the best and the worst: week 10

wow, it's been ten weeks already? i really find it a little hard to accept that The Online Edition has gone on for over two months now. as always, i would like to take this time to thank you for all your support. i may never know who you are and shake your hand but i deeply appreciate your regular readership and input.

before, i go in depth to this week's post, i would also like to make a quick announcement: i have a hater! *pops confetti* not exactly a hater perhaps, but someone who finally has an issue with my material. if you want to read her comment, it's posted on my facebook page. it's basically a response to this post. friends of mine who saw what cindy wrote had a few 'interesting' remarks for her but i shall reserve those for coffee talk.

okay, back to this week. i selected the fashion of broadway and musicals as the source of inspiration for my material. big mistake? i think so. not only was readership hit (pretty badly too, i must say.), even the writing of it was a tedious process. many of the dresses look amazing on stage and dazzle audiences but there is often not much information available about them. halfway through the week, i learnt that as a fashion blog, people can get overwhelmed by looking at dress after dress without any guidance. i would loved to evaluate the various outfits and trends showcased by the musicals but there was a huge limitation of resources available. nevertheless, i hope you enjoyed looking at the array of broadway costumes.

so, (channeling my inner tyra banks) i have fourteen posts in my hands. the first post i call will be best post of the week and it goes to...

best: viva la evita

i think the page views on this post were high not for the fashion but the personality who was involved. i mean, seriously, any post about madonna would garner some (if not a ton of) attention. the funniest part  is the fact that madonna was not even in the broadway musical. guess that's how the world of blogging works. until i have an actual following, i would have to depend on names and labels to carry my blog numbers.

(reviving the inner tyra) two posts stand before me... the post i call is worst post of the week and will eternally be shamed. worst post of the week is...

worst: the broadway princesses

*wails* i like the princesses! it was a bit disappointing that my love for the disney princesses was not shared by everyone else. what's not to love about fantastic lives and fabulous gowns? on one hand, it was good to break the friday curse of worst post being the afternoon post (it's now the friday morning post!) but to see a post that i had fun putting together was a weird feeling. oh wells, the show goes on.

with that, we bid farewell to the stages of broadway and return to reality where the weekend awaits. have fun! like i tell my team mates: fall in love, get married, make babies... in whatever sequence you prefer.

fash'on... BAM!

i love the nightlife

as we draw towards the close of another week, i hope you are enjoying the variety of fashion that you are seeing on The Online Edition from broadway. well, here's a glimpse into another award-winning musical. this time, it's the 2011 tony award winner for best costume design in a musical: priscilla, queen of the desert.

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

priscilla, queen of the desert is a musical with a book by australian film director-writer stephan elliott and allan scott, using well-known pop songs as its score. adapted from elliott's 1994 film the adventures of priscilla, queen of the desert, the musical tells the story of two drag queens and a transsexual, who are contracted to perform a drag show at a resort in alice springs, a resort town in the remote australian desert. as they head west from sydney aboard their lavender bus, priscilla, the three friends come to the forefront of a comedy of errors, encountering a number of strange characters, as well as incidents of homophobia, while widening comfort zones and finding new horizons.

produced by allan scott in coalition with back row productions, michael chugg, michael hamlyn and john frost, the simon phillips-directed and ross coleman-choreographed original production of priscilla debuted in australia at the lyric theatre, sydney in october 2006. having had a successful run in sydney, the production transferred to melbourne in 2007 and then new zealand in 2008, before returning to sydney for a limited engagement for its second anniversary. the australian success of priscilla provoked a two year strong west end production in addition to its bette midler-produced broadway debut in 2011. while the original production received one out of its seven helpmann award nominations, priscilla was nominated for the laurence olivier award for best new musical as well as two tony awards, winning these awards in the costume design categories.

sit back, relax and survive the alice springs where it's raining men!

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big, blonde and beautiful

after a morning with the king, we are heading over to baltimore! another musical that picked up a tony award for best costume design is hairspray. 

Hairspray

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.

'run and tell that' 'you can't stop the beat'.

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meow... feeling catty?

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.

CATS

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.

fash'on... BAM!

shriek for shrek!

Shrek the Musical

it's always a feat to make a musical out of a movie. things get even more complicated when it's from an animation but the people behind shrek, the musical made movie magic on stage. before i end up doing a review of the musical, here are a comparison of the costumes in the musical against the characters from the animated movie.

