The Great Globe Itself: Costume Fitting

Clement, 2005

The Great Globe Itself takes place onstage, on one stage, on the stage of the Globe Theatre. However, not just one Globe Theatre, but three. Our performers are in and out of costume during three time periods - the early 17th, 20th and 21st centuries. So there are costumes, and costumes on costumes.

Four our first scene, designer Esther Haberlen presents our theater artists in accurate, everyday Jacobean garb. Richard Burbage (left) the great actor, looks fine and strong, while John Fletcher (right) - the poet - appears a bit nerdy.

Turning to 1936, Esther has reproduced the early 20th century idea of what Americans thought a Shakespearean production was supposed to look like. King Henry VIII (left) is dressed sumptuously, but his guard (right) looks like he has been drawn from a deck of cards.

The virile Mark Antony is decked in a breastplate out of something like the silent film version of Ben-Hur. 

In our modern era, when we freely adapt our Shakespeare any which way, our Prospero has been provided a flowing wizard's robe, in white white white.

Finally, the performers our performers play, when they are not performing the plays within the play, appear in period street clothes (left to right, 1936 and 2005).

Tonight our acting company will have its first complete read-through of the script - rehearsal don't even begin for a couple of weeks. And yet, this is how far out ahead Esther is with her work on the production. Doesn't it all look amazing?

The Great Globe Itself opens March 3.