Come experience the fun of Barnum’s circus!
Barnum (2014)
For this show, I have taken a backseat from stage management and turned to being a costume dresser for this spectacular musical. I’m one of at least six dressers per night to change the actors into their numerous costumes (I think we have over ten different dressers, due to conflicts on certain nights.)
As with most shows, especially musicals, the backstage area can create a show of it’s own. While watching the show (which I was able to do opening night,) the audience sees the actors seamlessly move from one role to another. In one moment, they could be band members, then quickly change into townspeople, and then magically turn into circus folk in, I’m not kidding you, less than thirty seconds!
While there are moments in the show where all six dressers are either waiting in the dressing rooms or watching the monitor backstage, there are also a good number of moments when all six dressers are changing one, two, or more people at once. And all in different areas of backstage. We have the three dressing rooms, two areas right by the back curtain, one change happening in the hallway, and a good number happening in the kitchen.
The thing to remember when dressing an actor is order. Once you figure out and finesse the costume change, the key is making sure the clothes that they are changing into are in the right order. As soon as they clear the back curtain, they are unbuttoning shirts and turning around so the dressers can undo any contraption the actor cannot reach behind them. As they are pulling off shoes and stepping out of skirts, we hold up their pants, or dresses or stilts. And while they are redoing the buttons in the front, we are zipping up the back. Then the actors are on their way out, grabbing their next prop while the dressers quietly put away (or move) their previous character’s costume.
And sometimes, the actor underdresses their next costume. Here’s a little secret: most (if not all) the actors in the band number have multiple layers on. So, when you see them sweating, it’s not because they are nervous or the theater lights are getting to them (which they are), it’s mainly because they have two or three layers on underneath those thick band uniforms.
While I was watching opening night, I thought I would be concentrating on the costume changes I had memorized the night before and whether or not the actors would make it on time. But the entire night, I never once concerned myself with the timing of the changes. I was completely enthralled by everyone’s performance. The actors did what they were suppose to: they took my hand and guided me through P.T. Barnum’s life and allowed me to forget my troubles and enjoy the show. Afterwards, I told one of the dressers that everything looked phenomenal. She told me that one or two of the changes were a few seconds late. A few seconds! Backstage, those seconds are precious; they are like minutes to us. From the audience, those seconds mean nothing (at least not for this show.) I told her I couldn’t tell; that everything looked perfect.
If you’re thinking of seeing the show, you have one weekend left! Friday night @ 8pm, Saturday @ 3pm and Saturday @ 8pm. It is a show that you do not want to miss. And the kids will love all the circus acts and the dancing involved with the musical.
