The lion, the witch and the wardrobe

Okay, there was no lion or witch, but there was a wardrobe – and a jewellery box.  And most of it was mine. 

I knew when I was cast as Rita that there was one thing I really needed and it was a particular black dress. Something with a plunging neckline that (with the assistance of a bra I haven’t worn regularly for over a decade) would give Rita/me some cleavage.

I used to make all my own dresses, but that was a long time ago. Still, I do have a sewing machine, so I probably could give it a go – if I could find a pattern. I couldn’t. Every pattern I saw that had a deep V bodice also had a skirt that bubbled out under the boobs and went straight down. Not what I wanted at all. I wanted something that was fitted underneath and flared out.

So I gave up and contacted our wardrobe wizard, who conveniently lives two doors down the road from me. She is not someone who can create patterns, but she is definitely someone who can put bits and pieces together to create something stunning. 

Which is what she did for me.

She found a plunging neck top, cut it off and added a flared, layered skirt of a different black fabric and created the perfect Rita dress.

The idea originally was to simply use this dress with different jackets and bits of jewellery for the six scenes taking place on different days over a three-week period. But there was one line in the play when Mary Ellen, after Rita offers to loan her a dress to wear for a fancy meal, says, “The dresses I wear say I am a married woman. The dresses you wear say ‘open for business’.” Yes, the cleavage black dress does not look like something frumpy Mary Ellen would wear, but did it really say ‘open for business’? 

Then I went to the local charity shop on the off chance that they might have a pair of black heels in my size. (The only pair I have need new rubber soles on the heels and, it turned out, made a lot of noise when I walked on the floor.) Bingo! Not only did they have a pair of astonishingly comfortable black heels in my size, but look what I spotted.

It was in the lingerie section and definitely said “open for business”. Don’t worry. I wore a jacket over the dress, which made it a bit less shocking, but it is short. Very short.

Well, if I was going to change once, I might as well change multiple times.

Act 1 Scene 1, the black dress with the jet necklace and earrings I once upon a time wore all the time, but haven’t worn for many years.

Act 1 Scene 2, black jacket and a turquoise “dress” short enough that I’ve only ever worn it as a top over jeans or leggings with red earrings and a bracelet I acquired at another charity shop eleven years ago to wear with Annie Dankworth’s flaming red dress in The Housekeeper and have not had on my wrist since.

Act 1 Scene 3, black jacket and ridiculously short “open for business” concoction with dangly earrings.

Act 2 Scene 1, black and white jacket with another black dress (short, but not ridiculously so) and black and white earrings.

Act 2 Scene 2, black jacket with a longer blue dress (also found in a charity shop and only worn for the first time at a rehearsal a few weeks ago when fellow cast members asked me if I knew it was pretty much see through – no, I hadn’t realised that, but it seemed to fit with the Rita vibe) and the jet necklace and earrings again.

Act 2 Scene 3, the original Rita dress with a black jacket embroidered with flowers and pearly earrings.

So, five dresses (two of which could barely be called that), three jackets…

… five pairs of earrings, one necklace and one bracelet.

That is a helluva lot more dressing up and jewellery (and let’s not forget make-up) than I’ve been accustomed to in a verylong time. But hell, it was fun.

Back to jeans and baggy jumpers.