A  CLOTHES CALL (1)

My regular reader will know that I am not keen on actors who do a ‘paint-by-numbers’ makeup job when playing a dame in pantomime. Nor am I fan of outrageous costumes which most likely take months and a mound of moolah to make, for just the one laugh. These are two dimensional dames, we never believe it's a real person... not for one second.

I have also referred to pantomime costumes, the like of which have never been worn by anyone since before Methuselah was a lad!

It occurred to me that I might do the occasional post about costumes, and so here goes with the Chinese policemen (or women) from ‘Aladdin’. Numero uno.in a series of... who knows?

             
The  costumes illustrated above show the kind of garb I am not keen on. I have obliterated the faces so that nobody need feel badly done by. Yes, I know it’s all a matter of taste, but I reckon I have the freedom to offer an alternative. After all, each one of these is different from the next. "Broad-minded is just another way of saying a fellow is too lazy to form an opinion." (Will Rogers - "The Cowboy Philosopher")

For me, number one and number two are far too fussy. I don't like the checks with the stripes, and the guy in number two looks somewhat overwhelmed by the outfit. Number three looks more like a prison uniform, and number four has the addition of what I presume to be the local football club's team colours, in some sort of scarf attachment... heigh-ho!

My solution (illustrated left) aims for simplicity and comfort. It's a good old-fashioned union suit, which would require the addition of large silver buttons, boots (clown shoes might look good), and a helmet. Flashing police helmets are available, but you will require some means of controlling the light, perhaps just for entrances and exits, and maybe when one or the other gets annoyed or flummoxed.

Add epaulets, and two breast pockets (which needn't be practical), with buttons. Self-cover buttons would be the cheapest. They are available in large sizes, and being made from bright metal, they would pick up the light. What you do is attach them without any covers.You could experiment with a stiff collar and a bow tie. 

I accept that there is no Chinese aspect, but if you didn't know about the costumes illustrated above, would you associate them with the Orient? Keeping the costume simple and easy to wear gives the actor more freedom to act. He or she needs to think about affecting a way of walking, an appropriate stance, and other ways of establishing a character. With this approach, the costume doesn't get in the way.

A red nose, a walrus moustache, exaggerated eyebrows or the Harry Langdon look (see right), with white makeup, heavily outlined eyes, and thin lips,might add the finishing touches. Use contrasting makeup for the two characters.

“Character is an important aspect to the clown. Much more important than the makeup and costume. Anyone can dress as a clown, but it takes a special person to have a character.” (Clown Education Online)

“Perhaps my definition of comedy is at odds with current trends, but I just believe that to gain the sympathy of the audience for your character, you have to maintain a sense of reality, no matter how fantastical the situation becomes.” (Kenneth Williams quoted in - ‘Carry On Laughing’ Adrian Rigelsford: Virgin Books 1996)

“…in my impersonations, for example, I seriously study the person I wish to imitate and rehearse the impersonation many times in the serious vein, before I even attempt to give it a humorous twist. Then I try to insert the humour while still in the character of the person I am portraying. Thus, the basis of actuality is given to the impersonation." (Comedian Willie Howard, regarded as one of the giants of American Vaudeville.)