‘Phantom,’ Reworked: A First Take a look at the Costumes of New York’s Immersive ‘Masquerade’

For Sosa—a Broadway mainstay who bought his begin at New York’s storied Grace Costumes store working with opera divas Beverly Sills and Denyce Graves— Masquerade represented an opportunity to “faucet into my reservoir of issues that I’ve needed to design however by no means bought an opportunity.” He instructed Vogue that the manufacturing’s official crystal associate, Preciosa, opened up their coffers and let him be a child of their sweet retailer. (In addition they offered some 30,000 crystals for the musical’s crashing chandelier.)

“I needed to method this like I used to be doing a movie, the place the digicam is true in your face,” Sosa continued. “The viewers right here is true on high of you, so that they see each element—entrance, again, facet, and beneath. That allowed us to actually exhibit some actually cool craftsmanship that you simply received’t see on a stage.”

But the manufacturing’s performers received’t be the one individuals dolled up: Masquerade requires viewers members to “gown extravagantly” in black, white, or silver and to don a masks. (Formichetti designed two for this objective: one, that includes customized lace and embroidery—“a bit punk and barely erotic”—is included with admission; the opposite, extra elaborate masks is on the market for buy.)

Paulus (Jagged Little Tablet, Waitress), who has been creating Masquerade for greater than two years, drew her personal inspiration from the grand balls of fin de siècle Paris—“epic, theatrical occasions for which individuals would spend a yr making ready,” she famous.

“Tapping into this historical past of masquerades and asking the viewers to be a associate—it begins with, ‘What are you gonna put on?” she added. “And also you’re already taking part. Our lives might be very informal as of late, and the concept of not spectacle, however event is absolutely thrilling.”

Forward of the beginning of performances later this month, Formichetti, Sosa, and Paulus gave Vogue an unique have a look at Masquerade’s masks, costumes, and general reinvention of a traditional work of musical theater.

A mirrored masks for the Phantom