The Great Tony Costume Parade
It is always difficult to capture the live Broadway experience in pictures, recordings, words, or other art forms. The same is true of the contributions of each of the Tony Award nominees this season. A photo of set doesn’t do justice to how that set works with the actors, a recording of an orchestra or even a cast only suggests part of the talent that created the work. Reading a script is never as good as seeing it, regardless of the quality of the production.
Taking those limitations in consideration, a look at the nominees for best costume in a play can only show the images and not how perfectly these creations work with the actors and the production. Take a look and enjoy the Broadway nominees, all worthy of a Tony Award.
Gregory Gale’s breathtaking Broadway costumes for “Cyrano de Bergerac ” were luscious and splendid. More than placing the show in a period of time, they help to create the world of Cyrano, the poor poet who wears his accessories on his soul.
Rob Howell’s “Boeing-Boeing” costumes bring an instant smile for their accuracy and charm. The hue perfect colors are as perfectly fitted to the production as the clothes themselves are fitted to the actors. The nostalgia and style of Howell’s work in “Boeing-Boeing” tames the sex-farce in the best way possible. His costumes help set the show at a time when sexuality was all about the uniform, not what was underneath…literally.
Katrina Lindsay’s costumes for “Les Liaisons Dangereuses” speak for themselves…in verse. The costumes appropriately free the play from being a museum-piece, allowing the actors to feel both of an age and timeless in their passion and pain. Wonderful costumes wonderfully worn.
Photo by Joan Marcus.
Peter McKintosh brought “The 39 Steps” costumes that not only feel true to the period, but also allow for repeated costume changes and doubtless wear and tear. The flawless transformation that is the hallmark of this production with 4 actors playing over 100 roles is achieved in no small part due to the ingenious work of Peter McKintosh. Hopefully he had as much fun making the costumes as we did watching them.
Photo by Joan Marcus.
