TribLIVE: In 1995, when Julie Taymor first began work on “The Lion King,” the first person she knew she would hire was Michael Curry.
Sixteen years after it opened on Broadway, Curry, who designed the show's masks and puppets with Taymor, is still working on it.
What keeps him busy is creating new pieces as new cast members take over and new performing companies are created.
28 comments:
I want to start by saying that I saw the Lion King on broadway when I was younger and it was one of the most spectacular shows I have ever seen. The costumes in the show were mind blowing every animal was unique and different and simply amazing. This article was interesting to read to see where the costume designer was coming from for the show. I would have to say that he was successful in his designs, the costumes make you believe there are animals on stage but at the same time let you see talented actors performing.
Thinking about different shows I have seen and been a part of, I love the idea of grandiose simplicity that Taymor and Curry seem to have achieved. It is truly amazing how the audience can associate emotions and movements to the costumes through the whole atmosphere of the show. The Lion King is definitely a show I aspire to see!
Its always outstanding looking at these large scale productions. Often times I just find myself thinking that the designers for large productions that go on to perform for years only have to work once with the show. After reading this article it's quite obvious that there is much more work involved in the productions than I previously thought and that design work can extend on much further than the opening production.
Thanks to Brian some of us attended a backstage tour this week and we were able to talk to the Puppet Master and Wardrobe Supervisor on the tour. It was an amazing experience and the costume development process was interesting. Hearing the backstory and the process in arriving at the final product made me even more excited to see the show this week. Seeing how they used their research images of African clothing and incorporated aspects into the final show costumes was impressive. Also learning about how things have evolved and changed over the years due to what they learnt through performances with wear and tear of costumes and puppets was interesting.
I saw the lion king tour in cleveland this past July and I can personally attest that the costumes and masks were some of the best that I have ever seen on a broadway show. It makes sense that taymor hired this designer first because this is obviously where the design energy was placed. Although this is a somewhat unpopular opinion, I thought a lot of the rest of the show fell somewhat flat in comparison. The design for the show was a very strong concept, but I was expecting to see large extravagant sets depicting the amazing african savana, but it seemed as if all of the other design elements were kind of hiding behind the costumes. I would have liked the show much more if they had put the same energy and detail into the scenery that they did with the costumes
Similar to what Sam said, it is amazing to realize that for these big scale productions, the designers don't just design once and step back from the show. Granted, I'm sure that happens sometimes but in instances like this it is really awe-inspiring to know that this man keeps updating and innovating his designs as new elements are added to the musical.
The longevity of the run of Lion King in itself says something about the musical's universally pleasing themes. However, it i even more fascinating to step back and look at the individual technical elements which come together to keep an astounding number of butts in seats. Not only does the original design of the show have to be honored and upkept, but creative solutions to new problems must be solved as well. I think this is what continues to feed life into the work for the audience, actors, and technicians alike. Specifically speaking about the costume department, every animal is equipped with unique traits and motions. The detail that must go into both the creation and the repair for every separate piece of clothing is astounding.
I want to start out by saying I was actually underwhelmed when I saw the Lion King a few years back. In fact when my high school theatre class saw it many people fell asleep. Needless to say the costume design was clearly the strongest part of the show. I was very impressed with how intricate and unique each piece was and how it really helped further the story. In my humble opinion the story of the lion king just does not appeal to me and I think the show relies on a younger/ family oriented audience. Perhaps this show would have been more special if I had seen it when I was seven? In regards to the article though I find it really intriguing that with a show that runs this long they sometimes find themselves redesigning certain elements to make them work with the new performers coming through the show. As someone interested in lighting I have long wondered what type of changes are made to the lighting as new technology is invented. I know they did not have some of the equipment that is used today when the show first opened.
The costumes in the loin king are quite awe inspiring. I can't help but be a little shocked that the same designer is still working on them. For some reason I imagined that after a number of years the process of constructing the new masks would be taken over by someone else. I understand that it keeps the show true to its origins by having the same designer work on the masks and costumes for 16 years, but is seems like the designer would get bored after a while. I guess it takes a certain type of designer to do that type of work. That aside, the masks in the lion king seem well worth the years put in.
