Take a Look at Portraits of Broadway’s Company With Costume Designer Bunny Christie

Do you know that Claybourne Elder‘s underwear in Company has an airline brand on them? That is simply certainly one of many particulars within the costume design by Bunny Christie for the brand new gender-swapped Broadway revival at the moment operating on the Bernard J. Jacobs Theatre.

The corporate of Firm not too long ago gathered for a studio portrait session to seize and exhibit the seems to be, and Christie let Playbill in on a couple of of her concepts behind a few of the costumes and the way they got here to be, together with a few of these enjoyable particulars like airline underpants. 

Marianne Elliott directs the revival with Tony winner Katrina Lenk taking up the central position of singleton Bobbie (within the unique, bachelor Bobby) within the Stephen Sondheim and George Furth examination of coupledom. Fellow Tony winner Patti LuPone stars as Joanne, with Matt Doyle as Jamie, Tony nominee Christopher Fitzgerald as David, Tony nominee Christopher Sieber as Harry, Tony nominee Jennifer Simard as Sarah, Terence Archie as Larry, Etai Benson as Paul, Nikki Renée Daniels as Jenny, Claybourne Elder as Andy, Greg Hildreth as Peter, Rashidra Scott as Susan, Bobby Conte as P.J., and Manu Narayan as Theo.

Rounding out the corporate (and starring within the portrait session) are Kathryn Allison, Britney Coleman, Jacob Dickey, Javier Ignacio, Anisha Nagarajan, Nicholas Rodriguez, Heath Saunders, Tally Classes, Paige Faure, and Matt Wall.

Learn on for a have a look at the portraits with commentary by Christie.

Bobbie
When Marianne and I have been engaged on the design for Firm, we went
by the present meticulously from scene to scene. I had a small scale
mannequin determine for Bobbie painted in purple, in order that we may all the time see the place
she was in relation to everybody else. It labored so effectively that I assumed it
made sense for Bobbie to be in full colour—virtually technicolor—in her personal
life. She is just like the flame burning on the centre of the piece. She’s the total
blooded, purple, beating coronary heart of Firm. The remainder of the palette of the
present may be very managed and thoroughly curated in order that there aren’t any different
reds onstage, aside from Bobbie and, after all, the variations of herself in
TikTok.

I discovered the purple material in London—it is a fabulous high quality purple wool and appears
stunning on Katrina. Now we have purchased each single yard of the fabric that
exists in order that we are able to replicate the jumpsuits, which have been all made in New
York.

Joanne

Patti loves garments and sneakers and is nice enjoyable in fittings.

The whole lot is made or adjusted in order that it really works for Patti and feels proper for
Joanne. Her garments have been made in New York and her sneakers made in LA.
Joanne is assured and attractive, witty and sharp. Her garments must replicate
that and really feel proper. Patti is a demon at carrying killer heels!

The Nightclub Appears for “Women Who Lunch”
Virtually as a flip aspect to the marriage seems to be, the nightclub is all in black. Joanne and Larry have been to the Opera after which gone onto a Membership. It is a sizzling, attractive membership with perspective. The costume group had enjoyable purchasing for these seems to be and creating the membership characters—its all concerning the sneakers, the belts, the equipment and a few hidden quantity 35s thrown in. Every member of the corporate has a really particular look and fittings have been plenty of enjoyable and hilarity.
It’s a fantastic part of the present—Bobbie is admittedly sliding down the rabbit gap and undecided the place she goes to finish up. It has an actual late-night, sticky-floor really feel. It’s sizzling and sweaty and the figures seem to Bobbie out of the smoke to a pulsing beat of membership night time music.

New Yorkers’ “One other Hundred Folks” Appears
The entire New Yorkers in “One other Hundred Folks” are a mass of gray, nameless figures. The corporate are choreographed to maneuver as a swarm of figures. All of them have particular person seems to be however are unified by a colour so that they learn as a flock of commuters with Bobbie and PJ transferring by and amongst them.

TikTok Bobbies
The TikTok [scene] is a totally new and unique imagining the place Bobbie goals of how her life could be in several variations of her future with totally different companions. It’s a nightmare imaginative and prescient of a future self—possibly pregnant or a working mom or ignored or with an unsuitably youthful man and a bottle of bourbon. Every model is dressed within the Bobbie purple colour and the photographs replicate and multiply time and again.

“Not Getting Married” Wedding ceremony Appears
“Not Getting Married” was actually enjoyable to design. Marianne prompt the thought of a white marriage ceremony—with Bobbie nonetheless in her iconic purple because the Finest Girl on the marriage ceremony. Every visitor had a really explicit cool look in white and silver – with the corporate of characters all showing from Jamie and Paul’s kitchen models, fridge or washer, representing Jamie’s final marriage ceremony nightmare. The corporate are singing within the wings and turning into these costumes on the similar time—it’s a really busy backstage second within the present after which a few of the firm must crawl contained in the kitchen models prepared to seem for a cut up second after which disappear!

Jamie and Paul’s Wedding ceremony Appears
Jamie and Paul are wearing white however individually designed to match their characters. So Paul is extra formally dressed and Jamie is rocking a extra informal designer look.

The Three Boyfriends
I wished to have a component to unify the Boyfriends so all of them have a robust blue colour of their garments. Andy, performed by Claybourne Elder as an Airline steward, is such a beautiful character. We even gave him underpants with the Airline brand on them and he has an identification lanyard and all the precise insignia. When Marianne and I have been discussing PJ, performed by Bobby Conte, she wished him to be virtually just like the Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland. You aren’t certain if he’s good or evil, or what his intentions are. We put collectively a glance that’s all about him making an attempt to present the impression that he’s tremendous cool. Within the present it’s Bobbie’s thirty fifth birthday and in all places she seems to be she retains seeing plenty of quantity 35. PJ has a tattoo on his arm in Roman numerals that’s the quantity 35.

Sarah
I liked working with Jennifer Simard on Sarah’s look. Jen got here up with the thought of exercise gear for Sarah. I designed a glance and we have been actually fortunate to search out the items and put collectively her physique hugging look. Jennifer has some very enjoyable costumes in Firm. Her marriage ceremony and nightclub seems to be are nice, and fittings together with her have been a blast.

Larry
Larry has a few stunning fits. A really elegant pin stripe swimsuit made for him in New York and a stunning Dolce and Gabbana night jacket which we had flown over from London after which tailor-made to suit. His sneakers for the nightclub are very scrumptious diamanté encrusted pumps.

Peter and Susan
I like dressing Peter and Susan. We made them arty and quirky. Each Rashidra and Greg have been up for making an attempt concepts out and nice enjoyable in fittings with all their seems to be. In fact, Susan has the shock reveal of being pregnant. We tracked down some latex being pregnant tummies and, as Rashidra has a stomach piercing, we replicated the piercing on the latex tummy after which matched her pores and skin tone to the latex.

Click on by the gallery under for much more seems to be from the present revival of Company on Broadway. 

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Look By way of Designer Bunny Christie’s Costume Design for Firm