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| Vanessa20 |
"Ideal production" revisited: Costumes and hairIn the wake of the very mixed opinions being expressed about the new tour costumes and wigs/hairstyles, I decided to start a new discussion.
What kinds of costumes and hair would you like to see for each of the characters in a new, non-replica production? Not to belittle the originals, but just for the sake of discussion. Do you have any ideas? Any mental images? Describe them. Ex. Cosette: As I mentioned on the tour thread, I've thought it would be effective to have her costumes and hair reflect her transiton to womanhood. I might like to have her start out in a conservative, almost little girl-like dress (it could be black, or maybe blue, lavender, or white with a floral pattern), and her hair down in curls like in the original production. Then in Act II, she'd have the same hairstyle, but wear a slightly more sophisticated, more fashionable dress in a more mature-looking color (possibly even deep red/burgundy). Finally, she'd wear a gorgeous, sophisticated wedding gown, possibly similar to Katie's (unless that too modern, Orestes), i.e. short sleeves, bare shoulders and pearls, with her hair up. I'll put more of my own later, after I've had more time to think (and possibly reread the clothing descriptions in the Brick). Meanwhile, what are some other people's ideas? I hope I'm not - and can't imagine that I am -the only one who has any.
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| riverdawn |
I quite like your idea with showing somehow Cosette's transformation into womanhood, especially as it is discussed in the Brick, how she discovers she is actually a beautiful young woman and begins to be more aware of the fashions. Obviously, with her role being quite condensed in the musical, there's only so much you can do with that, but in principle I quite like it.
That being said, I have to admit I usually don't give the women's costumes much thought. At the risk of sounding shallow, most of my costume thoughts go something like "ooh, the gentlemen are looking very dashing in those outfits..." I've always had a weakness for certain kinds of men's period fashion...
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| broadway_bound92 |
Re: "Ideal production" revisited: Costumes and hai
I love this idea for Cosette. It's similar to Glinda's costume/character transformation in Wicked. |
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| flying_pigs |
Hmmm, will have to have a think but I do have one small thing:
I'd love for Cosette to have a different dress in Everyday/A Heart Full of Love (Reprise) instead of the black dress again! Give the poor girl some more clothes! |
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| Quique |
I don't know, but I've always gotten the impression that people think Cosette has been almost intentionally neglected in the musical and that even the black dress is some kind of undermining of the character.
I don't know about anyone else, but I've always assumed the lack of costume variety has more to do with making sure the audience always knows who she is in a musical that features many different characters that can easily get lost in the crowd. Most every character has only one basic costume and any other one is a minimal variation of the basic one--Eponine exchanging her skirt for trousers in act two and the trench coat, of course; Marius taking his jacket off at the barricades and slipping on a formal one for his wedding; Enjolras going from black vest to shiny red one; Javert getting out of his police uniform and into regular civilian clothing and back; Fantine's normal costume cleverly "turned inside out' when she becomes a whore and her hospital gown; and, of course, Cosette, having been given a fresh change of clothes right after "The Waltz of Treachery," which happens to look almost identical to that of her new doll (which I think is sho cuuuute!!!). It's obvious to me that they have older Cosette wear the exact same outfit she is seen wearing as a child ten years before, for the sole purpose of cluing the audience into the fact it's Cosette who shows up during "Look Down" without having to explain it. The same is obvious for when she appears out of nowhere after DYHTPS. In fact, it's obvious the creative team were so worried people wouldn't know who she is, that they make it a point to have her announce her name at the start of "In My Life." She appears in the same dress for this purpose until her wedding. She has two costumes. Most characters have two as well. I don't see where she's being disrespected or neglected at all. Had the dress been a pretty navy or a some other color other than black, people might not feel so inclined to 'defend' her. I say this because after 25 years as a die-hard fan, I can say that at least I have never gotten a negative impression from the character as portrayed in the musical. I've never thought her obnoxious or boring or ditzy or bitchy or anything like that. At worst, I've always felt it's not a very exciting part but I've always felt the fact she IS the show's logo very symbolic and her low-key presence in the musical sort of eerie and somewhat touching for all of that--lives totally changed, some even turned upside down, others enriched--for that one little girl, who does not become aware of all this until the very end. |
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| Vanessa20 |
I've thought of a few more ideas.
