so far, i have been featuring what the various actors wear on stage, from the most elaborate of costumes to the skimpiest of outfits, been there showed that. so for the last post of the week on fashion of broadway, i'm just going to demonstrate to you that actors are humans too, especially in the absence of their dressers and costume designers.
ladies and gentlemen, enjoy the worst dressed of the tony awards!
hairspray is a musical with music by marc shaiman, lyrics by scott wittman and shaiman and a book by mark o'donnell and thomas meehan, based on the 1988 john waters film hairspray. the songs include 1960s-style dance music and 'downtown' rhythm and blues. in 1962 baltimore, maryland, plump teenager tracy turnblad's dream is to dance on the corny collins show, a local tv dance program based on the real-life buddy deane show. when tracy wins a role on the show, she becomes a celebrity overnight. she then launches a campaign to integrate the show. hairspray is a social commentary on the injustices of parts of american society in the 1960s.
the musical's original broadway production opened on august 15, 2002 and won eight tony awards out of thirteen nominations. it ran for over 2,500 performances and closed on january 4, 2009. hairspray has also had national tours, a london west end production and numerous foreign productions and was adapted as a 2007 musical film. the london production was nominated for a record-setting eleven laurence olivier awards, winning for best new musical and in three other categories.
since the musical is set in the 60s, one can only expect a number of diverse trends. it was a decade that broke many fashion traditions, mirroring social movements during the period. in the middle of the decade, culottes, box-shaped pvc dresses and go-go boots were popular. people were dressing in psychedelic prints, highlighter colours and mismatched patterns. the hippie movement late in the decade also exerted a strong influence on ladies' clothing styles, including bell-bottom jeans, tie-dye, and batik fabrics, as well as paisley prints.
since we are on the topic of musicals and the fashion of these theatrical productions, the three musicals and costumes that i'll feature today will be the three earliest shows that i came in touch with. my very first musical memory was of cats. i heard 'memory' over the radio airwaves and i was deeply captured by the music and the lyrics. as i grew older and found out about t.s.eliot, i developed a deep seated appreciation for the song and the musical.
anyway, let's take a closer look at the enchanting world of cats.
cats first opened in the west end in 1981 and then on broadway in 1982, each time directed by trevor nunn and choreographed by gillian lynne; it won numerous awards, including both the laurence olivier award and the tony award for best musical. in 1983, john napier won the tony award for best costume design. the london production ran for twenty-one years and the broadway production ran for eighteen years, both setting long-run records. the show tells the story of a tribe of cats called the jellicles and the night they make what is known as 'the jellicle choice' and decide which cat will ascend to the heaviside layer and come back to a new life.
i particularly like how each cat is different from the other. like humans, no two cats are truly alike. looking at the details on the makeup and costumes, one can only imagine the amount of time and effort spent. though these costumes do not bear the 'haute couture' label, i think that every piece of fashion worn on the cats' stage should be valued the same. anyway, the show is no longer running if not, we can probably take a closer look at the fabrics and the production process.
here are some clips of a musical that i grew up with.
