LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — When it comes to Cirque du Soleil, many decisions are made based on how a story can be told. That includes everything from stage design to lighting to makeup. When you explore the wardrobe department, you can see those stories come to life and it can make you feel like a kid again, figuratively and literally.
"This is the diaper that our baby character wears," Gabrielle Lyster-Allen said smiling.
She's the Head Of Wardrobe for "Mystère". Lyster-Allen is originally from New Zealand and grew up in show biz.
"I went to school for fashion design and I was in the clothing industry making clothing. On the side, my father and I were doing a magic act so I would be doing the costumes," Lyster-Allen said. "I won my green card in the lottery and my mom and I talked. She said you're meant to go [to the U.S.] and she believed in fate. I packed up and came over. I knew somebody in Vegas and they knew I could work in costumes and they got me a two-week gig. It led to another gig and another gig and another gig and I never left."
Lyster-Allen has been in Las Vegas since 1995 and has been with "Mystère" since 2018. She said people would be surprised at how many pieces the wardrobe department keeps track of.
"We work with 64 artists. Each one has three to four character looks with about five pieces per look," Lyster-Allen said. "On top of that, we have back-ups for every costume and then we also have stock."
Based on those numbers that's anywhere from 960 to 1,280 different pieces. It includes things like pants, shirts, leotards, hats, and shoes. Every day, someone from the wardrobe department checks every piece to make sure they are show-ready.
"We have a day heads person that maintains and goes through every headpiece in the morning to make sure there's no snaps coming off or anything that needs painting. We have a shoes person that comes in and picks up every pair of shoes and washes any marks off them that they find," Lyster-Allen said. "I have two people that do laundry and day maintenance on costumes. They check every costume and pick them up to check and make sure it's good and doesn't have any holes in them. They work through getting all that maintenance done."
That can also add up to a lot of laundry at the end of the night.
"As the second show goes on, we're pulling costumes that they're through with in the show. They throw them in the laundry and we get the washing going," Lyster-Allen said. "They probably do about 20 loads of laundry at night and there's another five loads left for the next day because they wrap up around midnight."
WEB EXTRA: Take a look at the wardrobe department at "O"
A lot of thought goes into how costumes will wash and last, in addition to the actual design.
"It's not a quick process where they go 'We'll put this costume in the show'. They start thinking of fabrics and how they wash and how they wear because you don't want to have a costume go into the show and two weeks later, we need to replace it," Lyster-Allen said. "That doesn't work. You try to get them to last for six months at least."
They've come up with clever ways to incorporate utility and design. For example, the costumes worn by the Chinese Pole acrobats in "Mystère" may look like distressed or worn fabric. However, Lyster-Allen said the fabric is anti-adhesive from Germany and is the same material used for motorcycle pants. A design is then printed on the costumes to give them depth and dimension without adding weight or impeding the artists' ability to perform.
Each show comes with different challenges when it comes to costuming. Over at "O", it was creating costumes that could last for six months when being put in water on a nightly basis. During a Duck, Duck, Shed event with the Neon Museum, Jack Ricks, Wardrobe Manager for Cirque's Resident Shows Division, told the audience they originally did fabric testing and worked with SeaWorld San Diego. He said that's because they already had water-based shows and could help them figure out what to use.
Las Vegas native Casey Goshen is the Lead Costume Technician and Fitter at Michael Jackson ONE. The challenge for that show is embodying the essence of Jackson's music through the costumes.
"The designer for the show is Zaldy Goco. He is absolutely brilliant. He has done work for Katy Perry, Christina Aguilera, RuPaul. He worked closely actually designing Michael Jackson's final tour that never made it on stage," Goshen said. "This was almost like Zaldy was able to complete that dream for Michael by coming back and designing these costumes for him and he had that really personal connection with Michael. Having him work with us here at MJ ONE was an honor and a privilege."
Each costume at the show is inspired by a different Michael Jackson music video.
"We have our tabloid junkies and our smooth criminals who are kind of like the dark side and we have the warriors who represent light and fun," Goshen said. "You'll see all the little details that represent the video. Every detail is so pain-stakingly designed."
WEB EXTRA: "Michael Jackson One" looks are inspired by Jackson's music videos
Like Lyster-Allen mentioned, Goshen said the wardrobe team at Michael Jackson ONE is also looking for ways to optimize and improve costumes to help the performers.
"Our first concern is always safety. You think about the guys jumping on the trampoline. They're jumping 30 feet in the air. If their costume is wiggling around in the wrong way, they can get hurt. We spend a lot of time making sure costumes fit properly," Goshen said. "Very close behind is how it looks on stage. If a fabric isn't working out, it's not lasting long enough, or it's in the way, we'll print the texture of a fabric on a costume. Instead of this really messy, fraying fabric, we've printed it on there. Now, it's really durable. They can go out there and jump around and we don't have to replace it as often."
For Michael Jackson ONE, they also have an LED technician and people who take care of wigs.
"We have three to four acts that light up with LED so we have a full-time LED technician. They're repairing all the lights that may have gone out, electric issues, and troubleshooting problems," Goshen said. "We started out the show with the artists dying their hair and we quickly realized that's not sustainable so all of our MJ warriors are in wigs."
So where do costumes go when they've outlived their time on stage?
"All of our designs are proprietary so we don't just throw things in the garbage. We hire a shredding service and we shred all of our costumes in itty bitty pieces," Goshen said. "That's so the pieces don't end up in the public and ruin the magic of MJ ONE."
Both Lyster-Allen and Goshen said they love getting to bring magic to life and the best part is seeing reactions to their work.
"I love when you sit in the audience and you listen to people's laughter and you hear the awe in their voices," Lyster-Allen said. "If I need a boost, I'll sneak in the back and listen. You need to love what you do and I do."
"Any time someone says where do you work and I say Cirque du Soleil, their eyes light up," Goshen said. "That really makes me proud to work here."
