Wearing Costumes to Broadway Shows

[mattnyc2]

Posted: 10/29/06 at 12:26am

It may just be me, but I'm starting to see a growing trend in broadway theaters: audience members dressing up as characters in the show they're seeing. I've already witnessed it twice in the last two weeks.

First was Wicked two weeks ago. I was waiting for the house to open, when I noticed that there were two little girls near the escalator dressed up as Glinda and Elphaba. On closer inspection I realized that they were not little girls, but FULL GROWN WOMEN in their thirties. One was decked out in a huge ass pink gown, wand, and crown and the other had on a black witch's dress and pointy hat. They acted like they were soooo cute and funny, but it was actually very pathetic.

And then there was this evening's performance of RENT. While waiting in the lotto line I saw two teenage girls, one fully dressed as Angel (I mean totally in costume, down to the black and white striped tights and green thong) and the other as Mimi. They didn't win (and looked REALLY pissed) but bought orchestra tickets instead. At the end of the show the actor who plays Collins was talking about how the cast would be in the house collecting for BCEFA. He mentioned that Christopher Hanke and Tim Howar would be available to take photos, and the girl dressed as Angel shouted out, "I will be too!" He just politely smiled at her and went on with his speech.

When did it become ok to come to a broadway show in costume? The only exception I can think of is Rocky Horror. Do people really need attention this badly? If you're not a little girl, YOU DO NOT LOOK CUTE, ONLY PATHETIC! Done with rant, discuss...
Updated On: 10/29/06 at 12:26 AM

[JasonM12480]

Posted: 10/29/06 at 12:30am

I was always taught that proper theatre attaire consisted of: If you're a man - dress shirt, tie, slacks (a suit, if you so desire); If you're a woman - a nice sweater, or perhaps a dress/skirt. Nothing more, nothing less. Costumes look ridiculous, and anyone who does dress up and thinks otherwise needs a lesson in audience behavior. Leave the costumes to the people on stage, I say.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 10/29/06 at 12:30am

I think it's so tacky. The fact that you saw it happen at Rent and Wicked of all shows speaks volumes for the motive. People do it to prove what a huge fan they are, and whatever. There's always the argument that goes like "oh, they're just having fun, let them do what they want." And fine, nobody's stopping anybody, but I think it's annoying and tacky -- plus, the people who do this tend to act like the cast is giving them their own private performance, and when you ACT ridiculous to go along with looking ridiculous, that's just doubly offensive.

Updated On: 10/29/06 at 12:30 AM

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 10/29/06 at 12:33am

it's not really a new trend. rent and wicked are just notorious for having a fan base of ridiculous people stuck in their own little worlds who have lost their grip on reality.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 10/29/06 at 12:44am

I will throw this out there as a possible explanation - though not a condolence - it is Halloween weekend and most people who are dressing up are doing it tonight. Those women may have thought it would be cute to go see RENT dressed in their Halloween costumes but its also possible that any other Saturday night of the year they would have been perfectly presentable.
Updated On: 10/29/06 at 12:44 AM

[Carl Magnum]

Posted: 10/29/06 at 12:49am

I've noticed it too. The weirdo's who are WAY too into CATS are the scariest. They go full out with the make-up and the lycra...and lets just say most of them should never..EVER wear Lycra.

I'm even split on little girls dressing up in their yello Belle dresses to go to Beauty and the Beast. On one hand it's very cute but on the other, why not teach the little girls proper theatre behavior now and not treat it as if they were going to a movie.

Oh and when I saw RENT in the movie theatres there were quite a few morons in costume as well. Including alot of girls dressed as Mark.

I just don't get it.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 10/29/06 at 12:51am

Why don't more guys go to TARZAN in Loincloths?
I see nothing wrong with that.

[kyle.]

Posted: 10/29/06 at 12:57am

I saw Wicked a month after it opened in New York and there were two women sitting together dressed up as the wicked witch. Green make-up and all.

People dressing up as characters from RENT ON Halloween has been something of a tradition for many years now. Dressing up just because...I don't even know want to know their reasoning.

[christine_c]

Posted: 10/29/06 at 1:16am

I think it's incredibly cheesey. It's like going to a concert and wearing the band's tee shirt. It's just tacky, you know? I mean, sure, all the silly teenagers get their chance to dress up for like, Wicked and RENT, once or twice. You know, seeing a show live for the first time always makes people a little crazy. So, once or twice is excused, but I still think it's tacky.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 10/29/06 at 1:17am

I do not think wearing a t-shirt of the band of a concert is really that tacky, but I DO think that dressing up for a show in costume is horribly tacky. Save for Halloween, of course.

[Fantabulous428]

Posted: 10/29/06 at 1:21am

I don't think it's really comparable to going to a concert and wearing the bands t-shirt; at least in that situation, they're still wearing pants and a shirt, and aren't decked out in full costume. Now *that* is cheesy.

ETA: What Munk said

Updated On: 10/29/06 at 01:21 AM

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 10/29/06 at 1:24am

I hope dressing like little Edie catches on.

