Dressing the Company

Cindy Witherspoon builds a black wedding dress.

Armani, Dolce and Gabbana, Hugo Boss and Diane von Furstenberg are the labels of New York’s sophisticated crowd, and consequently those chosen by Playhouse Costume Designer Ann Hould-Ward when selecting the clothes for Company. The palette for the show has each actor costumed only in varying degrees of black and white.

Interestingly, Company presented several unique challenges for the costume designer. Because the actors rarely if ever leave the stage, each character has only one costume, generally with layering that provides some flexibility to change the overall look as needed.

Additionally, some consideration had to be given to the fact that the cast not only needs to be able to dance and sing, but also to play musical instruments. For example, someone who plays the violin can’t have a shirt collar that interferes with his or her bowing, while a flute player needs fabric that can stretch across the upper back in order to position the instrument properly.