Quick Costume Changes — Page 3

I was a dresser for "A Tuna Christmas" and it was a riot. Probably the most fun I've ever had backstage. I was shocked to hear that one production had TWELVE dressers...I think people would just get in the way. We had two dressers (one for each player) and I was the utility dresser...in charge of things like canes, bracelets, earrings, shoes, etc. The best is at the curtain call...the dressers always took a bow wearing some of the costume pieces.

If you're ever in HONK! and it's done the way it's written in the script, you'll learn a new meaning to the word fast costume change. In the script, there are only about 10 actors that double 2-3 roles. I've never had to change so fast in my life...I was late on MULTIPLE occasions.

The onstage quick change in "I Am Changing" for Dreamgirls is not all that difficult. It requres Effie to take off the huge frock she's wearing and throw it to someone behind her. Not exactly a difficult quick change, but very effective.

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The Effie costume change isn't all that difficult, no... unless you're the one performing it and singing the song at the same time you're changing in front of the audience... with a tight follow spot hitting you in the face the whole time!

No, that doesn't sound difficult at all.



...Besides, I thought her coat was Velro'd up to her shoulders. She pulls the Velcro loose, and the coat falls down around her, revealing the evening dress (actually the inside lining of the coat). Something like that.

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Updated On: 9/25/05 at 11:23 PM

I read in the Playbill yearbook that one of the ensemble members has 26 seconds to change costume and wig and get onstage. hard stuff.

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My highschool did Guys and Dolls several years ago, and we had a change form hell. About 3 people had to be onstage for the end of one scene in new York, and then be onstage for the begining of the next scene (Havana) in different costumes. There were probably 4 or 5 other people who had about 20 seconds during the opening of the scene to change. It was a tornado of flesh and fabric in the dressing room, leaving destruction and chaos in its wake.

Ahhh, fun times.

I seem to remember Liza in "The Act" had a change that was so quick it had to be done on stage just by dropping the dress on her from the flys and the chorus did her up.

My Fair Lady has a passel of them for Eliza... In the montage of "tutoring scenes" (the marbles, flame, etc, leading into Rain in Spain), a good/mildly sadistic director will insist on *onstage* changes during quick blackouts in order to show the passage of time. I believe there are 5, and due to clever costume construction, the production I was in actually got applause on a couple of them.
The one from the Embassy Ballgown to the Show Me costume was interesting, too... you can theoretically just put a coat on, but it's rather hard to beat the snot out of Freddie wearing 15 lbs of crystal beads and corset.

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Passionella in The Apple Tree where the character is instantly transformed from a dirty-faced girl into Marilyn Monroe.

A double was onstage as this was going on.

The actress cleaned her face of the 'dirt'. She had the glamour makeup on underneath although eyelashes and lipstick had to go on somehow. This role was done by Barbara Harris, Phyllis Newman and Sue Ann Langdon during the NY run.

A wig person did her hair.
Two dressers, one on either side of her stripped the dirty dress and got her into the form fitting glitter cloth gown.
Another zipped it up while the first two did the shoes.

Another dresser was cleaning the dirt from her arms. I don't know if a sixth dresser was doing the jewelery or if that was sewn to the costume.

The telling of the tale had six dressers involved.

They had at most two seconds. Okay, maybe three.

Talk about the audience going crazy at the re-entrance.

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Tracy and Edna Turnblad each have about 30 seconds to change during "Welcome To the Sixites" in HAIRSPRAY.

I watched ASU's performance on the Today show very closely to try and figure out how Lorraine's dress changed. I THINK a chord is attatched to the back of her colorless skirt and the front part of her clothes is slit opened (so you can't see it). When the chord is pulled, her colorless clothes are ripped back exposing the bright purple outfit. This is all a theory though.

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there was a musical in london 2 years ago called our house, the main character was shown from 2 different perspectives, a good and bad. the good was in white and the bad was in black. he changes a full costume behind some umbrellas in 4 seconds. i have a clip of it, and dont worry its not a bootleg! this dvd was officially released, ive just recorded a clip.

http://s38.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=17Y60X6DNIX411FDGOOI466QZA

Our school did The Music Man this year, and Marian (me) had 25 seconds to change from a white, skinny skirt/dress to this pale pink dress, change my wig and earings. I had the pink corset on under the white top, and 2 people pulled off dress and slipped me into the pink one, a girl changed my wig and i put in my earings.

i'll never forget doing this, and i wasn't even late!

Updated On: 9/22/06 at 07:35 AM

The Witch in INTO THE WOODS, and Cinderella in CINDERELLA are fast, but these changes are done with doubles.