1) shrek

i would say the resemblance is uncanny. it's always impressive when print makes it to screen. it's astonishing when screen makes it to stage. for those who are curious to see the transformation, here's a clip of brian d'arcy james going through make-up.

2) princess fiona

 

this is definitely a simpler costume to replicate since fiona is a human character and truly it just takes great makeup artistry with the right wig. anyway, the picture features kimberly walsh as princess fiona.

3) donkey

 

this is my personal favourite character. it's almost expected that the musical version will not have a donkey moving around on fours that sings and dances. guess where the 'fashion' fails, the character makes it up in staging.

the creation of a fantastic world is never easy and clothes play a pivotal role in convincing the audience on the authenticity of the musical's world. while in shrek the musical, there are a couple of characters that look nothing like their movie counterparts, it is still rather entertaining (at least it seems that way from the clips online). here's one for you to enjoy!

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no rest for the wicked

Wicked

since 2003, the musical wicked has delighted audiences all around the world. this production, which is based on the novel wicked: the life and times of the wicked witch of the west written by gregory maguire, is the 'untold story' of the witches of oz. wicked is well known for its music and lyrics by renowned composer stephen schwartz and for its colorful and innovative costume designs by award-winning costume designer susan hilferty. 

Elphaba

elphaba wears several costumes in the musical and they expertly portray her transformation from a humble schoolgirl to the misunderstood, not-truly 'wicked witch of the west.' early in act one, elphaba wears a plain navy uniform while attending shiz university but eventually elphaba’s schoolgirl outfit is exchanged for the more familiar witch motif — a black victorian-type dress and a pointed black hat. 

Elphaba and Glinda

Glinda's closet

Glinda

glinda’s costume for her period of schooling is cream in color, which hints at her later title of the 'good witch of the north.' glinda’s appreciation for color really shines through in her pink ballgown and the yellow outfit she wears while visiting the emerald city later in the musical. later, her silver and green politician’s outfit and white dress worn as the good witch help to conceal from the citizens of Oz the fact that glinda may not be as kind and selfless as she seems.

residents of Emerald City

the residents of emerald city wear a lot of green, of course. most of these costumes are haute couture, designed with expensive fabrics exclusively for the characters that wear them. regular motifs include billowing skirts and a fantastical appearance that suits the residents of the capital city of the fantasy land of oz.

Madame Morrible

madame morrible is the headmistress of the hall where glinda and elphaba live at shiz university. in the musical she tends to wear long flowing gowns that combine elegance with a look that implies a sinister mind.

Nessarose

nessarose, elphaba’s sister and eventual 'wicked witch of the east', transforms from a paralyzed schoolgirl to one who can walk with the aid of the ruby slippers over the course of the musical. as such, her initial schoolgirl outfit gives way to a black dress that, while not unlike Elphaba’s costume, helps distinguish her from her sister.

Fiyero Tiggular

fiyero tiggular, a prince who meets elphaba and glinda at shiz university, is eventually transformed into the famous scarecrow. his princely attire gives way to the more ragged scarecrow look as he concocts a plan to help save elphaba from death. this is portrayed appropriately in hilferty’s costume designs, with the scarecrow having a fitting, ragged appearance to match all the trauma he endures in the musical.

love the clothes? here's my favourite song from the musical.

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broadway bares

it's the start of a new week. the heart is heavy because on the day i celebrate my birthday, i had to say goodbye to my third aunt from my paternal side. it was such a weird day, much of it was an attempt to stay with status quo: working and enjoying a simple birthday dinner. however, the mind was confused and i am truly thankful for the support system that my friends created. i think most didn't know how to react as well but we all made it through. it just goes to show how important good friends are.

anyway, life will have to go on. there is a responsibility that i feel towards the ardent supporters of The Online Edition hence i made the decision to continue with the blogging and the posts. this week, we are going to explore the fashion of theatre. many times, we are wowed by the music, lyrics and the plot of a play or musical but rarely do we sit up and applaud the costumes. costumes within a theatrical performance are the 'fashion' of the make-believe world. through it, the audience is given a glimpse of the life in the world of the play.

throughout the week, we shall place the clothes worn on stage and their makers under scrutiny hence i hope that through this exploration, not only will we grow a deeper understanding of stage fashion but we will develop a greater appreciation of the art of theatre.

in conclusion, the signature pictures of the opening post of the week. once again, i ask myself what they have to do with the post. the answer: nothing. they are just here so that i have sufficient reason to use the labels and have better blog traffic.

Bodypaint Swimsuits (Sports Illustrated)

Jake (right) with friend

fash'on... BAM!