Wednesday, August 24, 2016
Frozen Stage Musical Costumes
Fashionista: From the Queen Elsa costume that's been ubiquitous for the past three Halloweens (and counting), to grown-up cosplay, to the ear-worm "Let It Go" still haunting your every move, to even the Bridal Week runway, Disney's animated hit "Frozen" is still nearly as celebrated as it was in 2013 when it set box-office records. So it's no surprise that the highest grossing animated movie of all time would turn into a staged musical production — three, in fact — including one extravaganza at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California.
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6 comments:
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I learned about Clint Ramos and his scenography process this summer. He is such a great guy! His casual and calm persona makes everyone feel at ease in the room, and makes people love to work with him. From what I could pick up, he really lets the clothes do the work. His renderings just seem right. It is crazy to think that he, and many others work on so many projects at once. Though "Eclipsed" had minimal costumes it was definitely not a simple one. He had to deal with stars, and a transfer from Off-Broadway to Broadway. Obviously "Frozen" was a huge project as well. He talks about years of research, but his delivery seems effortless. I truly look up to him. Designing for such an iconic story seems daunting and detail filled. Then add Disney into the mix... Though I have only ever seen clips and images from the movie "Frozen" I completely appreciate all of the changes made for the staged production. The sheer number of costumes talked about in this article (about 1200) is mind boggling. The wardrobe crew was have magical powers, along with the insane quick change. I am looking forward to seeing it all come together live on stage when it moves to New York!
Though the costumes are designed absolutely beautifully, I do think that the reveal was uninspiring and anti climactic. It’s not the costume that frustrates me in that moment, it’s the lighting. Why would you create such a beautiful effect then black out the transformation. I think that the magic in that moment is witnessing Elsa go from the princess to the ice queen. In the movie you see the ice take over her, and it’s magical in the way her coronation dress disintegrates almost like her fear of holding back her power. If I were the director in that moment I would have asked for a lighting/ media effect to ripple through the ice palace with her as the center of the ripple. Almost as if this is the last straw that she has to break before finally giving in and for lack of a better term, letting it go.
When I first heard about the live musical version of Frozen, it didn't really occur to me that the costumes needed to be re-designed to translate the animated characters into real actors and actresses that are still disney characters. I really enjoy reading about these creations and how the designers have to tackle both design and practical issues such as engineering Elsa's quick change on stage. Even though I am studying theater design myself, I am still constantly amazed by the tremendous amount work that is put in to a show when I read about them because of how effortless and right they look on stage. It's amazing how the designer also combined media with the costumes, and I think that just goes to show how technology is getting more increasingly involved and needed in theater instead of just an additional projection on stage that's there just for the sake of having media. I've never seen the live show, but now I want to watch it just for the costume design.
For me, what is thrilling about costuming is not what the design looks like - it's what happens after it's on. Not until a garment is onstage, on the actor, can it truly take on a life of its own. This step, the actor's wearing the garment and bringing the character to life through it, is what fulfills the design process. What is incredible about what Ramos has done here is not just that he was able to engineer such an awe-inspiring, cinematic moment onstage - it is the fact that he still allows the gown to remain a gown. With all that went into it, this piece could very easily become too spectacular and artificial to be seen by the audience as clothing. Instead, however, it remains the iconic Elsa look audiences know and love, allowing her character and voice to shine through and tell the story instead of becoming separate from the human being onstage. It remains the character's garment, the dress Elsa designs for herself out of ice, and that to me is the true feat. I personally am also pleased that the lighting designer chose to black out the instant in which the dress transforms, because I think it adds to the mystery and magic of Elsa's power rather than the spectacle of her clothing. All in all I think Ramos and his team made fluid and simple what could easily have been an overly complicated and showy transition, and this speaks to their talent in staying true to the animation while bringing the design to life realistically. Bravo indeed.
To be honest, I didn't think an actual stage version of Frozen would go through and happen. I really think Frozen was a big success that lasted for a time, but now that time is over, and that this show won't make it Broadway or last very long anywhere. Looking at the costumes, I wasn't crazy impressed, they look like the clothes in the movie just in actual fabric now, I think that a more successful design would include more than what disney has already created. Looking at Cinderella, there is a very iconic ball gown that Disney has in the animated film and is marketed everywhere. Cinderella on Broadway, with Rogers and Hamerstein was not the same. I think that the transition needs to be there and a develop,met from animated film to stage version, they can't be so caught up in the movie images and creating what was already done. I also can't believe that the big Elsa transformation is done in a black out, that moment it where you can create so much theater magic and get people talking. Although this is really the only article I've read on the production, so it's not much to go on, I don't think that Frozen hit the right mark to create a lasting piece of theater.
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