In the grand scheme of "the theater world," many people often overlook shows like the Lion King simply because they've been around for quite some time. However, that should not be the case. This particular script spans far and wide and illustrates how theater can connect us all. On the point of costumes, though, this article amazed me. The designer, Michael Curry, was presented with a humongous task: to integrate the animals of the Lion King with the performers. Looking at the photos, I think he did an excellent job. In conclusion, I believe that the success of the Lion King can be attributed to the success of the costumes, pieces of the production that truly bring the show to life.
I think that the wonderful thing about The Lion King is that the costumes have become such a huge part of why audiences want to go see it. So often, a good design of a large show goes relatively unnoticed by the public, and most people are left only with the impression that they saw a good show. If the design is poor, than many audiences will leave saying that the costumes or the house was bad, or they couldn't see the actors. However, in the case of the Lion King, the costume design very much takes a front seat, along with the acting and the story, which isn't the case for many many shows.
To begin with I am a huge fan of the Lion king costumes/puppets. There are a number of reasons for this including how they are able to use so many African cultural elements such as patterns and fabrics. What also makes it really successful is that integration of puppets with the physical clothing is seamless, and allows the actor to be both a puppeteer and an actor. Another thing that amazes me that can be credited to both Curry and the run crews of the various productions around the world is how they are able to get the performers to look the same each night with a bunch of very fast and complex quick changes. I am looking forward to seeing what Curry creates for the Russian Olympics.
I fond this article particularly interesting for a variety of reasons. One, I saw the lion king when I was younger and was totally ovwelmed by the productions. This was the first broadway show that I've seen and it got me interested in theatre. The costumes were inpecable and contained so much detail. I also found it interesting how the article states that their goal is not to have the designers take over the actors. I compared this concept to the show War Horse, that also uses large forms for the actors to interact with. I that in that show that the designs did take over the actors because I never even noticed the actors. With the lion king, the costumes encorporated the actors and made them part of the performance. With war horse, the people who played a horse were not noticed and was a little bit of a disapointment. It's also amazing that each costume is hand made for each actor of all the shows around the world. The attention to detail this show has is a main reason this show is so successful.
I think one of the most important lines from this article is this: "They continued until they couldn't take anymore away, and the designs no longer upstaged the actors." Sometimes with huge productions with giant budgets, it is very easy to be so excited about incredible designs and flashing lights that people can lose sight of the actors and the actual text of the play. This reminds me of the talk we had in conservatory hour when the design team for the crucible was discussing their use of sound, light, and media. They said they were very careful to not overshadow the script with cool effects, and in fact that they avoided doing very many effects at all when the actors were speaking. I think this is an important goal to keep in mind- that the design is always used to support the show, instead of the show being used as a vehicle to do a flashy design.
I am so unbelievably inspired by there costumes. (I wrote about them in literally all of my college essays...) It is incredible, daring, and beautiful how the costumes, scenery, and actors blend together in this production. The actor is not simply wearing a disguise, he or she is actively incorporated into a living, moving creature. It's absolutely astounding. There is so much harmony through all aspects of the show. Dancers are part of the scenery, portraying the grasses of rushing rivers, allowing the animals to interact with their environment and the environment to interact with them. The Lion King is the closest thing I have seen to magic and it really is what inspired me to go into theater design. Not to mention Michael Curry is a genius. He designed costumes and puppetry for Cirque du Soleil's "Ka" and they are INCREDIBLY brilliant. I envy his creativity and use of perspective. check out his portfolio. It's crazy. http://www.michaelcurrydesign.com/portfolio.html
I can't even express how much I love The Lion King/ Michael Curry. (This does not count as a comment.)