Fantine I'd like to see her in a different style of dress than the puffy type that the original production plus every regional production and its brother puts her in. Maybe something along the lines of this one: http://www.quite-contrary.org/images/ext_clothing/m14a.jpg It's hard to choose one, though, because I'll admit, her original dress is pretty much perfect: it looks both innocent and motherly, simple enough yet pretty and dignified, and makes her look so feminine and vulnerable. The last detail may also be one if its drawbacks, though: I know that some Eppyboppers ignore Fantine because they consider her soft and weak. Maybe a less puffy, less frilly dress would help them see her strength of character better. I've also toyed with the idea of having her first dress be pale like the original, i.e. blue, green, light gray or lavender, but then have her whore costume be a dark, bold color, like deep red. It might emphasize her degradation more... though as Quique said, having her wearing the scanty shredded remains of her previous dress is clever and very effective, and helps assure that the audience knows it's her. Enjolras I love the red vest as much as the next person, but honestly, will there ever be a production that doesn't use it? I'd like to see something different at least once, just for the sake of variety. Maybe he could wear a deep red tailcoat (God, there's a lot of deep red in my fantasy "Les Mis" designs - I think I have a fetish for it!) like this one, http://www.quartermastershop.com/images/1531_1830-50_tailct_enlgmt.gif and never take it off, even at the barricade. His hair I tend to imagine looking like David Thaxton's (though I still haven't actually seen him in the role  ), or maybe like Jon's crazy wig, but tamer, and only if his face structure is better suited to it than Jon's is.
Marius The standard black costume is perfect, of course, but I think I like the light blue tailcoat they've put Gareth in for the tour. It's such a sweet, innocent, boyish, romantic color (and my favorite color in general, even if I also have a fetish for deep red  ). I wouldn't mind seeing him in a green coat either, a la the Brick, though of course I wouldn't want his outfit to look shabby, since his impoverished state in the Brick is never mentioned in the musical, and we need to make it clear that he's socially compatible with Cosette and out of Eponine's league.
Eponine Her costume need not vary too much from the original, but I would like to make it a little less smart and sexy-looking by modern standards. Preferably a blouse or chemise with sleeves, maybe a rope belt like Gavroche's instead of a real belt, maybe a ragged shawl over it like Hugo mentions, you get the picture. I'd also like to put her in a short coat at the barricade instead of a big overcoat (of course, plenty of regional productions have done this already), if only for variety's sake. A while back I also toyed with the idea (and drew a sketch) of her wearing men's clothes throughout, only adding a coat and tucking up her hair to disguise herself in Act II. I thought it would heighten the contrast with Cosette and desexualize her to Marius more than ever. I like the idea less now, though; since it's not true to the Brick, doesn't make that much sense (unless she were trying to avoid being raped), and might just make the fangirls consider her more "badass" and "liberated." |
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| operafantomet |
That might be. Rebecca Caine (original Cosette) told that the character had an additional day dress during rehearsals, made of printed cotton and with various pleated details, but they decided to cut it. Caine seemed happy about this cut, since she appear to have loved the black one, whereas she didn't fancy the second dress. I don't know WHY it was cut, but it makes sense that they would make her more recognizable, and that black dress did become quite iconic. However, I also agree that it seems odd for her to always run around in that same ol' gown. Valjean, how cheap are you?
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| l'ivrogne transfigur� |
But when Marius sees her in the Luxembourg again (when he falls in love with her and she has acquired her fashion sense), Hugo describes her as wearing the same dress she had the day before, so perhaps she doesn't have a very large wardrobe... |
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| Quique |
The way I see it, one has to take into account the whole stage picture and the way an audience might perceive it; the effect it will have in combination with the material; and what it is meant to convey.
