The Marriage of Miss Hollywood and King Neptune
“…Esther Marquis’ costumes, which number in the dozens upon dozens, always show a smart sense of period fashion and frequently a witty playfulness, as with “Whiplash” McCord’s candy-colored duds or the mermaid drag in which the mob goons end up attired.”
Austin Chronicle review by Robert Faires
written by Robert Schenkkan
directed by Lucien Douglas
photography by Will Phillips
Oscar Brockett Theatre, Austin
A tribute to screwball comedies of early stage and screen, employing snappy dialogue and flamboyant players of 1930’s Hollywood. The design of each character’s idiosyncratic traits were distilled to give the script’s extensive cast of glitzy characters immediate audience recognition.
Crumbs from the Table of Joy
written by Lynn Nottage
directed by Seret Scott
The Globe Theater, San Diego
Set in the early 1950’s, a time of societal change and upheaval, the costumes capture childhood memories with vivid color and simple shapes. Details are focused and clear, Aunt Lily’s red hat, her beaded floral dress, and Gertrude’s white tap pant ensemble. The clothes communicate an elevated, playful sense of time and place.
In The Jungle of the Cities
written by Bertolt Brecht
directed by Gregory Boyd
Alley Theatre, Houston
Kicking off the Alley Theater’s 50th Season, In the Jungle of Cities is set in a reimagined Chicago where clothing becomes an expression of desire, circumstance, and position. By utilizing a variety of historical styles and a vivid, immersive color palette, reality and time are upended.
A Christmas Carol
The perennial classic, set in a somber mid-19th century Dickensian London. The design was guided by three parameters: controlled color palette, exaggerated and distortion of period details, and layered sumptuous textures. Town folk are dressed in frock coats, crinolines, bonnets, top hats and heavy capes in a pallet of grays and oaky browns, while in contrast each visitation world is bathed in vibrant color, Spirits are festooned with lavish materials and whimsical details.
written by Charles Dickens
adaptation by Stephen Rayne
directed by Stephen Rayne
Alley Theatre, Houston
The Good Times are Killing Me
written by Lynda Barry
directed by Rodney Caspers
Austin Theatre for Youth
Weaving 60’s music, dance, and humor into the design created an energized backdrop to the harsh realities of racial tensions. Re-creating a distinctive 1960s silhouette and amplification of pattern and color played an integral part in establishing each family’s ethnic identity.
Picasso at the Lapin Agile
A comedy about a fictitious meeting of Picasso and Einstein both on the cusp of greatness at a Parisian Cafe in 1904. Inspired by the elegant lines of Art Nouveau, emblematic of the period. The clothes took on rich layered tones with curvilinear gestures informed by a wealth of archival material.
written by Steve Martin
directed by Gregory Boyd
Alley Theater, Houston
Closer
This modern melodrama focuses on the intersection of four characters' understanding of truth and romance. With a simple production staging the costume design must do the heavy lifting to reflect the changing attributes of characters, place and time.
written by Patrick Marber
directed by Stephen Rayne
Alley Theatre, Houston
Angel Street
An 1880’s drama about marriage and deceit, by shifting the period silhouette to 1900 dispensed with the rigid bustles and longer frock coats. Bella’s pallet of muted aubergine and faded lace conveys the trappings of finery that’s seen better days, while the psychopath Manningham displays a less tasteful society gentleman, with soft tailoring signaling working class roots.
written by Patrick Hamilton
directed by Gregory Boyd
Alley Theatre, Houston
The Survivor: A Cambodian Odyssey
The drama is told through the experiences of survivor Dr. Haing S. Ngor, using traditional Cambodian textiles to illuminate cultural life prior to the Pol Pot Regime’s brutal occupation. After Khmer Rouge Forces gained control, captives and civilians were mandated to wear a simple two piece black outfit. The cut of the loose shirt and pants enhances the wearer’s vulnerability, while child soldiers are clothed in red, primitive woven fabric representing danger, violence, and death.
written by Jon Lipsky
directed by Vincent Murphy
Actors Theater of Louisville,
Humana Festival
Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde
A drama pulled from trial transcripts and Oscar Wilde’s personal letters explores his public statements about homosexuality. The courtroom scenes convey a deep sense of formality and Victorian propriety, while in contrast Wilde and his “accomplices” represent the world of art, literature, and self-expression.
written by Moises Kaufman
directed by John Feltch
Alley Theatre, Houston
Black Coffee
Detective Poirot is called to investigate after a famous inventor is poisoned. This traditional staging highlighted the sleuth’s pristine presentation and eccentricity. The rest of the cast includes a collection of English gentry in distinctive 1930’s clothing. Muted shades evocative of the English countryside, with period details expressing social rank and character.
written by Agatha Christie
directed by Gregory Boyd
Alley Theatre, Houston
