Costume fittings

Today I had my costume fitting for Figaro. Boxes like the ones you see above arrived from Malabar Limited Theatrical Costumes, a costume company in Toronto. In case you can't read their slogan on the box, it says "Show Business is our Business" in curvy cursive script.

For many productions, especially those at schools, the crew will rent costumes from a costume provider like Malabar. Malabar stocks entire costume sets, enough for all the characters plus chorus, for a show. The benefit of this is a) you get a cohesive look since the pieces are all in a similar color palette/style, and b) you don't have to make them all yourself. The costumes arrive right before the show performance dates (to minimize rental costs), and the amazing costume crew goes to work fitting people and altering as needed. Think of it like a bridesmaid's dress; you get a standard size within reason and then have it tailored to fit.

What this meant for me was that I had measurements taken of every conceivable limb and part - like the magical tape measure in some movie I'm blanking on right now - back in the fall. They sent all of the cast's measurements to Malabran and coordinated costumes for each person based on our respective sizes. Today, I had a fitting for my house-servant's costume. I tried it on, and they looked to see whether I needed anything taken in, let out, or covered up. Happily, mine is good as is. I just need to provide my own cream-colored stockings and tan-colored shoes. A good reminder to get tan character shoes since I only own black.

Character shoes are what you wear in operas or plays onstage. They can look either dressy or casual, depending on the costume on top. They are generally plain, a non-shiny leather-like material, and they come in either black or tan. For women, they have a slight heel and a rounded toe. The most important facet, however, is the buckle. A strap and buckle keep the shoe from flying off at inopportune moments - say while kicking or dancing. Given a rather unfortunate shoe incident I had in my last musical theatre experience where my non-character shoe flew off the stage into the orchestra pit, I'd say this is a terrific idea.

More rehearsals tonight, putting together Acts III and IV. Tomorrow, we have our first "Piano Tech", which is basically a run-through of the full show with piano (instead of orchestra.) It's fascinating to watch the leads on this full stage and amazing set. We're in a giant hall, so it's especially neat to hear them and to learn how to negotiate size, both in gestures (which have to be bigger to be seen) and in voice (which has to be projected but not oversung.)

Voice is tricky because opera is almost never mic'd. You have to be able to fill the house. This is why opera singers sound like they have such "big voices" and why they sound different than pop singers. You need to learn a special way of placing your vocal resonance, using your facial cavities and your breath in specialized ways, so that you can be heard over a full orchestra in a house with a couple thousand people.

Well, enough of my rambling. A fun day, to say the least. I'll dream of petticoats and fluff tonight, I'm sure.

~Hope