. I would love to work on a show like this, even as a lighting designer because lighting the crazy colorful costumes seems like an interesting challenge as well as trying to match the intricacy of the tech with the lighting without overpowering the actors is always something to keep in mind.
I have always wanted to see this show as well. The posters always draw me in. Now I see why. In our costume mini Kenny taught us what it meant to be hired as a wardrobe member for a traveling show, but I see now that those responsibilities change with every show. I would definitely would be nervous to have to dress a cupcake quickly and efficiently. Reading this also reminds me of how crucial it is to be organized while running a production. If just one or two of the costumes is out of order it could mean searching through 40 gondolas to find it. That's alot of wasted time, which could be spent making repairs to the costumes that need it.
I didn't know anything about the show before reading this but it sounds like a wardrobe crews nightmare. Not to say that it wouldn't be an intriguing challenge to deal with and I'm use the crew got into the swing of things but it still seems a little crazy. I don't know if I would have originally have seen this show but after reading about the intense quick changes and insane costumes, I think I would really like a chance to see it.
This production seems intense. With costume changes every scene, backstage sounds hectic. Although the plot and design looks really fun and entertaining, I wonder if people think this show is sending the wrong message. The production shows the stereotypical drag queen, when in reality, not all transsexuals dress like that. In CMU's Sisters of Transformation, we saw different personalities matched with different styles. I haven't seen the show, but from pictures and film clips, it looks like all transsexuals are wild divas. This might give audiences the wrong impression.
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