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On Broadway, the big shows are back after a year and a half of closure. Much of the magic of Broadway relies on often unrecognized workers: the costume designers. Houses that have been around for decades and have been hit hard by the health crisis
From our correspondent in New York,
For the past few weeks, in the Parsons and Meares workshop, the sewing machines have resumed their frantic roar. With the grand reopening of Broadway, costumers are overwhelmed by orders. “ At the moment we are working on Hamilton, the Lion King, Wicked and we just finished all the satin costumes for “Moulin Rouge”. »
Parsons and Meares is one of some fifty New York studios that supply costumes for Broadway, television and film. Sally-Ann Parsons is delighted with this resumption of activity after the break due to the health crisis: “ We had made the last fittings of red Mill, and then Broadway closed the next day, March 12. We thought we would stay with us for two weeks, it lasted 18 months! »
During this closure, the costume workshop turned to the manufacture of masks and protective clothing against the Covid. One way to secure a small income. Today, satin, leather, pearls and silk are therefore back. Sally-Ann Parsons, whose studio is the only one to have received a Tony Award, the prestigious award for Broadway productions, is proud to be part of the magic of shows. Everything here is done by hand.
« Here, for example, we have one of the corsets for little Nala from Lion King. All the beads you see on the side are strung one by one and then sewn to the corset. The making of this costume took 226 hours. And for such work, you necessarily need passion: ” For me, this is the dream. The Lion King is the show that made me want to do this job. And the fact that now I have the opportunity to work on it, it’s totally crazy! The other day, we got to go to the dress rehearsal and see all of our costumes on stage again, it was very moving. »
And it is precisely to publicize their know-how and all the work required for costumes that the workshops in New York have organized a special exhibition. The first of its kind. The opportunity for visitors to see the magic up close. ” It changes our outlook to be able to look at these details and meet the people who make these costumes and see how passionate they are. » « It’s amazing all the work behind these costumes, it’s mind-blowing! »
Now that the shows are back, the costume workshops hope they can overcome the financial difficulties that the health crisis has caused. In 2020, they lost over $ 26 million in revenue.
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