I don't feel the original costumes are all definitive. Some, like the ones worn by Marius, most of Valjean's, young Cosette, Javert, and Eponine could either be improved upon or equaled by an alternate design. These costumes don't speak to me; they don't express/convey anything additional other than basic details such as their status in society or occupation. Costume designs I feel are definitive include the ones worn by Enjolras, Fantine, the whores; the Thenardiers; Eponine's 2nd act get up; and Cosette. All of these greatly affect, not only the way the character is perceived, but the entire stage picture. They actually add to their respective scenes and help communicate what's transpiring on that stage. Right off the bat, we know Thenardier is a slimy, insidious character. The costume--a mixed bag of cues, some obviously denoting a lack of wealth and others projecting a comical air about him (think jester) but in a totally un-obvious way. I even get the sense he's an 'important' person at the inn. Or at least he'd like for you to believe that he is. Yes, all of that from a costume! The costume alone speaks and it speaks volumes. Vanessa20's assessment of Fantine's costume is spot on. It's delicate and soft but not girlish. It's definitely motherly without looking like something a granny might wear. It's perfectly balanced and it makes Fantine stand apart from those at the factory, without appearing too different. It's just different enough to make her the center of attention at any given moment during ATEOTD. Notice how all the other women have nearly identical factory clothes, except for Fantine? Also, Fantine's dress features a simple, yet distinctive print, and the light touches of green blended with light blue further separate her from her co-workers, who all wear harsh blues and browns. Eponine's long trench coat looks more feminine than it should, almost resembling a dress at certain points. But it never actually makes people think it is a dress, or anything a girl her age might typically wear, for that matter. It is nothing more than a disguise at the top of act 2 but it creates a very strong stage image during "On My Own," that a smaller, shorter coat would fail to produce. Not only does the towering set, with its shuttered, lighted windows, dwarf her, so does the coat. It's very loose fitting and oversized. The scenic elements combined with the lighting (the way David Hershey uses projections of the shuttered windows and shines them at smart angles onto the stage floor to create a sense of perspective), make her appear to be tiny, insignificant, unimposing, and forgettable. Everything around her is overwhelming, including her feelings for Marius. One of the most simple, yet evocative scenes in the show. Enjolras and Cosette's costumes never make us loose sight of the fact they are privileged. Cosette's conjures a sense that she's sheltered, trapped, almost as if held at a convent (like in the novel). And sure enough, she expresses her longing to be free to explore the world. It serves its purpose perfectly. Had Cosette been dressed in fancy, frilly outfits, it might've diminished the impression she's sheltered and might make the audience less sympathetic to her pleadings. Yet, Valjean's love is apparent, so it never appears to be abusive. If anything, it serves as yet another symbol of how his freedom is compromised even outside prison walls; his own 'daughter' is suffering from the effects of his past. In the case of her costume, a little goes a very long way. Her dress is clearly bourgeois but also solemn and plain. I don't want to see Cosette perfectly pampered and content. I want to see a girl who's been locked behind those huge gates by an overprotective father with a secret past. The whores--absolutely ingenious. What a perfect balance of everything--color, fabric, even the way it's arranged and stitched together--it all works in concert to give such a serious scene a lightheartedly twisted air. There are subtle "kinky" elements as well as softer feminine ones. And that harsh amber light just makes what could've possibly been perceived as purely comical to those only paying attention to the outlandishness of it all, disturbingly raunchy. Throw in the slow rotating revolve to represent the passage of time during that scene, with the whores stationary at the center (where it doesn't revolve) and you've got perfection. Sets and props consist of a single table and chair. I dare any production out there to outdo the effectiveness of the original staging of this scene. 
The Enjolras vest is really what's definitive. Everything else he wear I could take or leave. It produces exactly what is needed and in an un-tacky fashion. Gosh I love that vest. It says EPIC, NOBLE, and so much more without saying a word. A perfect costume piece for a show where missing chunks of info here and there is a reality--details can be lost and it's more important than ever to provide wise visual cues to fill in any possible blanks. People might not be aware of who exactly Enjolras is, but they know, almost instinctively, that he's "the leader." While the costume isn't solely responsible for this, it does create one hell of an impression that this dude isn't going to back down without a fight. |
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| Orestes Fasting |
A few small things I'd do:
- In Eponine's boy costume, it needs to be more obvious she's wearing pants. In the original production they're hidden under the trenchcoat and the audience almost never actually sees them. - Something besides The Vest for Enjolras. It's iconic in the original production of course, but it needs to be done right (have seriously seen four or five rows of gold braid sewn crookedly onto a felt vest in some regionals), and it's not something that really needs to be there in non-replica versions. - It's really a tiny touch, but I'd like to preserve the class distinction between Feuilly and the other students. Besides the nod to the book... well, it'd be nice for someone in a workman's cap to actually have some lines at the barricade. Major things... Cosette's dress. I get that it provides visual continuity, but I don't really like it that much. Yes, it's rather boring and frumpy; it's also a black dress against a black stage, and very physically contributes to the erasure of Cosette's character by making her hard to see. I think all the satin and taffeta dresses that have been cropping up for Cosette lately are a bit over the top, but I'd at least like to see her in color even if her dress is fairly simple. Signature Theatre ran a very dark production of Les Mis, literally so in the case of the costumes: everyone was in black and grey and a bit of brown, with splashes of red here and there. One of the really nice touches they did was that Marius and Cosette were the only ones who wore color--IIRC Marius had a blue coat and Cosette a blue dress. If I were in charge of a regional I would probably take a different approach to Lovely Ladies; again, the carnivalesque costumes from the original are iconic and effective, but I wouldn't want to copy them. I liked what the Copenhagen production did--all the whores were in very pale costumes. The calf-length skirts and bared shoulders and cleavage made it pretty obvious what their profession was (and with the white/off-white theme they looked a little bit like they were in their underwear, which for once was appropriate), but they also looked rather ghostlike and doll-like. Definitely calculated to rouse a different reaction in the audience than the grotesque costumes in the original production. |
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| Quique |
Agreed. Maybe 'definitive' isn't the best word since it seems as if I think EVERY production the world over should ONLY feature the original designs or else it won't work as well or at all. I don't think any design element of the original is so perfect, it shouldn't be changed. But I do think many aspects of the original are just sensible. Obviously other elements, like the barricade, are anything but sensible and lean more toward the lavish side. I feel they produce the maximum effect in the simplest way. Of course, that's just a preference of mine and not necessarily the way shows should be staged. Those Lovely Ladies costumes from Copenhagen sound amazing. The description alone is very effective. I can only imagine what they look like live. |
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| Orestes Fasting |
Yeah. There are lots of things that work really, really well in the original, perhaps too well. Because they've become, well, iconic, and too many regional productions try to straight-up copy them rather than come up with something completely different that's equally effective.
