Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share Audio Description- Costume Swatches
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
Audio Description- Costume Swatches
Item description:
Different costume swatches are gathered on a ring. Each of them represents a costume used in Bye Bye Birdie, and all of them provide a diverse range of bright colors and fun textures. Each swatch is stapled to a corresponding card that lists the associated character or moment in the show.
About the Item:
Many of the costumes in the show are rented or actual vintage pieces from the 1950s and 1960s; the swatches seen here are mainly for the costumes we built from scratch for Bye Bye Birdie. This show has a pretty tight color palette and uses a lot of solid fabrics and bold graphics to help the costumes stand out from the stylized set pieces.
Albert and Rosie, the characters who come from New York, are seen in silhouettes and color choices reminiscent of the early 60s; Rosie in particular has a bold color palette of magenta to olive and chartreuse greens. The characters that make up Sweet Apple, Ohio are more “Americana” in their color choices: lots of red, white, and blue.
For the scene at The Ed Sullivan Show, the MacAfee family wear clothes that look like costumes. Mrs. MacAfee and Kim wear quintessential 50s circle skirted dresses made with a large polka dot silk organza, topped with a wool crepe bolero jacket. Mr. MacAfee and Randolph are wearing red suit coats, cream pants, and striped vests that coordinate with the trim and bows on the ladies’ skirts. The fabric we used for this is vintage silk tie fabric. Conrad Birdie has a flashy metallic organza jacket he wears for “One Last Kiss” that is striped and covered with applique stars.
Because the set design is so bold and large scale, we had to ramp up the costumes to match. You will notice as you watch the show that almost every costume on stage is trimmed out in “rick rack” which is a wavy trim that was used widely in the 50s. We used rickrack in a larger than typical scale so it would read more theatrically on our stage. There is also lots of flat ribbon trim applied to edges and hems to enhance the design lines. As you look through the fabric swatches you will notice the bold patterns of stripes, polka dots, bows and plaids: the design for Bye Bye Birdie takes typical 50s patterns and gives them a theatrical edge to enhance the lens of nostalgia we are choosing to view the costumes through.
You can access the names of The 5th’s costume and wardrobe team members in your show program.
View all episodes
By ClaireItem description:
Different costume swatches are gathered on a ring. Each of them represents a costume used in Bye Bye Birdie, and all of them provide a diverse range of bright colors and fun textures. Each swatch is stapled to a corresponding card that lists the associated character or moment in the show.
About the Item:
Many of the costumes in the show are rented or actual vintage pieces from the 1950s and 1960s; the swatches seen here are mainly for the costumes we built from scratch for Bye Bye Birdie. This show has a pretty tight color palette and uses a lot of solid fabrics and bold graphics to help the costumes stand out from the stylized set pieces.
Albert and Rosie, the characters who come from New York, are seen in silhouettes and color choices reminiscent of the early 60s; Rosie in particular has a bold color palette of magenta to olive and chartreuse greens. The characters that make up Sweet Apple, Ohio are more “Americana” in their color choices: lots of red, white, and blue.
For the scene at The Ed Sullivan Show, the MacAfee family wear clothes that look like costumes. Mrs. MacAfee and Kim wear quintessential 50s circle skirted dresses made with a large polka dot silk organza, topped with a wool crepe bolero jacket. Mr. MacAfee and Randolph are wearing red suit coats, cream pants, and striped vests that coordinate with the trim and bows on the ladies’ skirts. The fabric we used for this is vintage silk tie fabric. Conrad Birdie has a flashy metallic organza jacket he wears for “One Last Kiss” that is striped and covered with applique stars.
Because the set design is so bold and large scale, we had to ramp up the costumes to match. You will notice as you watch the show that almost every costume on stage is trimmed out in “rick rack” which is a wavy trim that was used widely in the 50s. We used rickrack in a larger than typical scale so it would read more theatrically on our stage. There is also lots of flat ribbon trim applied to edges and hems to enhance the design lines. As you look through the fabric swatches you will notice the bold patterns of stripes, polka dots, bows and plaids: the design for Bye Bye Birdie takes typical 50s patterns and gives them a theatrical edge to enhance the lens of nostalgia we are choosing to view the costumes through.
You can access the names of The 5th’s costume and wardrobe team members in your show program.