Tune Thursday: Stressing while dressing the cast of Broadway’s “Beauty & the Beast”

Jim Hill

17 years ago

225 costumes.

Let’s all just think about that number for a moment. 225 different costumes. Everything from those bright, colorful outfits that the happy French villagers wear as they sing this show’s opening number, “Belle” …

… right through to the dark, dour cloaks & hats that these same performers wear in Act Two. As they’re getting ready to storm the castle and “Kill the Beast.”

And it’s up to wardrobe supervisor Julie Ratcliffe and her crack team of 13 dressers to make sure that every actor is wearing the proper outfit whenever they walk out on stage at the Lunt-Fontanne theatre.

Of course, some changes are trickier than others. As Ratcliffe explains:

“We’ve got one change at the start of Act Two, where Belle must go from her trademark blue dress …

“… to her pink dress complete with jewelry. And that change has to be made in 50 seconds in order for the actress to make her entrance on-stage in time. That one can get a little tricky.”

Still, in spite of the stress that she faces daily while working on this show, it’s clear that Ratcliffe loves working on Broadway’s “Beauty & the Beast.” She’s been the wardrobe supervisor for this Disney Theatrical production ever since it moved from the Palace Theater to the Lunt-Fontanne in November of 1999. And while Julie had previously worked on musicals that featured elaborate costumes (“The Will Rogers Follies“) and quick changes (“Dreamgirls“) … “Beast” is a whole ‘nother animal.

“We have 25 people doing 260 hours of prep on this show every week,” Ratcliffe continued. “I’ve got people who just work on dresses, others who only repair shoes. I’ve even got a milliner who comes by the theater once every week just to take care of our hats. We do all of this every week just to make sure that everyone always looks their best whenever they step out on stage.”

Of course, the Broadway musical version of “Beauty & the Beast” is probably best known for its highly detailed enchanted object costumes. And Julie is the first to admit that each of those outfits offers its own unique challenge.

“Some of these objects are so big that they can’t actually fit through the doors at the theatre,” Ratcliffe said. “Which means that we have to dress a lot of our performers out on deck, strapping them into their outfits in the wings right before they make their entrances in the show.”

And Julie has a check-list for each & every one of these enchanted objects. Take — for example — the enormous dinner plates. “Those you have to make sure that the ball bearings on the back are oiled. Otherwise the plates won’t spin properly,” Julie explained.

As for the show’s corkscrew costume … Well, that can’t actually set down backstage. Otherwise, this giant kitchen utensil will then bend & warp. Which is why this particular costume piece has to be hung on an off-stage hook whenever it’s not in use during a performance of Broadway’s “Beauty & the Beast.”

And that giant sugarbowl that appears in the “Be Our Guest” number? Since it’s steel stays that give this oversized silver bowl its rounded shape, that particular outfit is actually quite fragile. Which is why it’s handled very gingerly by Ratcliffe & her staff as they dress that cast member before she makes her entrance.

For nearly 8 years now, Julie has been on the job. Making quick repairs backstage with her cordless drill and heat gun. Or by taking new cast members via subway over the show’s fabricators in Redhook. So that she can then make sure that the molded thermal backpack that many of the performers wear while playing enchanted objects actually fits properly.

“It’s a lot of work,” Ratcliffe admitted. “But given that ‘Beauty & the Beast’ is such a beautiful looking show, it’s worth the extra effort to make sure that everyone looks their best whenever they’re out on-stage.”

You’d think, that after having stood backstage at the Lunt-Fontanne for nearly 2000 performances now, that Julie might be a little jaded. That the magic of this Disney musical would have long since worn off for her. But that’s where you’d be wrong.

“Some nights, if we’ve got a particularly vocal audience, I’ll actually go stand at the back of the house toward the end of the show. Just so I can watch all of those people go wild during the Beast’s transformation sequence,” Ratcliffe said. “That scene always gets them going.”

When I asked Julie if she was sad that Broadway’s “Beauty and the Beast” was closing, she turned philosophical. “Shows always close. No matter how long the run is, they still always close. That’s just the nature of this business. So am I sad? No. Disney gave us six months notice. That was plenty of time to prepare.”

Besides — at least in Julie’s case — when the curtain comes down on July 29th, that doesn’t mean that her work actually stops. Ratcliffe and her team will then spend the next two weeks carefully packing away all of this show’s costumes. So that they can then be shipped to a warehouse in New Jersey for storage. Though Julie doubts that these outfits will stay packed away for very long.

“You have to remember that Disney Theatrical still has international productions of this show out there touring. I think one just opened in Mexico City,” Julie said. “Besides, this show isn’t really going away. It’s been too popular for too long. People who grew up seeing this show on Broadway will want to be able to take their own kids to see ‘Beauty & the Beast.’ Trust me, this show will be back on Broadway soon enough.”

But when that happens, will Julie then be ready to assume her old duties? Making sure that each & every one of those 225 costumes are on the right performer at the right time?

“Please ! I’ve already had enough stress, thank you,” Ratcliffe laughed. “I’m just looking forward to taking a few weeks off and relaxing by drinking some martinis out on my porch.”

Speaking of stress … Sunday, July 29th is your very last chance to see Disney’s “Beauty & the Beast” on Broadway. If you’d like to experience the magic one last time, there are three easy ways to get seats to this acclaimed stage musical: Online at www.disneyonbroadway.com, via Ticketmaster at (212) 307-4747 or www.ticketmaster.com, and in person at the Lunt-Fontanne box office (205 West 46th Street). Get your tickets now before the final bow!