But then you already know that I'm all for shaking things up in the regional productions. Of the 10 regionals I've seen, half were rehashes of the original with variations here and there; even among the other half, only Signature really did something completely different with it and succeeded artistically. I really want productions that play with the show and do new things with it--it's not a holy relic! |
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| Quique |
Oh, I agree. And before anyone thinks I'm contradicting myself due to my crazy defending of the original production, I should point out that the tour bothers me because it's got the original producer and has got the blessing of the original writers, and so on...I won't repeat myself but those concerns are strictly limited to that whole 25th ann. affair, and not independently produced regional productions (even then it's mostly the changes to the score I hate, not the changes in design). I've stated before that I look forward to new stagings and it would be a dream come true to have a hand in directing one myself. I've never raised this type of hell with the countless regionals I've read about and those reviewed by members on here. Just thought I'd clarify as I've probably muddled my own opinions due to recent ranting. 
But back on topic...yes, it's not a holy relic. XD But it's true that, to date, there have been few examples where a completely new concept has worked. As much as I like to poke fun at Signature's Sweeney-like production designs, it's one of the few radically innovative concepts that just seems to work. I haven't seen it, but I've LOVED what I have seen and heard. |
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| Orestes Fasting |
I saw it and it worked. What's more, it pointed out completely different aspects of the material. The overall look of the design was clearly inspired by the movie version of Sweeney Todd, but a lot of the specific elements like the broken-factory-window sets recalled the Industrial Revolution themes of the original Broadway Sweeney. It was very, very well done: not only a reinvented, darker, more intimate Les Mis, but arguably a more political one in that it was clearly set at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution in France.
Quebec and Copenhagen also managed to get out from under the thumb of the original designs while still presenting something that worked. I don't think they were actively trying to reinvent, but they definitely came at the show with a different mindset: Quebec was quite clearly an adaptation of the novel and downplayed the spectacle; Copenhagen took a very literal approach to the sets throughout, and I appreciate that somebody finally did that. North Shore and Lausanne were both different but they kind of fell flat. North Shore had to be super-innovative to do an in-the-round staging, but most of what I remember is cheap-looking and underwhelming (possibly due to a limited budget not being spent brilliantly) and overly stagey/choreographed/stiff. And Lausanne was just... awkward. They were trying to do an artsy minimalist staging but there were just so many bad, bad decisions in there. Both of them seemed to have someone on the design team going "We are going to do something new and different!" without having much idea of what that was, unlike the productions that did new-and-different successfully. And I'm getting horribly off-topic here. Wow, sorry. |
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| Brackynn |
When I did Les Mis, our director had a very strong background in design and I loved (most of) our costumes. 
One little detail I liked in Lovely Ladies was that there were a couple of whores who, instead of wearing the brash whore outfits, kept their factory costumes, but "slutted them up". To me, that added a new level of hypocrisy to the factory girls' insistence that Fantine be sacked for allegedly whoring (which makes her plight even more pitiable), but I think also gives them motive for collectively pushing for Fantine's dismissal other than mere jealousy (and honestly, the first time I saw the show, my reaction to ATEOD was, "So why do they all hate her?") -- to take the focus away from themselves. Hope that made sense. It's too late at night to be perfectly coherent. 
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| Quique |
Makes perfect sense, hon. Not mumble-jumble like mine.