[C is for Company]

Posted: 10/29/06 at 1:25am

I saw that Angel girl today and was disturbed, but moreso by her behavior with the lotto man!

[an87]

Posted: 10/29/06 at 1:27am

It's always with Rent and Wicked...
At the Wicked tour in Seattle, there were probably about 5-10 fully dressed Elphabas in the crowd at the matinee. Good grief. And they all thought that dressing up meant they deserved special attention from Shoshana at the stage door...

[ashley0139]

Posted: 10/29/06 at 1:38am

I knew before I opened the thread it would be RENT and Wicked. They just have that kind of fan base. And it's completely tacky.

[SDav 10495]

Posted: 10/29/06 at 1:49am

I'm almost completely against wearing costumes to Broadway shows...ugh, ugh, ugh. All it usually does is re-enforce every stereotype of that show's fans (and inspire horror story threads on BWW).

However--there are a couple of occasions where I think it's more or less acceptable.

- "Special" performances (anniversaries, record-breakers, Halloween, etc.). Still obnoxious, but somewhat more understandable.

- Little children (I mean 6 or younger) at shows like Beauty and the Beast or The Lion King. I'd rather they dressed normally, but I don't think the fact that they're wearing costumes necessarily means they're going to grow up to be irritating, costume-wearing theatregoers. If they're really young and they really want to wear a costume to shows like that, let them have their special day...it may not come that often.

- When the costume is not outlandish, distracting, or explicitly "OMFG lyke this play roX!!1!". I've gotten to know a few really devoted costumers who make beautiful replicas of dresses from shows or movies...some of you might know of a few such peoples' attempts at Christine's blue gown from Phantom. Some of these costumers, after spending months making their dress, have worn it to the show. The said Christine dress is very tasteful, and if it's made well it can be a welcome change from the jeans and sneakers so often worn to the theatre these days. It's not something I would wear to a show (particularly because I'm a male), but if the people who made them want to enjoy the product of their hard work, I'd say those cases are acceptable because they're really not crazypsychoLOLZ costumes. Note: that does NOT mean it's OK to wear the ass-tight Mimi outfit just because you spent months on it, because most likely that *will* be terribly, terribly distracting, tacky, and crazypsychoLOLZ.

[christine_c]

Posted: 10/29/06 at 1:50am

Of course it's going to be RENT and Wicked. They are most popular amoung teenagers and so is dressing up in silly costumes. It just works out.

I'd like to say, once again, I'm a teenager. I apologize if I come off as hypocritical and pretentious.

[BroadwayRandy0711]

Posted: 10/29/06 at 1:50am

I agree. I believe that it needs to be time/date/age appropriate. I do not agree with wearing a band's t-shirt at their concert. What's cheesy is wearing, say a Garth Brooks Concert shirt to an AC/DC concert.

In August, 2 teenage girls dressed like Linda from "A Wedding Singer." I thought, odd it's not Halloween yet. Plus what parents would let their teenage daughters dress so provactively?

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 10/29/06 at 1:27am

I've seen girls dressed as Dorothy at "Wizard of Oz" but mostly, if it isn't Rocky Horror or Halloween, costumes should only be worn by the actors.

[Link Larkin Wanabe]

Posted: 10/29/06 at 1:49am

So I wasn't supposed to go to Hair nude?

Akiva

[FrontRowCenter2]

Posted: 10/29/06 at 3:42am

If this is a trend thank god Seusiccal isn't still around!

For the record, dressing up in costume for a Broadway show is absolutely inappropriate.

[Claire2141]

Posted: 10/29/06 at 4:27am

I agree....apart from when seeing Rocky Horror, tha's one big fnacy dress party. Or you're a six year old girl and seeing Beauty and the Beast.

I've never seen anyone dressed in costume for any show apart from these two, although we do get people wearing the Wicked T-Shirts at Wicked.

[alterego]

Posted: 10/29/06 at 4:35am

This is insane. What do the audience groupies of NAKED BOYS SINGING! wear?

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 10/29/06 at 5:01am

This is the reason both "Wicked and Rent" should close and these people need to find a life thats not based on fantasy.

Updated On: 10/29/06 at 05:01 AM

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 10/29/06 at 5:34am

Oh god. The Angel girl at Rent. I'm 90% sure that she was at Rent the last time I saw it. It was Destan Owens's last show and she was wearing white boxers over her jeans that said "I <3 Destan" and held up signs at the curtain call that said "Marry us Destan!" The reason I suspect it was her was because before she show, I heard her (psh, half the Nederlander heard her- she was practically shouting) discussing how she was going to come to the show at Halloween wearing a full Angel costume. I'd consider it a coincidence except for the fact the girl you mentioned was rude enough to shout out during the BC/EFA speech.

The girl also grabbed the end of Chris Hanke's scarf (not the costume Mark scarf, HIS scarf) at the stagedoor, sniffed it and rubbed her face all over it. I've never seen such disgusting behavior. This girl shouldn't be allowed in public, let alone into a Broadway theater.

Updated On: 10/29/06 at 05:34 AM