Monday, November 9, 2009

"Rainbow" High

I got to thinking about the next show I'm going to see, Finian's Rainbow in about 10 days or so. Took a look at the artwork that advertises the show (I'll hold judgement on that until I see the show...), and it got me to thinking about the use of color in Broadway and off-Broadway shows. For a second I even thought about a science class I had and our good friend Roy G. Biv aka the spectrum. Ok, I'll admit it... I still am not 100% sure about the difference between "blue" and "indigo", but looking it up I found that most artists define it as a brighter blue... anyway, I digress.

So, I'm sitting in my cubicle, doodling and suddenly realizing that I'm listing things to do with shows that are attached in my mind with specific colors. So here are the results, and I'm not even including Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and my title refers to both Finian and Eva Peron!

Please feel free to add a comment or two or three to add to the list! Jeff


RED: The poster for any David Merrick produced show ( 42nd Street , Hello, Dolly!); Dolly Levi’s Harmonia Gardens gown, the blood on the original Sweeney Todd logo, the word “Chicago”, Annie’s dress; "The Old Red Hills of Home," Parade

ORANGE: Avenue Q logo, Mame logo, Zazu’s bill; "Orange Blossoms," from Orange Blossoms (a musical from 1922...it ran 3 months!)

YELLOW: The Lion King marquee; You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown’s shirt, the eyes in the Cats logo; "Yellow Fever," from Fela! (Ha! And it hasn't even opened yet!)

GREEN: Elphaba, H2$, Shrek’s skin; "All About the Green," The Wedding Singer
BLUE: Blue Man Group, the Gypsy revival w/Patti LuPone, the boys’ uniforms in Spring Awakening; "Blue Crystal," The Rink

INDIGO: The primary color in the South Pacific revival, the primary color of the Mamma Mia backdrop, the original Big River logo, Donna’s overalls in Mamma Mia!, the Hair CD cover; "Mood Indigo," Play On!

VIOLET: next to normal logo, Gabe's T-Shirt, The Color Purple; "Violets and Silverbells," Shenandoah; "The Song of Purple Summer," Spring Awakening

Other "major" colors, not in the spectrum

WHITE: The Phantom Mask, Stacee Jaxx’s pants (Rock of Ages); "My White Knight," The Music Man
BLACK: Souped-up version of Greased Lightning; "Big Black Man," The Full Monty
BLACK & WHITE: Dracula (play), The Chicago ad campaign, The Chicago costumes; "Black and White," Barnum

GRAY/GREY: Les Miserables: The set, the smoke, the original poster; "Entering Grey Gardens," Grey Gardens
BROWN: Floyd Collins, Urinetown, Cabaret door, the Sunset Boulevard logo; "Sarah Brown Eyes," Ragtime

PINK: The Pink Ladies, Glinda’s “Popular” dress, Xanadu’s 2nd logo; "The Girl in Pink," Ziegfeld Follies of 1911

2 comments:

  1. I saw Finian's Rainbow this afternoon and really enjoyed it. The music, the cast, the story, everything. It was a great conclusion to a week's worth of theatrical awesomeness (which started with Cate Blanchett in Streetcar). It was also the first time I got to see Cheyenne Jackson on stage, and it's safe to say that a *lot* of people in the audience were very happy to see him. (and the theatre, the orchestra section at least, was full).

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  2. I am really starting to look forward to it, too. I have seen Cheyenne on stage before - he's great, isn't he? But I have to say, I am jealous that you got to see Cate Blanchett! Thanks for writing!
    Jeff

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