I just reread my super long post on the first page and will remind myself from now on NOT to attempt writing anything at 4 a.m. XD Not that I think it's terrible, it's just sloppy and very ranty. Yipes. But your production sounds great. The factory workers-whores connection is very interesting. You need to provide pics! |
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| dallasanta |
In 2000/2001 I saw the Swedish Non-replica production in Gothenburg and Malm� and LOVED it! It looked nothing like the original thing, sets, costumes, staging was all different....
The one thing that I especially liked was the Fantine-costumes. They really downplayed the "puffyness". And also made her a brunette. Plus the cool thing was that the audience actually got to see her being held down by the pimp and the Hair-lady and they cut off her long hair with a knife. (sounds kinda brutal but you had to have a heart of stone not to feel sympathy for Fantine. Very effective indeed) Here�s a pic from ATEOTD: http://web.comhem.se/helensjoholm/helen60.jpg And it was also very beautiful when she came back for the Finale all dressed in white with her long hair back again.[/img] |
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| SmallTownIngenue |
That reminds me of my production...I (as Fantine) had the same costume when I became a prostitute, but it was just "slutted up" because A) my director didn't think it would be practical to have her in a new costume because in his words "where did she get it?," and B) By leaving her in a pale cream she contrasted from all the other whores in rich jewel tones and dark colors, as (in the assistant costumer's words) "Keeping Fantine in the pastels and grey symbolized that though she did sell herself, her heart was not commited to this lifestyle and her intentions were honest and pure." I really liked that choice. So we simply hiked up the skirt, pulled the sleeves down, and added make-up and a boa and a flower/feather headdress thingy. Plus, it made the costume change a lot easier, although it was still pretty hectic. And at the finale, I came back in my "restored" costume, long hair and all. As for other costumes, I've just always thought that Cosette should look a little more....fashionable. Our Cosettes (many of the lead roles were double cast in my production, playing ensemble tracks every other night), had some beautiful dresses. And our Enjolras didn't have "the vest," but his vest was a bright teal that stood out from the other students and I still think it got the job done. He also had this great jacket to go with it during the first act. I just really liked his costume for some reason, which is wierd because at first I was SO MAD we didn't have the vest, but then I just got over it.
I understand the "icon" ness of the original costumes, and for the most part they are VERY effective (I still will never like Cosette's black dress), but I just love new/creative costuming ideas in general, so I'm not very picky I guess. I LOVE hearing about the new ideas/concepts. 
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| operafantomet |
And with Helen Sj�holm, how can you go wrong? God, I adore that woman. Are there more pictures of her as Fantine? I've searched several times, but I keep coming back to the one above. |
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| Quique |
Sj�holm played Fantine? 
I always thought she'd be fabulous in the role. That's so cool! Anyone have an audio or video...send it my way! lol |
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| Orestes Fasting |
I don't like this. The story of Fantine isn't the story of how this one particular woman got forced into prostitution despite the noblest of intentions--Fantine is a type, an everywoman, and I think part of the message (whether you agree with it or not) is that every prostitute is a Fantine to some extent. So I don't think it works to have the costuming imply "Fantine is still honest and pure in spirit--unlike all those other dirty whores who are obviously complicit in their own degradation because they aren't Hugolian archetypes of trampled virtue and might not have put up as much of a fight as Fantine did." The point is that she becomes just as degraded as the rest of them, y'know? Most of them probably have mouths to feed too, most of them probably can't find work that isn't on their backs. The point isn't to go around throwing stones at everyone who's less of a paragon of virtue than Fantine. |
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| operafantomet |
There is a picture in Det Ny Teater's official Facebook site, I think the content is open to everybody: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=8993855&id=122860340435 Some of the grand dresses and the factory outfits in the Copenhagen production were not to my liking (well made, but poor fits and/or silhouettes), but the "Lovely Ladies" costumes worked very well on stage. Many of the male costumes was also excellent. |
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| Orestes Fasting |
I'd be interested to know the problems you had with the factory costumes. I can somewhat see the problem with Cosette's dresses, but issues with the factory costumes must've escaped me.
I really need to find a way to scan some of my Les Mis programs. Especially the ones from Copenhagen and Lausanne. They're chock full of production photos that I don't think have been posted anywhere on the internet. Also need to copy/paste my review of the Copenhagen production. And actually write a review of Lausanne. Jesus I'm lazy about these things. |
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| operafantomet |
Have posted a reply in the Copenhagen thread: Copenhagen thread: http://musicals.net/forums/viewtopic.php?p=1193404#1193404 |