As Jamila mentioned, some of us were very fortunate in being allowed to have a backstage tour at the Benedum. It was fascinating to see how they incorporated actual images from different research, and how that manifested into actual costumes. Whether it was just the blue of the sky, a plant, or authentic tribal garb, you were able to see the translation into the costumes. Also can we talk about storage? Those dressing rooms have robes and makeup since they all start and end in different costumes, all costumes and puppets are stored onstage. That's a lot of stuff. Because there's so much stuff, their load in takes about 40 hours, and they won't do a performance that doesn't have at least a 3 week run, or else they wont make a profit. It's fascinating to see how extensive high budget shows are in comparison to the regional theatre that most of us operate under.
It's no wonder people are still amazed by the costumes in"The Lion King", they are truly marvelous. The consistencies in the color scheme and the detail work for the headpieces and puppets is awe inspiring. I like how much throughout has gone into the actors' abilities to move like animals, Curry's designs have proven to do exactly that and look amazing while doing so. The cohesion between the actor and costume are seamless and stunning.
Big Broadway production like the Lion King have the opportunity to make these amazing costumes! It gets me excited! The details of these costumes and masks are marvelous! I like the way that Taymor and Curry used the masks to transform the actor but not hide them. It's smart because it's still giving the audience the impression that these are animals and it still allows the actor to shine.
I remember watching the show and thinking everything about it was perfect. There's a reason it's been running for so long!! I would love to work on something like the Lion King on day or at least work with/for someone as amazing as the Michael Curry.
For a show like the Lion King, costumes become one of the most important aspects of show's design. The costumes will set the characters, scenes, and overall success of the show. I've never seen the show, but now that its coming to pittsburgh I hope to be able to see it and witness how the costumes really make the show. Its also fascinating to read about how even after all these years since the show first debuted, designer Michael Curry still actively works on the show. So much work goes into making this story a wonderfully entertaining spectacle.
I agree with Cat's point that attraction of the costumes to audiences in a unique attribute which makes the lion king very special. I remember seeing the show, and being blown away by the simplicity of the pivot-mechanism in the lion. It was interesting to read, in the article, about the changes the head underwent throughout the process. The shift from realism to stylization certainly allowed these masks to be much more effective. The goal of achieving characters that were half human and half animal was definitely accomplished.
I think it's pretty great that for how long lion King has been running they still have the same person making all the masks and costumes. This allows for a uniformity of all the productions happening around the world so that hopefully some one seeing the show in Brazil will get the same look as if they saw it on Broadway. It's also must be pretty nice for Michael Curry.
The Lion King is one of the first shows I ever saw on Broadway, and the costumes played a huge role in making it a magical experience for me. I really enjoyed the article and I liked how Curry described his process in the mask of the lion. It's really cool how the show balances these incredible costumes with the actors inside of them, rather than making a bunch of plain animal suits. The use of puppetry makes the show more magical, and the way that the actors and puppets are distinctly different adds a delicate nature to the show.
The Lion King is definitely one of the best examples of Costume Design I my opinion. I can't say I've seen a lot of shows, because that would be a lie. But, Taymor & Curry have definitely done an excellent job of designing masks and costumes that simply fit with the show. They add a lot and help pull you into the show, yet they don't take away from the actors and what they are doing. Seeing these pictures just makes me want to go see this amazing production again!
To add to what I just said. It also is amazing that no matter where in the world you go, even if the actors are different, you can still see the same costumes and the same production, albeit with a slightly different feel (different actors).
Lion King will always be a Broadway classic. The success of the show directly stems from its harmonious elements. The costumes, lighting design, set collectively work toward creating a visually stunning production. Not only is the show appealing to the eye, but, as stated in the article, Michael Curry worked extremely hard at trying not to overpower the actor, with bold designs. The balance between the visual art, and storytelling performers is magical, and is why the show has been on Broadway since 97'.
Julie Taymor clearly knows a thing or two about the logistics of producing and directing a complicated, highly acrobatic show. The long period of trial and error she orchestrated with her masks for The Lion King speaks volumes about her keen eye, patience, and most of all her mindfulness of the comfort and safety of the performers.
What happened with spiderman, then?
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