Playbill: When you hear the word Chicago, what do you see think of? Fishnets? Black lace? Sheer black muscle shirts? The sleek and sexy look of the long-running Broadway musical revival has become a brand unto itself—so much so it overshadows the original production in the zeitgeist. Did you even realize that the original Bob Fosse production contained color? Still, maintaining the brand—and the costumes that inspired it—over the course of the past 25 years is an exercise in creativity and restraint.
3 comments:
Since the Broadway production of Chicago has been running so long, I think it's really interesting to see this evolution of the costumes. At first, I thought they would be small, unnoticeable changes, but then looking at the pictures, you really can see the changes. in the costumes. It's really cool that the designer changes the designs to complement each new actor. I think it's more expected that a designer changes designs for touring or revivals, but for each actor is something I haven't heard of at the Broadway-level. It makes a lot of sense to me because actors have different body-types and comfort levels, so it's probably the best thing to alter designs. Since you design for different actors at opening, you should probably alter designs for different actors taking over for them. Especially for Roxie's costumes, there's a lot of opportunity to alter designs for different body types.
I was very intrigued reading this article and seeing just how closely William Ivey Long analyzes the costumes for Chicago. The origin story for the simple, all black costuming for the show was quite interesting to me and I love that the theme stuck even though the initial all-black set was supposed to last four performances and that be it. Getting a look into Long’s though process when changing the costumes, and how each one interacts with another, shows the level of detail and precision he was and continues to go for in these looks. The little things he looks at – the neckline of a new actor, the width of a dress strap, and those kinds of things – I would never even consider. I doubt I would even notice. Overall, I love the costumes and the consistency of the black because in my opinion it draws more attention to the story while also subliminally giving hints about each character based on what specific black garments they are wearing. My high school’s production of Chicago was much the same as this – all black.
Funny story, I just saw Chicago yesterday. The only thing I knew about the show going in is that it had the songs All That Jazz and Cell Block Tango. I found I wasn't looking at the designs from a historical perspective because I didn’t even know that the show had been open for that long. I assumed it was a recent revival or something. Honestly, I thought it didn’t really have a huge focus on the design (with the exception of the lighting design). The focus was on singing and dancing. One thing that really stands out is that the original show contained color. It’s amazing how iconic the costumes are at this point that no one even remembers the originals. This article also brings up the maintenance of the costumes which I found interesting. I wonder if other elements are maintained in this fashion, Specifically the scenic pieces. I wonder if they get dusty after all that time.
Post a Comment