#1st managers

This has been sitting in my drafts for ages, so let's finally post it. Carlotta's b/w 1st act bodice on Broadway, with kick-ass beadwork and what looks like a horse or deer fichu! Love it.

For better or for worse... they don't make'em like that anymore: Early versions of Carlotta's b/w 1st Managers costume

ROW 1: Rosemary Ashe, West End (before and after pimping)

ROW 2: Maria Moll and Evette Davis, West End

ROW 3: Patricia Hurd in Chicago, Judy Kaye and Marilyn Caskey on Broadway

ROW 4: Priti Coles in Vienna, Pamela Sanabria in Hamburg

ROW 5: Anette Stridh in Stockholm, Vera Borisova in Hamburg, Sayoko Kanai in Nagoya (and amazingly, they have kept making these costumes more or less like this from 1988 and until today)

ROW 6: Mary Ann Barcellona and Patricia Phillips in Toronto

ROW 7: Helen Noonan in Sydney and Andrea Creighton in the World Tour (made in the same Aussie style)

Firmin's hairdo in the US has been anything but stale!

Kevin Ligon, Broadway

Tim Jerome, Broadway

David Cryer, US Tour and Broadway

Richard Gould, San Francisco

Scott Watanabe, Las Vegas (also Toronto)

Craig Bennett, Broadway (also Restaged Tour)

Kenneth Kantor, Broadway

Carrington Vilmont, Broadway

Lawson Skala, Las Vegas

Nick Wyman, original Broadway

Scott Mikita, Broadway

Firmin is one of the characters in the show that the actor playing him use their real (or sometime lack of) hair for the part

I know Craig Bennet and Understudy David Michael Garry wore wigs when they played the role on Broadway

Michael Robert Lowe from the London Production initially wore one for his cover run, but apparently for some reason did not wear it when he official went on for the role.

Now, if you had asked me about André wigs I would have had a lot more to say. I love his flamboyant curls, and some of them are so clearly a wig...! But Firmin... I think my main interest there is the ones doing the awesomely silly "comma curls" as seen in Maria Bjørnson's design:

(depicted above: Richard Hazell in Wst End, Carl Christian Rasmussen and Steen Springborg in Copenhagen, John O'May in the World Tour)

For this look I think they usually feature their own hair, with added sideburns. Anton Rattinger in Hamburg is probably an exception, judging from rehearsal photos VS stage photos:

They never seemed keen on that look on Broadway, or the US in general. They have however done all possible other looks, from bald to horseshoe hairline to spiky hairdo to extravagant stylings. Usually I can't tell if there is a wig involved or not in the latter styles. For example, I didn't know Craig Bennett wore one! But looking closer at his Restaged Tour look, rehearsal look, different Broadway stylings and backstage photos, you are probably right.

I am open for extension or colouring being added to the actor's own hair, but I kinda assume there is a wig involved when Firmin has dark-ish hair with grey bangs. It looks a bit too planned. So yeah, here's Craig Bennett on Broadway:

And Wang Zhiru (?) in Beijing:

ETA: James Borthwick in the World Tour revival 2019-2020 had Firmin's "comma curls" styling, while he in his original run in South Africa and the World Tour 2011-2013 had the Broadway styling with grey bangs. That indicates to me his first look was a wig.

And even if Barry James (West End, RAH) in large is depicted with the "comma curls" it does look like he wigged up a few times. I don't know the context for the wig, but I do know he liked to experiment with his portrayal so maybe that is related. Or did he ever go on as André?

FROM DESIGN TO COSTUME: Carlotta's 1st and 2nd Manager dresses in Italy / Monaco / Spain.