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Special Section: Costumes & Masks Quick-Change, Long-Lasting Designing outlandish costumes is one thing — keeping them show-worthy day after day is quite another. By Katja Andreiev A moment from Cirque du Soleil’s Zumanity Today, the variety of theatre experiences offers any number of intriguing mysteries, and chances are, the creators of each little mystery do so with the hopes of eliciting that coveted response: How did they do that? Costume mysteries, on the whole, tend to be subtle, raising questions like: “What happens if a costume that appears to be a single seamless piece of shiny rubber gets ripped?” or “How do those costumes that look like filthy rags get cleaned and worn night after night without falling to pieces?” However, that subtlety is part of the point. When it comes to costumes, the mystery lies in the details, and the details are what wardrobe technicians, craftspeople and designers attend to with care and artistry. That way the mystery never distracts from the presentation of the costumes themselves or, indeed, the performance as a whole. Where the Rubber Meets. . . Just as technology progresses in other aspects of theatre, new developments in fabric and fiber technology have predicated new techniques in costumes. Some of that very technology is showcased in Zumanity, the adult-themed Cirque du Soleil show playing at the New York New York Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. “It’s sort of like patching a bike tire. There’s a special glue, like rubber cement,” explains Jack Ricks about the repair of a costume — specifically, one of several latex suits, some of them airbrushed with body parts for a trompe l’oiel effect. Ricks, a 15-year veteran of the alternative circus powerhouse, is the head of wardrobe for Zumanity, currently in its fifth year and billed as “the sensual side of Cirque du Soleil.” Zumanity’s costume designer, Thierry Mugler, a high fashion innovator of the ‘80s and ‘90s, has created a look inspired by haute couture and fetish wear, as well as his own unique take on iconic Las Vegas showgirls. Ricks, along with 20 wardrobe professionals, and a smaller wig and hair team under Roger Stricker, are wardens of 350 garments and over 100 theatrical hair pieces — an exotic milieu of tissue-foiled leather, feathers, spandex, Lycra, power mesh and, yes, latex. In the cleaning and repairs integral to the 10-show-aweek schedule, Ricks and his crew have had to get creative. Part of the initial challenge was getting guaranties — finding a dry cleaner to commit to a three-day turn around for leather was a particular challenge. The crew members use their own delicate cycle industrial washing machines for a few of the other pieces, but the majority of laundry for Zumanity is done daily, by hand. Even the jewelry, designed for Mugler by Robert Sorrell, is hand-washed with distilled water and steam to prevent rhinestone discoloration from perfume, lotion and makeup. “It’s sort of like patching a bike tire.” — Jack Ricks As for wear and tear, the Zumanity wardrobe crew studied fetish-wear to learn to prep and repair the various synthetic materials. The latex bodysuit interiors are powdered to prep them before each performance, and there is an elaborate patching process should they tear. Ultimately, although the costumes enhance the Zumanity experience, Ricks says, “The only way the show looks beautiful is through the efforts of the entire team.” There is a sense that the entire team puts in so much effort that the result appears effortless. Two Classes, Two Costumes David Zinn, costume designer for the new Broadwaybound musical A Tale of Two Cities, which just closed at the Asolo Repertory Theatre in Sarasota, Fla., is also inspired by avant-garde fashion; it was Belgian deconstructionist couture that informed his design for the distressed clothes of the French Revolutionary peasants. Given the pacing and scope of a musical, and to distinguish the impoverished 30 January 2008 • www.stage-directions.com
Courtesy of Thierry Mugler French citizenry from the gentry on the necessary scale, the craftspeople at the Asolo shop brought a sense of asymmetry, messiness and disrepair to their construction and distressing of the garments. They went for a look Zinn jokingly describes as “deconstructed Commes des Garçons bought at the 18th-century Thierry Mugler’s sketch for the character of Antonio Salvation Army.” Costume pieces were built inside out, with seams and stitching or even the wrong side of the fabric exposed, and patterns and stripes were deliberately Antonio preens in his sexy duds. mismatched, setting costumes apart on a structural level. That way, even if later dye and painting were to fade, there would be an intrinsic visual cue conveying class in the social structure of the play world. Zinn lists Vivian Westwood, Jimi www.stage-directions.com • January 2008 31
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Page 12 and 13: In the Greenroom theatre buzz IATSE
Page 14 and 15: Tools of the Trade By Jacob Coakley
Page 16 and 17: Light on the Subject By M.C. Friedr
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